Wednesday, November 18, 2009

I got your back!

So, this guy, let's call him Steven Pinker, writing for New York Times online (who is a professor of psychology at Harvard University) says that Malcolm Gladwell (a uber de-bunker) is, in several cases, out to lunch. What! Malcolm, out to lunch? Gone fishing?

It would seem so: "cherry-picked anecdotes, post-hoc sophistry and false dichotomies, had me gnawing on my Kindle," writes the professor.

Also, Gladwell "...provides misleading definitions of “homology,” “sagittal plane” and “power law” and quotes an expert speaking about an “igon value” (that’s eigenvalue, a basic concept in linear algebra)."

Who would have thunk! The de-bunker has been de-bunked!

In the AtlanticWire, (John Hudson, who the hell is he?), has brought together a collection of pieces written about Gladwell's writing under one convenient roof. You will find in this article that, for example, Tony Ortega writing for the The Village Voice, thinks Malcolm "is full of shit."

Bastards! What do they know! Don't they ever have a bad hair day? Well, Malcolm has a bad hair day everyday! So lay off, ya bastards!! I got your back, Mal.

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