Argus title : Still hoping for a New Jerusalem
When I was a young student, I was attracted by complex ideas. I wanted to be able to understand the way things worked. If I’m honest, I suppose I also wanted to be thought clever.
I would read writers I didn’t understand, but they rarely seemed to teach me what I needed to know. There were moments of enlightenment, but usually they arose when I was reading unfashionable texts.
After I came to England I considered studying philosophy. The then professor at Sussex University, who was a charming man, asked me what I wanted from the study of philosophy. “Wisdom” I replied. He laughed and said nothing like that was taught in English universities. So I studied literature instead – which may or may not have been a good idea. Continue reading