What’s New After September 11?

Must the intellectual, or the leftist—who need not be identical—always adopt a critical position, declaring that the glass is half-empty? Must the intellectual, or the leftist, always oppose the government, or the imperial hegemon? Must the intellectual, or the leftist, always take the side of the minority, the underdog, the victim—even if this ignores any responsibility that might fall to that minority, underdog or victim? Is the intellectual, or the leftist, faced with choices that are morally clear-cut to the point that political choice and individual judgment are superfluous? Must the intellectual, or the leftist, always have a good conscience and opt always, if not for the side of the angels, at least for that of Historical Progress? These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.