Despite my sermons against the reading of books I am guilty of just that, from time to time. Normally I reread a classic rather than look for a new book, since the latter has only one chance in a thousand of being worth reading.
For instance the other day I was rereading a semi-classic by Bronowski and Mazlish, The Western Intellectual Tradition. The book is OK, but these cut-and-paste historical surveys seldom show much original thinking. They give a professor a chance to appear as an elder statesman, and to broaden his appeal outside a sub-divisional sliver of research.
While reading about Hobbes, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and other celebrities of history, I got bored and went to the al-Jazeera website.
They showed some You Tube videos of Syrian soldiers kicking and bullying handcuffed and hooded prisoners. As cruel as this treatment was, it was almost a relief to finally cut through all the intellectual games that I was reading about in that silly book.
The cowardice and brutality of the soldiers is so fundamental that it must be the true essence of government. Pretty theories are just intra-mural sports for intellectuals and professors. If I was teaching Civics class to school kiddies, I would postpone the Montesquieu and start off with those You Tube videos on the first day of classes.
In dealing with the jury summons for a federal court, I almost want to vomit when they sermonize about citizenship. In every communique from the judge there is a veiled threat. I know that I'm a individual weakling in front of the Leviathan. I owe myself a cautious fear around the Leviathan, but I don't owe it love, respect, or loyalty.
For instance the other day I was rereading a semi-classic by Bronowski and Mazlish, The Western Intellectual Tradition. The book is OK, but these cut-and-paste historical surveys seldom show much original thinking. They give a professor a chance to appear as an elder statesman, and to broaden his appeal outside a sub-divisional sliver of research.
While reading about Hobbes, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and other celebrities of history, I got bored and went to the al-Jazeera website.
They showed some You Tube videos of Syrian soldiers kicking and bullying handcuffed and hooded prisoners. As cruel as this treatment was, it was almost a relief to finally cut through all the intellectual games that I was reading about in that silly book.
The cowardice and brutality of the soldiers is so fundamental that it must be the true essence of government. Pretty theories are just intra-mural sports for intellectuals and professors. If I was teaching Civics class to school kiddies, I would postpone the Montesquieu and start off with those You Tube videos on the first day of classes.
In dealing with the jury summons for a federal court, I almost want to vomit when they sermonize about citizenship. In every communique from the judge there is a veiled threat. I know that I'm a individual weakling in front of the Leviathan. I owe myself a cautious fear around the Leviathan, but I don't owe it love, respect, or loyalty.
Comments
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ya, livin in last week? I swear you people are disabvlrd