Very interesting rebuttal of New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell.
I’m an avowed Gladwell fan, but the criticism here — that his “intellectual tap dance” oversimplifies and avoids contradictory evidence — isn’t easily dismissed. And while I haven’t had time to read it yet, the article being attacked — on “face reading” in criminal justice — does seem a bit off.
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10 September | 22:33 | kelly
the gladwell article on face-reading is really quite fascinating. i didn't take it quite so much as an endorsement as the critic seemed to. i agree that he can seem to overhype his subjects, but i think it's just his way of making them more sympathetic, so readers will give their cornball theories a serious think-through.
postscript: i have a copy of gray's anatomy right next to my desk. i'd be happy to photocopy the section about facial muscles for anyone who's interested- you'll be needing it after you read about the theory.
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Joshua Benton is the director of the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University, among other things. Before that, he was a staff writer and columnist for The Dallas Morning News. (More.)
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