The age of this interview is of interest. The current malaise has been developing for a long time. Yet another indication that we send far too many young people to university.
Yes, very interesting and prescient. The "man of action" or the businessman was less corrupted by power because he knew the consequences of power, and had it wielded against him when he was learning his trade. Intellectuals live in the world of ideas where there is no resistance and no harm. Their ideas have no heft.
Except when they do. Which is when someone takes them seriously, and acts upon them.
Very interesting, and so true. I often remark that we are ruled by people who have been selected by their ability to manipulate ideas (the passing of exams is largely based on that ability) and who have very little ability in any of the other spheres of human existence. It is my contention that unless we reverse this process and start to select our rulers from the broad mass of humanity, that encompasses all human abilities and skills, not just intellectualism, we are doomed. As Mr Hoffer so eloquently put it, the intellectual wants you to kneel before him. Is that not exactly what we see today with the 'Pride' weeks, and 'Green' nonsense? It is no longer enough to tolerate, the new must be worshipped instead.
Sam - yes, a large part of the problem seems to be the number of people who can live in a world of ideas where as you say, there is no resistance and no harm. In the media, the only real harm is not being published and that causes its own problems.
Sobers - it's as if everyone, whatever they do, should have a practical trade of some kind. Those who work with ideas should also have done something practical to a professional standard. Maybe national service would help too.
They're sent to university where they are indoctrinated by the left. Little wonder that the outside institutions and the elites are so woke. It would be great for a real right wing government to take a leaf out of Donald Trump's book and cut off their public money supply. It could be done to so many unsavoury groups and activists, but is unlikely to happen.
"it's as if everyone, whatever they do, should have a practical trade of some kind. Those who work with ideas should also have done something practical to a professional standard. Maybe national service would help too."
I have this theory that schools should teach practical stuff to everyone. After all the non-academic have to study academic subjects for significant periods of their lives, yet the academic hardly ever have to study practical subjects. I think it would be very important to the personal development of the academic if they were forced to do things they disliked and probably aren't very good at. The non-academic have their noses rubbed in their lack of intellectual skills all the time, I feel the intellectual should have their noses rubbed in their lack of practical skills as well. They might then realise that they are not the superior beings they can easily fall into thinking they are, if they succeed in everything they do because they are only ever given intellectual tests to take. They might also have more regard for all those who perhaps can't write erudite essays, but can wield a mean hammer and saw, or whip up a mean roast dinner.
Sobers - I agree. Winston Churchill was a keen bricklayer and I've always regretted not having the skills to do something like that. I can do lots of DIY but it's almost all self-taught. Even working in a lab, there was no incentive to stay with good, inventive bench work. Had to be management.
Yes I think Sobers is right - that's why more practical Secondary Modern schools were scorned and looked down on by education planners and politicians. Everyone should aspire to being academic! Why? I turned out to be both reasonably academic and talented at the practical. At work, that guaranteed zero promotion.
Tammly - the best scientists I came across didn't rise very far in the organisation. I suppose what they did was too valuable for them to be promoted away from it.
9 comments:
Yes, very interesting and prescient. The "man of action" or the businessman was less corrupted by power because he knew the consequences of power, and had it wielded against him when he was learning his trade. Intellectuals live in the world of ideas where there is no resistance and no harm. Their ideas have no heft.
Except when they do. Which is when someone takes them seriously, and acts upon them.
Very interesting, and so true. I often remark that we are ruled by people who have been selected by their ability to manipulate ideas (the passing of exams is largely based on that ability) and who have very little ability in any of the other spheres of human existence. It is my contention that unless we reverse this process and start to select our rulers from the broad mass of humanity, that encompasses all human abilities and skills, not just intellectualism, we are doomed. As Mr Hoffer so eloquently put it, the intellectual wants you to kneel before him. Is that not exactly what we see today with the 'Pride' weeks, and 'Green' nonsense? It is no longer enough to tolerate, the new must be worshipped instead.
Sam - yes, a large part of the problem seems to be the number of people who can live in a world of ideas where as you say, there is no resistance and no harm. In the media, the only real harm is not being published and that causes its own problems.
Sobers - it's as if everyone, whatever they do, should have a practical trade of some kind. Those who work with ideas should also have done something practical to a professional standard. Maybe national service would help too.
They're sent to university where they are indoctrinated by the left. Little wonder that the outside institutions and the elites are so woke. It would be great for a real right wing government to take a leaf out of Donald Trump's book and cut off their public money supply. It could be done to so many unsavoury groups and activists, but is unlikely to happen.
Tammly - I agree, and I bet the money saved would not be trivial.
"it's as if everyone, whatever they do, should have a practical trade of some kind. Those who work with ideas should also have done something practical to a professional standard. Maybe national service would help too."
I have this theory that schools should teach practical stuff to everyone. After all the non-academic have to study academic subjects for significant periods of their lives, yet the academic hardly ever have to study practical subjects. I think it would be very important to the personal development of the academic if they were forced to do things they disliked and probably aren't very good at. The non-academic have their noses rubbed in their lack of intellectual skills all the time, I feel the intellectual should have their noses rubbed in their lack of practical skills as well. They might then realise that they are not the superior beings they can easily fall into thinking they are, if they succeed in everything they do because they are only ever given intellectual tests to take. They might also have more regard for all those who perhaps can't write erudite essays, but can wield a mean hammer and saw, or whip up a mean roast dinner.
Sobers - I agree. Winston Churchill was a keen bricklayer and I've always regretted not having the skills to do something like that. I can do lots of DIY but it's almost all self-taught. Even working in a lab, there was no incentive to stay with good, inventive bench work. Had to be management.
Yes I think Sobers is right - that's why more practical Secondary Modern schools were scorned and looked down on by education planners and politicians. Everyone should aspire to being academic! Why?
I turned out to be both reasonably academic and talented at the practical. At work, that guaranteed zero promotion.
Tammly - the best scientists I came across didn't rise very far in the organisation. I suppose what they did was too valuable for them to be promoted away from it.
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