Re: [OPE-L] Derrida's ghosts

[Allin Cottrell <cottrell@xxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 28 Oct 2005, Ian Wright wrote:

> Why has this postmodern style of writing become popular in some
> quarters?

Hypothesis: Picking up on and emulating this style requires a fair
degree of intelligence and a fair amount of reading in the style.
So being able to do it is a badge of some sort: membership of the
smart club.  On the other hand, acquiring the knack of writing in
this style is much easier than acquiring a good working knowledge of
a (any) scientific discipline, so it's an easier entree to getting
recognition and publishing your work.  Not only that, but you get to
feel superior to those toiling in specific scientific disciplines,
since the standpoint of "deconstruction" gives you an Olympian
overview of all human intellectual activity (denials of "privilege"
to particular levels of discourse, blah blah etc, notwithstanding).

Allin.