The eminent thinker and sociologist, Daniel Bell, died in January. Very early on in his intellectual explorations he realised the bankrupt nature of Communism and ideologies in general, yet was able to study and understand the social needs and underpinnings of societies/communities and why they need ideologies. Mark Lilla has written a thoughtful and touching elegy in memory of his mentor in the current issue of The New York Review of Books.
Speaking of ideologies: The online news aggregator, allAfrica.com, reproduced an essay titled 'Manyi and Manuel-Why Apartheid Didn't Die' by Leonard Gentle. This essay is wonderful in showing how people manipulate ideas and language to suit the circumstances and what a complex subject this is. The article originally appeared in The South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS), an excellent forum for the discussion of difficult topics.
Speaking of ideologies: The online news aggregator, allAfrica.com, reproduced an essay titled 'Manyi and Manuel-Why Apartheid Didn't Die' by Leonard Gentle. This essay is wonderful in showing how people manipulate ideas and language to suit the circumstances and what a complex subject this is. The article originally appeared in The South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS), an excellent forum for the discussion of difficult topics.
