I’ve ordered What Are Intellectuals Good For? thanks to the many insightful posts at Crooked Timber. See examples here, here, here, and here. I don’t understand all of the arguments well enough to contribute to them—at least not yet—especially those regarding what the political “left” means, which seems based a cursory reading more out of the 1930s or 1950s than today. This might be a function of my age—I’m not a professor (yet?)—or field—English literature—rather than philosophy or government, where most of the Crooked Timber contributors appear to be ensconced.

Of late there have been a large number of posts around the web worthy of more than a brief link, but I think that’s an aberration rather than a permanent trend. Expect more on What Are Intellectuals Good For? shortly, as well as longer essays on books rather than the recent spate of responses to other bloggers/commenters.