For me the persistent struggle is a struggle for quality in what we do. I hope it'll cover a wide range of subjects and be of interest to some people out there. It isn't a vanity project or self-aggrandising soapbox, though opinions will certainly be expressed. Right now in my life, I have much less time for hanging around with interesting people and discussing ideas freely. I hope this provides an outlet and that some of you might join me.
As a student, the idea that I have to actively seek interesting people to discuss ideas with is surprisingly foreign.
ReplyDeleteWe're handed opportunities to grow our critical thinking skills, and maybe I missed that day in class, but not required to seek those opportunities.
On the other hand, vanity and self-aggrandizement seem the goal of schooling. More awards, more recognition, more pats on the back. I'm interested where you derived such a critical, yet humble perspective. Parents? Siblings? Teachers? Books?
I've already benefited from your thoughts (Comte and Price). Cheers!
Hello, thanks for your comment. There's something great about ideas themselves being able to stand or fall independently of who champions them. Knowing their history is still valuable. Most teachers - even at university level - teach to a syllabus, which is fair enough, I think. The primary source, though, is often surprisingly close behind that syllabus. I only fairly recently realised this. Knowing it gives me more confidence in the value of a syllabus. The approach on this blog is partly down to my modest parents and my own curiosity. Three books I remember reading whose approach to thinking for yourself were Michel De Montaigne's Essays, Friedrich Nietzsche's Joyous Wisdom and Richard Rorty's Contingency, Irony, Solidarity.
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