Word: labors
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...know that the most persuasive arguments--the good sort of generalizations--come from prolonged and careful labor. Yet our democratic instincts, Tocqueville reminds us, lead us astray: "Life is so practical, complicated, agitated and active that [Americans] have little time for thinking. So democratic man likes generalizations because they save him the trouble of studying particular cases...
This is not to say that all generalities are bad, of course. Tocqueville made a critical distinction between the kind of generalization and rule-making that "results from the slow, detailed and conscientious labor of the mind" and the more pernicious kind used by the Littleton pundits, that "springs up at once from the first quick exercise of the wits and begets only very superficial and uncertain notions...
Think of this distinction in terms of the dividing line between academia and much of the the media. Top academics can labor for years to produce narrow, precise insights into literature, science or the human soul, while many in the media eagerly seek to identify supposed trends as quickly as possible. When the number of racial minorities admitted to the class of 2003 dipped only slightly, the Crimson was quick to proclaim "declining diversity." When a smattering of anti-sweatshop rallies took place on a few campuses this spring, the New York Times was eager to herald a vast revival...
...union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board early last month alleging the University violated federal labor laws and is a "bad-faith" negotiator...
Kaarina I. Hollo '83, a Celtic Department lecturer, addressed the crowd on the broader concerns of losing human contact through sub-contracting University labor...