If I Had To Lay Bets, My

I Think Of An Intellectual As Just Being Bookish, Being Interested In History Books, Utopian Ideas, That Kind Of Thing.

The Usual Picture Of Socrates Is Of An Ugly Little Plebeian Who Inspired A Handsome Young Nobleman To Write Long Dialogues On Large Topics.

Philosophers Get Attention Only When They Appear To Be Doing Something Sinister - Corrupting The Youth, Undermining The Foundations Of Civilization, Sneering At All We Hold Dear. The Rest Of The Time Everybody Assumes That They Are Hard At Work Somewhere Down In The Sub-basement, Keeping Those Foundations In Good Repair. Nobody Much Cares What Brand Of Intellectual Duct Tape Is Being Used.

A Talent For Speaking Differently, Rather Than For Arguing Well Is The Chief Instrument Of Cultural Change.

The World Is Out There, But Descriptions Of The World Are Not.