Word: thinker
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...antagonism is in many cases a more productive response than admiration. Disagreement with a thinker and writer of Wilson's calibre demands of the reader a serious and fruitful consideration of his own beliefs, and this is certainly close to the optimum effect that an essayist can hope to achieve. If he cannot convince, he can at least force the reader to scrutinize his own opinion, and perhaps to modify it. In this, Wilson succeeds admirably...
Neither reaction, I think, is quite correct. As a considerate thinker, Wilson is quite conscious of the extremity of this position as stated. But he does not desire or expect a reaction of disgust from anyone interested in reading his essay in the first place; the dogmatic force of his statement creates resistance in the reader, who, in examining the idea for its real weaknesses, comes more fully to understand understand the author's meaning...
...sensible of all one's various sentiments and to analyze them." This meant that, like many self-analysts? he shamelessly dredged up his vices but coyly concealed most of his virtues. And yet, in fact, he was a generous friend, a highly intelligent observer, and an independent thinker-not all his awe of Dr. Johnson, for example, could convince him that the great man was right in saying that swallows passed the winter buried in heaps at the bottom of river beds...
...Republicans had to nominate Nixon -to have a ready excuse if they lose. They now have a General and a General Nuisance. The Democrats have a thinker and a stinker. I'll vote for Pogo...
...book's runts and spivs and riffraff-the ones who have fared best under the Welfare State. Old Cock pegs them down (to quote the most printable of his memorable vocabulary) as bowler-hatted, bean-eyed, lousy, bootlicking Picklewaters. The old man is quite a social thinker. After one brush with authority-represented by an arrogant doorman-he reflects: "If we have to take to wearing bowlers before we can get a bit of simple cooperation from our fellowman, who shall not be spat on from a mighty height...