The Anti-Intellectual Presidency: The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric from George Washington to George W. Bush

If the hallmarks of the intellectual are tolerance and acknowledgment of opposing views, then not many of us have these traits, or dare to show them. The complexities of one's views, or of one's person, do make good sound-bites. Indeed, one can get in trouble merely for discussing opposing viewpoints, since only those might be reported. But the media is a mirror of ourselves, and should not be blamed for our preferences. It is us then who have become lethargic. We have neither the time nor the energy to be bothered with all the facts: "I haven't got all day, you know." How about 15 minutes, as it might take just that long to appreciating what went on. Human affairs are not simple - notwithstanding our relentless efforts to make them so. It is only by appreciating their underlying complexity that we can understand them, and ultimately ourselves. If as Alexander Pope said "the proper study of man is man," then it will require our lifelong effort. And there are no shortcuts to studying, as Aristotle told us long ago.