critique

This critique of U.S. higher education cuts sharply: it argues that academic scholarship is often diluted by the influence of wealthy donors and conservative middle-class norms—prioritizing "expedient mediocrity" over incisive, critical inquiry. The prose is unflinching, framing much of modern academia as a "science of complaisant interpretations" rather than rigorous research. A brisk, biting take on how institutional pressures can dull intellectual courage.