Page 80 - EW August 2021

Books

If this is how Ferguson reserves the maximum This tendency to given another ‘Cassandra
struggles to bring any kind blame for the ‘system’. hypothesize about the moment’ of a possible in-
of novelty to his project, Ferguson uses a con- past with the benefit of tensification of a Cold War
his assessment of the func- torted version of previous hindsight continues when brewing between the US
tioning of political machin- studies to deliberately he attempts to question and China. How this re-
ery during a pandemic is suit his hypothesis. For the rationale of lockdowns alpolitik is exactly related
dubious, if not an exercise instance, by briefly talk- without offering any to the original premise of
in outright contrivance. As ing about Amartya Sen’s substantial analysis of his writing a history of catas-
far as the current pan- argument of how account- assertions. As much of the trophes is anybody’s guess.
demic is concerned, he lays ability of government data, models and theories Like the unexplained
the blame on bureaucratic matters in a pandemic, he are used to diagnose the quotations at the begin-
apathy in the ‘middle’ of is evasive over Sen’s more western world, most read- ning of each chapter,
the system. He labours consistent stand, espe- ers would be hard-pressed Ferguson believes that
more on scientific miscal- cially in the recent past, of to understand how they an onslaught of informa-
culations (thereby holding holding rising authoritar- work out in the global tion is sufficient for an
scientific advisors and ian leaders responsible for South where countries like understanding of catas-
experts accountable) than contemporary disasters. India and Brazil still con- trophes. Bombarding
on leadership decisive- By arguing that we need tinue to show enormous readers with obscure facts
ness. Even if he reluctantly to move beyond “popu- fluctuations in terms of and terminology might be
concurs with the growing list nemesis reasoning”, the severity of the pan- entertaining, but it does
realisation among the Ferguson creates a false demic. As Ferguson des- precious little in expand-
masses of Donald Trump binary of the system on perately tries to make his ing the horizons of critical
and Boris Johnson be- the one hand and the personal diary look more thinking.
ing manifestly idiotic in individual at the helm of like an erudite account of a SURAJKUMAR THUBE
their leadership roles, he affairs at the other. public intellectual, we are (The Book Review)

80 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2021