Breaking Bread: Horowitz vs. Bérubé

The lunch took place just a couple of days after the Democrats crushed the Republicans in the midterm elections, regaining the House and the Senate. Mr. Bérubé, to his credit, kept the gloating to a minimum.

It’s worth noting that, even though they’ve been writing about each other for years, the two men had never met.

Mr. Horowitz and Mr. Bérubé admitted to pre-lunch jitters. And while they both immediately agreed to the meeting, each expressed doubt that the other would be willing. —Breaking Bread: Horowitz vs. Bérubé (Chronicle of Higher Education)

This is in a web address marked “temp,” so if you’re at all interested in the culture wars in academia, you’d better download this conversation now.

I’m filing this under “drama” because I don’t have a “sensationalism” category.

And why is the Horowitz graphic on the left, and the Bérubé graphic on the right? Somebody thump the layout designer upside the head.

View Comments

  • The academic culture wars are interesting. You're either an "old boys' club scholar" or an "anti-reason, nihilistic trendsetter not worthy of being called a scholar."

    While I'm personally against the idea of postmodernism, I think the over-zealous denouncers of postmodernism often contradict the goals of modernity by letting their emotions do the arguing.

    I'm curious as to why change = replacement.

    Yes, academics has been dominated by "old, dead, white, heterosexual males," but if a car which you had invested so much time, effort and money is not running, do you normally trash it all together? If your friend is sick, you get a new friend?

    Drama is pervasive because we make accusations before we ask questions. With the assumption that we know what other people are exactly talking about, we put a value judgment instantly without the curious inquiry.

    Same thing goes with science and philosophy. I can't stand when science scholars try to push me completely into science with the assumption that it will solve all the relevant problems of society. There is value in both.

    It is the dischord between and among individual interests that makes communication necessary, but prevents it from happening.

    Marx and Rand need credit for bringing our attention to conflict, but they both missed the most important conflict: the conflict between two individuals: the drama.

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Dennis G. Jerz

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