Ch. 9 - Junk Thought
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:10 am
Ch. 9 - Junk Thought
Please use this thread for discussing Chapter 9.
Please use this thread for discussing Chapter 9.
I saw Susan on The Colbert Report where Steven accused her of plagiarizing from the word "truthiness" which he coined.The defining characteristic of junk thought, which manifests itself in the humanities and social sciences as well as they physical sciences, are anti-rationalism and contempt for countervailing facts and expert opinion. It cannot be stressed enough that junk though emanates from both the left and right, even though each group - in academia, politics, and cultural institutions - thrives on accusing the other of being the sole source of irrationality.
...The real power of junk thought lies in its status as a centrist phenomenon, fueled by the American credo of tolerance that places all opinions on an equal footing and makes little effort to separate fact from opinion. p. 211