"It" meaning humans' various crises: corruption, division, mistrust, greed, fanaticism and so on that seem to be the result of certain deficiencies in our evolution, but we also must be capable of cooperation, trust, good will, and generosity or we wouldn't have gotten this far. It feels like we're at a crossroads but then I think that's arrogant cuz just a sampling of history reveals that every generation thought they were at a crossroads and society had never been so degenerate as it was in their time.
Anyway, I still get a deal of comfort from Ecclesiastes, "there's nothing new under the sun ....it's all vanity vanity."
Is that a Grundig radio? We have a similar one bought at a flea market forty years ago and when the mood strikes it, it still works. Looking forward to this reading adventure.
I have these same questions. I just finished vol. 2 of Sapiens the comic book version and it's provoking a major edit of my personal story of "what's the point?" in general and specifically, "what do I do about it if anything?" I really liked the way Harari defined cynic, and I realized that resonated and it's meaning wasn't as negative or despairing as I assumed it meant. Which makes me think Swift and what you had to say about him will take me further on this journey of becoming more clear-eyed (i.e. cynical) about humans and our potential futures rather than idealistic or misanthropic -- two sides of the same coin of extremist it appears to me. Maybe it's by being a cynic we avoid the pitfalls of dogma and conspiracy theories.
Looking forward to reading Gulliver's Travels along with your posts. I've never read this one before. Just ordered the Norton edition from my local bookstore. So I'll start reading about a week from now.
So many tales site duality: Cain / Abel, Rustem / Sorab, or pick any mythic construct. Venus and Vulcan, Freda and the Ice giant, Demeter’s daughter and the Lord of the Underworld. I’m not just name-dropping. These are stories of day vs. Night, Spring vs. winter, beauty vs. ugliness, and under all of that good vs. evil (as it is understood in the vehicle of each story.
I wonder if Swift would agree with James Madison writing below in his famous Federalist 10 (and I winder if Madison read GT):
"By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.
There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.
There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.
It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.
The second expedient is as impracticable as the first would be unwise. "
"Swift famously insisted that humanity should not be described as a rational animal, but rather as an animal capable of reason (animal rationis capax)."
I have been paraphrasing that statement for years and never realized where it came from.
"It" meaning humans' various crises: corruption, division, mistrust, greed, fanaticism and so on that seem to be the result of certain deficiencies in our evolution, but we also must be capable of cooperation, trust, good will, and generosity or we wouldn't have gotten this far. It feels like we're at a crossroads but then I think that's arrogant cuz just a sampling of history reveals that every generation thought they were at a crossroads and society had never been so degenerate as it was in their time.
Anyway, I still get a deal of comfort from Ecclesiastes, "there's nothing new under the sun ....it's all vanity vanity."
Yes, history does give us that sense of perspective. We mostly just bumble along.
John,
Is that a Grundig radio? We have a similar one bought at a flea market forty years ago and when the mood strikes it, it still works. Looking forward to this reading adventure.
I believe it is--though I'm not an expert on antique radios. It's impressive that those tubes can still fire up.
Did you ever see the movie “Frequency?” The radio reminds me of it.
@Joshua Doležal, a good movie for Mets fans and baseball fans in general.
Do we have a reading schedule yet?
Will post one soon. Meanwhile, We’ll be dealing with part one of GT for the next two weeks/
I have these same questions. I just finished vol. 2 of Sapiens the comic book version and it's provoking a major edit of my personal story of "what's the point?" in general and specifically, "what do I do about it if anything?" I really liked the way Harari defined cynic, and I realized that resonated and it's meaning wasn't as negative or despairing as I assumed it meant. Which makes me think Swift and what you had to say about him will take me further on this journey of becoming more clear-eyed (i.e. cynical) about humans and our potential futures rather than idealistic or misanthropic -- two sides of the same coin of extremist it appears to me. Maybe it's by being a cynic we avoid the pitfalls of dogma and conspiracy theories.
Looking forward to reading Gulliver's Travels along with your posts. I've never read this one before. Just ordered the Norton edition from my local bookstore. So I'll start reading about a week from now.
Glad to have you along for the ride!
So many tales site duality: Cain / Abel, Rustem / Sorab, or pick any mythic construct. Venus and Vulcan, Freda and the Ice giant, Demeter’s daughter and the Lord of the Underworld. I’m not just name-dropping. These are stories of day vs. Night, Spring vs. winter, beauty vs. ugliness, and under all of that good vs. evil (as it is understood in the vehicle of each story.
"...when party and faction were extinguished.."
I wonder if Swift would agree with James Madison writing below in his famous Federalist 10 (and I winder if Madison read GT):
"By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.
There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.
There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.
It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.
The second expedient is as impracticable as the first would be unwise. "
"Swift famously insisted that humanity should not be described as a rational animal, but rather as an animal capable of reason (animal rationis capax)."
I have been paraphrasing that statement for years and never realized where it came from.
Thank you!