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A review by ericwelch
Plagues of the Mind: The New Epidemic of False Knowledge by Bruce S. Thornton
1.0
While there is much to agree with in Thornton's admittedly interesting jeremiad, he falls into the trap of false knowledge he accuses others of having fallen into. Filled with clever quotes and wonderful slams at the admitted silliness of environmentalists and postmodernists, he nevertheless consistently makes sweeping generalizations based on often little more than reference to nineteenth century novels. For example, he quotes Herbert Marcuse, using him as a representative of silly thinking during the sixties and then proceeds to blame him (and the sixties) for "sexual disease, sexual degradation in the media and popular culture, unwed teen mothers, feral children raised by moral idiots, . . . (p. 25).
He vilifies the "cleverness with language" of the postmodern antirationalist yet on the same page indulges in the use of words like rodomontade and epiphenomena (47). Isolated anecdotes and examples are used to draw sweeping conclusions. Another example, "This is not to say that contemporary poststructuralists are incipient mass murderes. BUT [emphasis mine:] the connection between their ideas and the dehumanization that makes mass murder possible must be acknowledged." (49) Oh really? This is an example of rational thinking? It's unfortunate, Thornton has some very good points to make, but does not make them satisfactorily.
He vilifies the "cleverness with language" of the postmodern antirationalist yet on the same page indulges in the use of words like rodomontade and epiphenomena (47). Isolated anecdotes and examples are used to draw sweeping conclusions. Another example, "This is not to say that contemporary poststructuralists are incipient mass murderes. BUT [emphasis mine:] the connection between their ideas and the dehumanization that makes mass murder possible must be acknowledged." (49) Oh really? This is an example of rational thinking? It's unfortunate, Thornton has some very good points to make, but does not make them satisfactorily.