Eccentric Existence

Anyone who is asked to write a review essay, I suspect, harbors a secret hope that the book being evaluated will not be of fair-to-decent quality, thereby requiring a balanced account of its pros and cons, but will instead prove unusually bad or unusually good. If the book is unusually bad, marred by obvious, egregious, and perhaps dangerous flaws, one has the opportunity to respond with a vigorous Nein! One can do more than identify and criticize shortcomings; one can express justifiable indignation at the work's presuppositions, method, and substance. And if one's review manages to combine indignation, accuracy, and timeliness (a rare thing) and seems likely to spark fruitful discussion—well, one might even claim to be exercising intellectual leadership. If a book is unusually good, however, marked by rare insight, rhetorical elegance, and an impressive imaginative reach, one can exchange indignation for something more wholesome. One has the opportunity to express frank delight at an advance in thought. Even better: the obligation to exercise intellectual leadership is revoked, for the book under review has already provided that. One's task is different: identifying the text's key claims, providing a cogent appraisal of their importance, and supplying comments to stimulate further reflection.

Aesthetics · Epistemology · Immorality · Indignation · Morality · Obligation · Political science · Presupposition · Repentance · Rhetoric · Rhetorical question · Sensibility · Sociology · Suspect · Theology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Philosophy

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