While pursuing a tangent on elitism (that I’m against, of course) which is a problem for many persons (often as “anti-intellectualism”), I came across two passages that I deleted eight years ago from a posting on “Philosophy for good” (2013), which was “to be continued,” but wasn’t. I wanted to later discuss working “without ethnocentrism, elitism, super-naturalism, metaphysicalism, or deontic overbearingness.”
I also wrote (but deleted) that
Philosophy is often regarded in academia these days as expendable for other specialties (and “philosophy“ is often a shallow pastime in mass media). But no other domain is better able to advance important issues between and across other domains or/and to emplace life-centered thinking into large scale horizons fruitfully.The original posting (indicated above) links to a discussion of “good” as “the better way,” which links to a discussion of “the better argument as such,” which has a subheading that coincidently indicates what elitist communication lacks: “care of (and for) the other (to be convinced) by flexible perspectivity through an event of appropriation.” In other words, commitment to working without elitism, etc. is (among many aspects, articulated offline) “to emplace life-centered thinking into large scale horizons fruitfully” through the better way of the better argument in care of (and for) the other, etc.
Not only is astute reasoning good for one’s thinking. It’s for our inter-action, being together better, bettering the humanity of Our belonging.
So, I hope to extend this posting into a detailed discussion soon. When I do, I’ll note it on my home page.
October 23
Well-funded autocratic stoking of public distrust has served fossil fuel interests for many years. Capitalism would have people believe that meritocracy is the risk to consumerist “freedom”: Expertly informed governance is allegedly suspect because its complexities feel alien to people who always felt that the better students were condescending, were teacher’s pets, and are duplicitous because smart persons are “obsessed” with achievement. Too much education “threatens” the “traditional” bonds of family and neighborhood.
The better minds are partly to blame for lacking appreciation (and practical skill) for making leadership be gracious teaching; and not making time to mentor persons having trouble understanding.
The work of democracy is educational through and through. Excellent leadership—whatever the organization or sphere—is always, in part, teaching.
