The “Intellectual Situation” is a section of n+1 that hosts essays criticising intellectuals. Christian Lorentzen picks apart a recent essay of theirs criticising the current book criticism scene, and dismisses it as “irrelevant, distracting, and ultimately anti-intellectual”. Why? Among other things, the writers created composite characters that didn’t correspond to how critics actually behaved. For example, they lamented that critics had broken away from their Marxist roots, only to criticise a fictional essay based on a real essay that evoked Marxist ideas. All very meta, right? Read full article here
Technology
The First Solar-Powered Car Comes at a Hot Price
The Lightyear O is a revolutionary electric car powered by the sun. Developed by a Dutch startup, the four-door sedan has over 50 square feet of solar panels on its roof and hood, generating up to 43 miles of energy a day. With production now underway in Finland, the car does come with a hefty price tag at $262,000, but the company hopes to introduce a more affordable version, the Lightyear 2, by 2025. Read full article here