In 1972, Burgess could already see the loss of historical perspective that was happening in institutionalized education. I suppose he would consider 2011 a nightmare that no one is even attempting to wake up from. Also, is there anything like this on TV today? Seriously—is conservatism simply the opposite of intellectualism at this point? Could you imagine a leading conservative pundit having a literary author like Burgess on his or her show to actually, like, talk about history (or anything else for that matter)?
(See also).
Anthony Burgess Laments the Loss of History
Biblioklept 
May I ask? I am not English so I perhaps did not understand it correctly but – is he saying, that it would be preferable for students to start with tabula rasa or not? Thank you.
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He’s arguing, I think, that the tabular rasa approach is not optimal at all—-he thinks that students need to have a contextualized concept of history to properly learn.
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Right, now I can hear it. Thanks again. :)
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Look at the central failing brought up by this clip. Can you imagine a central academic institution that is not primarily responsible for “the loss of historical perspective that was happening in institutionalized education?”
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I suspect it is not on television any more, Melvyn Bragg’s Southbank Show was the last bastion of intellectualism on British TV. Though not a conservative with a large ‘C’, I suspect Bragg of conservatism with a small ‘c’, though he presents himself as progressive. Do you know In Our Time: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/in-our-time/.
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Hi, Anthony—
I’ve not heard of Bragg, so thanks for the mention and the link. I don’t know—maybe it’s just my perception—-but it seems like the British still have a greater respect for at least *the idea* of a “public intellectual* (conservative or progressive); in America “intellectual” is a dirty word.
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That situation is no different in the UK. Intellectuals here break that most severe of English traditions of ‘taking themselves too seriously’.
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