By: johnosborne

johnosborne — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 02:17:45 +0000

Thanks, Amy. You are indeed correct that I have used the term in its original, and much narrower sense, and I should probably have found a better word. My own particular field of academic study is Byantium and Italy in the early Middle Ages, the period of the Iconoclast movement which gave rise to this word. Iconoclasm was official policy in Constantinople for much of the 8th and early 9th centuries, and involved the prohibition of all figural religious art, including the destruction of earlier images. The iconoclasts of that day were driven by an ideology which permitted no exceptions, nor even the possibility that they might be wrong. Opponents were persecuted with some considerable vigour. The word carries a different nuance today, as you have pointed out. A better term might have been “blinkered fundamentalists”, which is what I intended it to mean. Thanks for reading!

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:05:48 +0000

Perhaps the Dean should consult the OED for a definition of an iconoclast. One definition is: “One who assails or attacks cherished beliefs or venerated institutions on the ground that they are erroneous or pernicious.” Given his generally sensible post, I believe the Dean may want to revise his statement, “There is no place in my ideal university for iconoclasts.” Surely there is. Isn’t there?

Comments on: Fiat lux

By: johnosborne

By: Amy