The Orthodoxy of Heterodoxy
René Girard, mimesis, and the clustering of ideas.
Even heterodox thinkers have become predictable in their heterodoxy. There are exclusive clubs to join, like the Heterodox Academy or the Heriticon conference. And one can embark on a particular podcast circuit that is likely to get them branded as a member of the “Intellectual Dark Web.” There is an orthodoxy to this new heterodoxy.
Recently I’ve realized how much I crave hearing from anyone whose opinions are not entirely predictable—some enfant terrible like Edward Luttwak, whose recent profile by The Tablet’s David Samuels opens with the author’s awe at how well Luttwak has avoided the dulling of the mind that comes with age.
Being an enfant terrible at the age of 79 is not a task that can be undertaken lightly. Most men are simple conformists from childhood on. For …