Low journalism, like low comedy, seeks to excite emotions rather than thoughts. The purpose of both is...
...merely to entertain rather than inform.
There is rather a lot of money to be made in entertainment as many people appear to prize it above all else. This leaves the pleasures of the mind mainly for polymaths, especially Socratic ones.
For those who have never come across the word before, a polymath has only a slight bearing on cockatoos and calculations. To be a Socratic polymath, you do not necessarily have to have your head filled with facts about the genetics of Psittacidae, even those called Polly. All you need is enough curiosity to be motivated to look up such words as polymath and parrot in an encyclopedia, and to seek out patterns whether they are mathematical or not.
Yet what is the purpose of being a polymath, if there is any purpose beyond it being a private, self-indulgent pursuit? My own answer might be found within my previous blog pamphlet postings. We live in a world where uncertainly and shallowness have displaced certainty and depth in the minds of those who desire to lead, and those who choose to follow.
There is a lack of imaginative clarity in planning for our shared future, though we should be grateful for the reduction in bigotry that an openness to diverse prospects and opinions can provide. The emergence of a blinkered pastiche is not a good outcome, however. All forms of imitation are unsatisfactory, except as a form of amusement, as is the nihilistic denial of intrinsic values, which is never amusing.
Today, I take my cue from a musician other than Mr Mozart, namely Mr Frank Zappa. I share Mr Zappa's view that "we all wear uniforms" whenever we imitate the cultural activities of others and do not attempt to find our own unique and stable identity in a world of constant change.
Mr Mozart and Mr Zappa were both polymaths. Are you one too?
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