Among media and academic elites there are two warring tendencies: a conformism which adopts the rhetoric of social justice, and a “contrarian” nonconformism. There is something contrarian about all serious thinking, which opposes the dominant opinion in the name of the pursuit of truth. There is also the risk, however, of contrarianism becoming so oriented around the negation of the dominant opinion that it accepts its premises. Then it would become internal to the dominant opinion, rather than a form of opposition.
Notes on Conformism
Notes on Conformism
Notes on Conformism
Among media and academic elites there are two warring tendencies: a conformism which adopts the rhetoric of social justice, and a “contrarian” nonconformism. There is something contrarian about all serious thinking, which opposes the dominant opinion in the name of the pursuit of truth. There is also the risk, however, of contrarianism becoming so oriented around the negation of the dominant opinion that it accepts its premises. Then it would become internal to the dominant opinion, rather than a form of opposition.