The communist takeover of Prague would form a pivotal point in Gellner's ideological development. He described himself as one of "a small minority who never passed through a Marxist phase".
The communist takeover of Prague would form a pivotal point in Gellner's ideological development. He described himself as one of "a small minority who never passed through a Marxist phase".

A man outside: John A Hall's biography of Ernest Gellner



John A Hall's biography of Ernest Gellner offers a timely monument to an unjustly overlooked figure of 20th-century intellectual life, writes Scott McLemee Ernest Gellner: An Intellectual Biography John A Hall Verso Dh167 It is easy to imagine why Ernest Gellner would be one of the universally known figures in Anglophone intellectual life. A polymath whose work ranged across anthropology, history, philosophy, and sociology, his mind wrestled with an encyclopedia's worth of nagging questions about nationalism, modernity, civil society, imperialism, Islam, psychoanalysis, ethics and epistemology. "I am not a donkey," he liked to say, borrowing a line from Max Weber, "and I don't have a field."

He wrote clearly and trenchantly, with brio and dry wit. Clearly these were not among the qualities that had rubbed off on him from Weber (let alone from Immanuel Kant, another of the master-thinkers defining the horizons of his work). By my count, roughly half of Gellner's almost two dozen books are collections of essays - a wry running commentary on half a century of public intellectual life following the Second World War: existentialism, structuralism, the thaws and re-freezings of the Soviet bloc, and the varieties of dissident enthusiasm in the West? These pieces revisit the themes and preoccupations of his monographic works, and retain their vitality, well after the original polemical targets have been forgotten.

All of this, to repeat, should explain Gellner's monumental prominence - except for the fact that he has no such prominence. There are Foucauldians aplenty and Rortyans by the score - and even the occasional stray Marcusean, tending the flame. But of Gellnerians, there is scarcely a trace. Not that Gellner has been completely forgotten. His work remains central to debates on the nature of nationalism. But only with John Hall's intellectual biography do we have a suitable treatment of Gellner's work as a whole, seen on its own very large scale.

Even while Gellner, who died in 1995, was still alive, as the biographer puts it, "very few people knew what to make of him". That uncertainty was perhaps best expressed in the academic titles he held at the London School of Economics, where he was "professor of sociology with special reference to philosophy," and at Cambridge, where he held a professorship in social anthropology. Hall notes that Gellner "was sometimes cited as one of the last great thinkers from Central Europe whose Jewish background meant a direct experience of the 20th century's horrors". But there any resemblance to Hannah Arendt or Isaiah Berlin ends. Even if one subsumes them all under some such heading as "liberal antitotalitarianism", Gellner stands apart for the harder sceptical edge of his thinking; and it seems he lacked Sir Isaiah's penchant for being endlessly clubbable.

His background made him an outlander's outlander: Gellner was born in Prague in 1925 to a precariously middle-class (but completely secularised) Jewish family; his parents supported President Masyryk, the architect of Czechoslovakian independence, even while preferring to identify with German culture. Ernest attended an English grammar school he later described as (in the biographer's paraphrase) "being taught by casually dressed and relaxed young men who had attended public schools and Oxbridge."

The family settled in England just after the Nazi occupation. His first return to Prague was in 1945, as a young soldier in the first Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade - carrying with him copies of Arthur Koestler's novel Darkness at Noon and Cyril Connolly's prose-poem An Unquiet Grave, among other titles. Gellner belonged, he later wrote, to "what sometimes felt like a small minority" of intellectuals "who never passed through a Marxist phase," and joked about supporting the movement founded by Jaroslav Hasek, author of The Good Soldier Svejk, which bore the tongue-in-cheek name The Party of Moderate Progress Within the Bounds of the Law.

This meliorist strain in Gellner's outlook was accompanied by a combative vigour that only became evident later. But his anti-Communism never succumbed to the temptation (common enough at the height of the Cold War and revived, post-September 11, by enterprising pundits) of erecting metaphysical fantasias around some incipient Age of Totalitarianism. Gellner took his bearings from Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemies, which Hall calls "the book that influenced him more than any other." He was broadly in accord with Popper's contrast between closed systems (in which authority is not subject to substantial challenge) and open ones (where contestation is possible, even continuous); this may be seen as the vital distinction running through Gellner's own work on myriad topics, from the structure of Berber society to the folkways of psychoanalysts.

But his thinking was marked by a sense that these opposed modes did, after all, sometimes interpenetrate. The thought is already there in a remarkable letter to Popper that the biographer reproduces, written in 1946, when Gellner was 21: "I think that the desire for ordering facts in scientific systems has psychologically a similarity to the yearning for a 'closed' order. On the other hand, German Fascism, though amongst the masses it no doubt appealed to the 'closed society yearning', surely has as part of its philosophical inspiration, at any rate amongst some of its leaders, an intentional and systematic disregard for 'moral laws' which is, again, prima facia 'open.'"

This was not a matter of sneaking in relativism by the back door. Gellner returned repeatedly to the basic point that the development of scientific knowledge (the quintessential manifestation of "openness") had radically enhanced the capacity for rapid economic growth and improved quality of life. No gainsaying of this was possible. Among his final writings are withering dismissals of postmodernist bad faith around the notion that some cultures have magic and others have technology.

This is trivially true, but only at the cost of using the word "culture" to conjure up a factitious sort of equality - one that serves only to deny real differences in survival rates and per capita caloric intake. Nobody on the short end of that distinction can afford to indulge in such a pretence. The challenge is to get the benefits of industrial society with the least possible loss of the comforts of closure. By Gellner's account, nationalism, far from being an irrational manifestation of "the Dark Gods" of communal identity, emerges as an effort to enable modernisation while containing its strains. (Likewise, political Islam is in his reading potentially a variation of the same project, reflecting the desires of an urbanised intelligentsia rather than a spontaneous traditionalism.)

One begins to see why Gellner, despite his range of reference and his intellectual energy, did not become a guru throwing a long shadow after he was gone. For these are not ideas that project either a clash of civilisations or the vision of some peaceful global civil society. He was anti-ideological but not post-ideological; there is a strong presumption in his work that conflict, healthy and otherwise, is built into the circuits of modernity. "A genuine commitment to rationality," he wrote, "means that one must admit that it is poorly grounded, making it necessary to live without complacency."

Beyond the world-historical drama shaping the circumstances of his first 20 years, Gellner led a life largely free of incident, apart from the occasional public controversy in the Times Literary Supplement. His biographer has had access to his papers and interviewed many colleagues and members of Gellner's family, creating a portrait of someone far more genial in person than his writings might suggest. Critics who regard his work on nationalism as too detached from the phenomenon's emotional core will need to square that judgment with the revelation that Gellner was prone to singing old Czech folk songs with gusto and considerable schmaltz.

Hall devotes a few chapters to the painstaking reconstruction of Gellner's thinking on particular topics in philosophy and social theory. This is a necessary task given how little secondary literature there is trying to synthesise his work, though it often feels as if a set of monographs had been stitched onto the biographical frame, rather than integrated into it. But the cumulative effect is monumental - and a monument does seem overdue. Scott McLemee is a recipient of the US National Book Critics Circle award for excellence in reviewing.

How Not To F*** Them Up Oliver James Vermilion Dh101 Having dissected almost every segment of modern society in his series of best-selling psychological studies - from the shopping-obsessed, chronically depressed consumer junkie (Affluenza) to managing the enduring tragedy of an incurable illness (Contented Dementia) - Oliver James has turned his attention to toddlers. His approach is akin to that of a prize-fighting boxer pitted against much weaker opposition, prowling the ring determined to land a succession of bone-crunching, knockout blows: "it really does matter how you care for under-threes," he writes in italics, lest we miss the importance of his manifesto-defining opening. In James's hands then, babies are "born perfect, with total potential" before being ruined by their parents, or more particularly by their mothers. He shuffles his mums into three categories - the stay-at-home hugger, the career- oriented organiser, the part-time working flexi - and then forensically examines each via case studies and exhaustive interviews while suggesting how to avoid the mistakes of your past. Predictably, he does so without pulling any punches. The Punishment of Gaza Gideon Levy Verso Dh51 For more than 20 years, the journalist Gideon Levy has covered a single subject: the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. He does not cover "the West Bank" or "Gaza", he says - his beat is "the occupation" and the brutalities it has relentlessly inflicted on the people under its control. And his intended audience - despite the enormous international appetite, sometimes prurient, for accounts of Israel's many misdeeds - is his fellow Israelis, so that, he writes, they may never claim: "We did not know." It is a mission that has not endeared him to his countrymen, who loathe and ignore him in equal measure. This volume includes 40 of his reports and opinion columns, which collectively depict, in harrowing detail, the terrible vengeance that has been visited on Gaza and its residents, even - especially - after Israel's so-called "withdrawal" from the Strip in 2005. Little of what he reports will be news to the book's readers - and those who would be surprised by its contents are unlikely ever to pick it up. But this shouldn't diminish the power of its testimony: it is a worthy monument to Israel's victims in Gaza - and to the integrity of those, like Levy, who have refused to ignore the crimes committed in their names.

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated

Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid

Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona

T20 World Cup Qualifier

Final: Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets

Qualified teams

1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman

T20 World Cup 2020, Australia

Group A: Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland

Brief scoreline:

Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first

England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66

South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12

The distance learning plan

Spring break will be from March 8 - 19

Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm

Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19

Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning

Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5

The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster

Price, base: Dh708,750

Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 374hp (total)

Torque: 570Nm (total)

Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km

THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD

Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder

Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm

Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds

Top speed: 202kmh

Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km

Price: From Dh122,900

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: ten-speed

Power: 420bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: Dh325,125

On sale: Now

Scotland v Ireland:

Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell

Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, D'arcy Rae, Ben Toolis, Rob Harley, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn

Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)

Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy

Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour

Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)

Match info

UAE v Bolivia, Friday, 6.25pm, Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium, Dubai

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

RESULTS

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.

7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

THE DETAILS

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Dir: Ron Howard

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson

3/5

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did

We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.      
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.              
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.  
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.              
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.        
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.        
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla

SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net

Race card

1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.

2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.

2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m.

3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m.

3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m.

4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m.

4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m.

The National selections:

1.45pm: Galaxy Road – So Hi Speed

2.15pm: Majestic Thunder – Daltrey

2.45pm: Call To War – Taamol

3.15pm: Eqtiraan - Bochart

3.45pm: Kidd Malibu – Initial

4.15pm: Arroway – Arch Gold

4.35pm: Compliance - Muqaatil

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Tell Me Who I Am

Director: Ed Perkins

Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis

Four stars

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe


Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km

'The Batman'

Stars:Robert Pattinson

Director:Matt Reeves

Rating: 5/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Williams at Wimbledon

Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)

Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)