The genre of commentary is in its historical manifestation strongly associated with a style of reading governed by an attitude of textual deference, or what I call a principle of authority. The commentator did not suppose himself equal to the “authentic” author: he sought to learn from one of those who know. The “‘authentic’ author could neither be mistaken, nor contradict himself, nor develop his arguments poorly, nor disagree with any other authentic author”.The commentator’s attitude of textual deference seems from (...) a modern philosophical perspective, distinguished as it is by an intense critical stance, to embody a serious error. From a contemporary perspective, the good philosophical.. (shrink)