291
LEWIS COSH
be
will
be
right." Irving Howe and I discussed this tendency some time
ago, and wrote, "This worship of the putative success of the future is
often evident in the work of writers who might be ashamed to argue
that present might is right; they forget that the present
is
merely the
future of the past. They will admit without hesitation the flaws in the
social structure of Russia but these flaws . . . weigh rather lightly for
them in the balance of History since they prepare . . . for the glories
of tomorrow."
We suggested that, if judgment succumbs to the mere acceptance
of the "factuality of facts," whether in the present or the future. it
declines into justification. This is exactly what has happened to Winston
White. And this is why, despite his undoubtedly earnest efforts, he is
unable to comprehend the climate of ideas among the intellectuals he
purports to study; there, apparently, exists hardly a bridge to span
the chasm between critical intelligence and "theoretical" justification.
Lewis Coser
THE SCHOOL OF LETTERS
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
-1962-63
Summer, Fall, and Spring Courses
On the graduate level in the theory and practice of
Literary Criticism
Including work toward advanced degrees in
Criticism, English Literature, and Comparative Literature
1962 SUMMER COURSES BY:
Richard Chase
Hans Hennecke
Rikutaro Fukuda
Elder Olson
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE TO QUALIFIED STUDENTS FOR BOTH
SUMMER SESSION AND REGULAR ACADEMIC YEAR
Address Inquiries to:
The School of Letters
Indiana University
208 South Indiana Avenue
Bloomington, Indiana
