Our mass culture –– and a good deal of our high, or serious, culture as well –– is dominated by an emphasis on data and a corresponding lack of interest in theory, by a frank admiration of the factual and an uneasy contempt for imagination, sensibility and speculation. We are obsessed with technique, hag-ridden by Facts, in love with information. Our popular novelists must tell us all about the historical and professional backgrounds of their puppets; our press lords make millions by giving us this day our daily Facts; our scholars –– or, more accurately, our research administrators –– erect pyramids of data to cover the corpse of a stillborn idea…
Against The American Grain (1962)
Use the link below to read a short article about the work of North American writer, social critic, philosopher and activist DWIGHT MACDONALD (1906–1982):
You might also enjoy:
No comments:
Post a Comment