[lit-ideas] Re: Speak, Oh Academics!

Walter O. wrote:

"The more interestinjg question is whether Taylor has any clue as to
the nature and conditions of university teaching and research."

to which John McCreery replied:

"Given the description of Taylor at the end of the piece, this seems a
curious question."

"Mark C. Taylor, the chairman of the religion department at Columbia,
is the author of the forthcoming “Field Notes From Elsewhere:
Reflections on Dying and Living.”


Having suffered through reading a book by Taylor and sitting in on
several conference presentations, I am with Walter on this.  Taylor is
the last person I would look to for guidance on education and
research.  To get a sense of what Taylor contributes, consider the
following:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/14/opinion/14taylor.html

Here is one enlightening bit:

"What makes Mr. Derrida's work so significant is the way he brought
insights of major philosophers, writers, artists and theologians to
bear on problems of urgent contemporary interest. Most of his
infamously demanding texts consist of careful interpretations of
canonical writers in the Western philosophical, literary and artistic
traditions - from Plato to Joyce. By reading familiar works against
the grain, he disclosed concealed meanings that created new
possibilities for imaginative expression."

If Taylor sees the need to address "problems of urgent contemporary
interest" through disclosing concealed meanings that create new
possibilities for imaginative expression, I shudder to think what the
following might mean:

"Abolish permanent departments, even for undergraduate education, and
create problem-focused programs."

Taylor is one of those Pomo authors who made a name for themselves
with books so poorly written that people take them to be profound.


Sincerely,

Phil Enns
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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