Someone will come along and accuse you of advocating eugenics. And being a racist. The "I like Scott Joplin" defence will be adduced as evidence that only confirms your racist proclivities. Such actions against you will be warmly welcomed as evidence of how much more enlightened, how downright superior, modern times are than the, ugh, 18th century.
Well, there is a theme through all my meditations on this subject about the double-edged and ultimately self-destroying nature of genius.
Genius is responsible for the good, and also the bad, aspects of modernity. Genius has led us astray, and provided most of the consolations for having been led astray.
Of course now we are left with the bad and only the historical records of the good - living genius is very limited in its effects and often either pointless or harmful in its effects.
Someone will come along and accuse you of advocating eugenics. And being a racist. The "I like Scott Joplin" defence will be adduced as evidence that only confirms your racist proclivities. Such actions against you will be warmly welcomed as evidence of how much more enlightened, how downright superior, modern times are than the, ugh, 18th century.
ReplyDeleteWell, there is a theme through all my meditations on this subject about the double-edged and ultimately self-destroying nature of genius.
ReplyDeleteGenius is responsible for the good, and also the bad, aspects of modernity. Genius has led us astray, and provided most of the consolations for having been led astray.
Of course now we are left with the bad and only the historical records of the good - living genius is very limited in its effects and often either pointless or harmful in its effects.