The most common technique is what I like to call the Trojan Horse. Yes Mr. Jones, you have a question. I m sure we re all familiar with this technique from freshman year. It appears to be very popular with the more experienced practitioners, as it requires a higher level of skill and carries more risk. Yet at the same time, it seems to be much more pleasurable for the student, most likely because he has a much larger audience.
Intellectual masturbation is inherently exhibitionist in nature.
This brings us to the third common type of intellectual masturbation. It requires by far the most hubris, presents the greatest danger and clearly provides the optimum level of pleasure for those who do it. It is a close cousin of the Trojan Horse technique but occurs on a much grander scale. I speak of the Prove to the famous person that they re wrong and you re smarter than they are technique. As its name implies, this technique requires the presence of someone famous, and at Georgetown that means it can only be done during the question and answer session that follows a speech by a major figure.