Word: great
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Triantafillou said this term's council has "accomplished a great deal," but added that it needs to include more Cantabrigians in its lawmaking process...
...forcing great thinkers into modern political debates with Procrustean zeal, Justice makes mere politics of political philosophy. Kant should be an end in himself. One should not, and does not, have to locate his thinking on our political spectrum to make him interesting. But students in Justice are required to pluck Kant from the clouds, fumble with him in their untutored hands and mold him to a present-day problem--like smashing a butterfly between one's fingers in order to admire its wings. Such familiarity breeds, if not contempt, at least a false and dangerous sense of intimacy...
Especially when, as in Justice, one spends such little time on each great philosopher, the best of whom ought to command an eternity of study. It is simply impossible to understand, or even appreciate, a great thinker in one week--if you can, chances are he's not a great thinker. But in order to give a general introduction to moral philosophy, Justice sacrifices depth for breadth. In this case, necessity is the mother of imperfection...
...Treating great thinkers in this way often generates a flighty arrogance. In section, would-be consultants, having skimmed a few books of the Politics, claim shamelessly that Aristotle contradicts himself; bubbly pre-meds babble unchecked about Locke's shortsightedness...
...much the fault of professors, who make a living by taking ideas seriously. It seems that in a noble attempt to inspire students to share their scholarly excitement, they have crushed great learning into mediocre bits, lest students choke on it. They have reduced great revelation to mere relevance. In the process, the great thinkers who might otherwise inspire men and women to greatness, become cold marble busts sitting mute while scores graduate without their sage teachings...