NYT-1201: STATE OF THE ART A Thermostat That's Clever, Not ...
NYT-1201: STATE OF THE ART A Thermostat That's Clever, Not ...
NYT-1201: STATE OF THE ART A Thermostat That's Clever, Not ...
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The Stone is featuring occasional posts by Gary Gu<br />
tting, a professor of philosophy at the University<br />
of <strong>Not</strong>re Dame, that apply critical thinking to in<br />
formation and events that have appeared in the new<br />
s.<br />
The rise of Newt Gingrich, Ph.D.— along with the a<br />
pparent anti-intellectualism of many of the other<br />
Republican candidates — has once again raised the<br />
question of the role of intellectuals in American<br />
politics.<br />
In writing about intellectuals, my temptation is t<br />
o begin by echoing Marianne Moore on poetry: I, to<br />
o, dislike them. But that would be a lie: all els<br />
e equal, I really like intellectuals. Besides, I’<br />
m an intellectual myself, and their self-deprecati<br />
on is one thing I really do dislike about many int<br />
ellectuals.<br />
What is an intellectual? In general, someone seri<br />
ously devoted to what used to be called the “life<br />
of the mind”: thinking pursued not instrumentally,<br />
for the sake of practical goals, but simply for t<br />
he sake of knowing and understanding. Nowadays, u<br />
niversities are the most congenial spots for intel<br />
lectuals, although even there corporatism and care<br />
erism are increasing threats.<br />
Intellectuals tell us things we need to know: how<br />
nature and society work, what happened in our past<br />
, how to analyze concepts, how to appreciate art a<br />
nd literature. They also keep us in conversation<br />
with the great minds of our past. This conversat<br />
ion may not, as some hope, tap into a source of en<br />
during wisdom, but it at least provides a critical<br />
standpoint for assessing the limits of our curren<br />
t cultural assumptions.<br />
In his “Republic,” Plato put forward the ideal of<br />
a state ruled by intellectuals who combined compre<br />
hensive theoretical knowledge with the practical c