[ExI] John C. Wright Interview

[PJ Manney]

On Jan 26, 2008 11:10 AM, Lee Corbin <lcorbin at rawbw.com> wrote:
> >> Does this look like gibberish to anyone except a Philistine?
> >
> > It's so *obviously* gibberish that I'm not sure if you're
> > joking (because of the way you put it, here).  I get waves
> > of spam that looks like that.
>
> I empathize. The bottom line, as always, is:  there is no
> accounting for taste.

I just finished a wonderful work of fiction that goes a long way to
explaining this phenomenon.  "The Uncommon Reader" by Alan Bennett (he
of "The History Boys" and "Beyond the Fringe" fame).  It is a slight
and exquisite little book about how Queen Elizabeth II chases her
corgis into a travelling library, parked once a week on the boundary
of Buckingham Palace and feels obliged to borrow a book.  She is
encouraged in her choices by the librarian and a boy from the kitchen,
named Norman, who plays a large role as her early teacher.

The queen was never a big reader of fiction, but at one point or
another had met every English writer worth knowing.  She had her duty
to represent her country, which was a large and endless task.  But in
her old age and for the first time, she learned how to enjoy
literature and saw what exposure to different kinds of literature did
for her mind.  Her earlier, more accessible choices grow into more
challenging, demanding ones.  Her attempt to read a difficult writer
at first is stymied, but as she grow and practices, she later finds
the same book wonderful and accessible and marvels at how her own mind
has matured.  She also marvels at how her view of the world has
changed.  Once she ignored many of the quirks and foibles around her,
but finds herself increasingly engaged by the quotidian moments of
life for the first time.  She develops empathy for those she never
thought of before.  Soon, her taste for literature and its attendant
personality change concerns the government and hilarity ensues when
the ministers try to deny her her new opportunities for growth.  I
won't ruin the ending -- it's delightful.

The point is that what we once thought challenging or even nonsensical
may very well be easier and understandable with practice.  You don't
climb Everest after a life of short hikes in the foothills.  "Ulysses"
is Everest.  Or at least, K2.  You need a great deal of the proper
kind of mileage before you try it.  I'm sure there are plenty of
scientific or mathematical examples of the same.

But once you do, it opens up worlds and makes you understand people
and life as perhaps you never had before.

PJ