Intellectuals vs.activism

[joanna bujes]

At 04:59 AM 08/05/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>In my experience of academe over the 15 years I was in it, 20 if you count
>undergrad, few professors or grad students are what I would call
>intellectuals. Most of them are technicians, the best of these are good,
>evem excellent, at a narrow craft. They have no interest, for the most part
>in a broader vision. They lack cultivation or humame learning. They have no
>books in their homes. They might as well be auto mechanics for all their
>education.

You're absolutely right Justin. One of the reasons I left academia suprised 
even me: the complete lack of intellectual curiosity. There is more 
intellectual ferment among software engineers (where I now spend my working 
hours), then I found among the self-satisfied intellectual policemen at 
most of the campuses I taught.

Joanna