Received Opinion

What passes for thinking borrows its authority from the invisible network of 'recived opinion' that precedes and underwrites it. When, for example, one makes a statement about the 'fight against terrorism,' one presupposes and reposes upon that invisible network. Thus you claim authority for yourself by standing on the shoulders of 'what everyone knows'. And in so far as your authority is borrowed from that which you repose on (Opinion) you are its proxy. If however you say, like Chomsky, 'the USA must stop engaging in terrorism', you are brave enough not to rely on the invisible network of Opinion. Courageous because received opinion will of course vent its furies upon you. It is furious that 'what everybody knows' has been bypassed. Needless to say, the critique of this invisible network is the starting point of thought. Reading the mainstream newspapers is like encountering an organised campaign to prevent one reaching this starting point.