Proof, if proof be need be In England, ?Irish? …
Proof, if proof be need be
In England, ?Irish? is a byword for anything illiterate and/or illogical. So it?s no coincidence that the Irish Times is so relaxed about placing a longish review of two books about, in part, Martin Heidegger, which inclues a fairly straightforward explanation of his basic philosophy. You?d never, repeat NEVER, read such a review in an English newspaper. Yes, they?ll review a book on philosophy once a year, perhaps, if you?re lucky. But only if it contains lots of juicy biographical detail to bypass the ideas (did you see the Queen saying "The British are a pragmatic people, more at home with practice than ideas?? Is there a ?people? not more at home with practice? What utterly banal bollocks the Royals speak). Even a BBC documentary about Heidegger a couple of years back spent only two minutes explaining the ideas. And it didn?t even succeed. No doubt the Gliberals (sic) will say that ?at least it might stimulate interest?, and it will ? in juicy biographical detail. God, I wish I was foreign.
The BBC, to their credit, often make World Historical television. Tonight, and for the next six weeks, BBC2 is repeating The Day Today, a programme that redefined how we watch TV news. Bang after bang after bang after bang!
