an annoying technique

Earlier today I read the stupidest philosophy article I have seen in at least a year, and it’s already published. Maybe I’ll post a critique of it here, maybe not. (I won’t name the article for now, so as to keep my options open.)

It’s about a living author (and no, not about me). There are many things wrong with the article, but here I just want to cite one of its annoying techniques that I’ve seen used elsewhere in recent reviews.

The article contains at least two passages that have roughly the following structure:

“One might even question the very coherence of Philosopher X’s project. As he himself admits, ‘I have no system. I work at random in whatever way suits me on any given day.'”

But this oh-so-clever technique of using the author’s own words against him is simply dishonest in the present case. The “I have no system” quote (those are not the exact words, but convey the flavor of what he said) is, of course, a bit of warmly self-deprecating wit, not some sort of devastating confession made to police interrogators.

It’s important to be honest, even in the cause of polemic. The article in question was both dishonest and, I repeat, stupid. (I don’t know the author personally, nor had I ever heard of him before this morning, by the way.)