we’re in the midst of an epidemic of “intellectuals”

In a recent article for Current Affairs, Nathan Robinson describes Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker as “the most annoying man in the world” because Pinker is the type of person who constantly insists he’s “Just Being Reasonable” while he is actually “being extremely goddamn unreasonable.” Although Robinson’s article was a bit harsh in tone, it gestures at something very real: we’re in the midst of an epidemic of “intellectuals,” almost entirely white men, who claim to embody Reason and Rationality while flagrantly and habitually succumbing to the same tribalistic tendencies that they identify as the Ultimate Enemy.

https://www.salon.com/2019/10/20/steven-pinker-sam-harris-and-the-epidemic-of-annoying-white-male-intellectuals/

That whole bunch of egotistial professors tripping over their own dicks trying to justify the 'wars of terror' has been one of the more pathetic trends of the last 20 years.
There is a funny thing about 'reason' those who claim to have 'it' and want to impart it to you are dangerous fucks.

In my world -
You strive for Reason.
You study the sciences to see their method - but you realize the difficulty of importing these methods outside of their domains.
Every few years you find 'reason' discarding your treasured ideas, this teaches humility. You hand gets slapped by reason over and over.
Eventually you realize that Reason & Mercy are a team. Separated from each other they become horrible mockeries. Mercy without Reason is ineffective, Reason without Mercy is immoral.

Or you cowardly make a million telling guys that hating Muslims is 'reason', or that 'capitalism rocks!' is 'reason', or that 'Political Correctness' is the major existential threat of our time is 'reasonable'...

The problem with being an ex-prof is you know how horrible most “intellectuals” are! They are 'kept' in luxury by capitalism so they give up on any questing for reason. They Are Reason. Lots of humble brains doing good work at universities, but not these guys.

they are ideologues rather than truth-seekers, willing to bend the facts, launch personal attacks and censor critics to “win” debates. At exactly the moment in history when we need true intellectual leadership, people who exemplify intellectual honesty and integrity, the most, we get stubborn tribespeople.