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>Every convention was dissected and every conventional form exposed as fraud.

This kind of blanket criticism is counterproductive and harmful. Our conventions 'know' more than we do and should be criticised only where they themselves seem to be causing harm.

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That's just, like, your opinion, man.

But it is a deeply distracting activity. Not finding something worthy of concentrated attention might be a character flaw.

No, I explained it, Lebowski! I myself have been involved in circles where this strange form of philosophical posturing or virtue-signalling has reigned. They are short-lived circles. It may or may not have something to do with the total and rapid collapse of intellectual life in Vienna or the suicides mentioned in the article. I don't know. But it is a sign of decay. (OK, that last bit was opinion.)

The real problem is that the activity hinges on objectivity, but it is at all points apparent to an observer from any distance that objectivity is overwhelmingly harder to attain than any of the goals of the activity. The goals themselves are tainted.

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