tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099741275288888342.post9087566060083103392..comments2023-05-27T01:59:31.620-07:00Comments on UNITY POLITICS: Heavyweight Non-FictionWill Muessighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695514815193405609noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099741275288888342.post-47955849213363878982011-06-25T01:42:36.125-07:002011-06-25T01:42:36.125-07:00Out of curiosity, does the lightweight make up for...Out of curiosity, does the lightweight make up for his lack of intelligence/originality with astonishingly good looks/better sense of humor?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099741275288888342.post-84828267084440393332011-06-21T13:20:32.149-07:002011-06-21T13:20:32.149-07:00I'm not saying only academics or experts can w...I'm not saying only academics or experts can write good books, merely that I've noticed a trend in my personal preferences that favor authors with practical experience in the field being discussed. I think what I'm really trying to get at is the distinction between the journalistic/historical approach versus a more primary form of knowledge conveyance. I prefer learning about ideas and concepts from the person who developed them over a journalist or historian. But obviously there is an important role for interpreting, popularizing, analyzing, and synthesizing original research. I think I simply enjoy trying to do those higher-level aggregation steps on my own.Will Muessighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08695514815193405609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099741275288888342.post-41907204896155004162011-06-21T11:56:34.103-07:002011-06-21T11:56:34.103-07:00Only a moron (or an intellectual lightweight?) mak...Only a moron (or an intellectual lightweight?) makes blanket statements and characterizations like this blog post. Only academics or specific experts in a specific field can write good books? Gleick is about as "heavyweight" as they come: Chaos? His Feynmann biography? And now his superb book "The Information." But of course, I'm biased. I've read it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com