Great piece, all the more relevant given how technology has pervaded our lives over the past 15 years, and for longer than that as well. Homo neuroticus is the new state of mankind.
Thank you for this Zineb, this is fascinating. As my wife often says to me, “you’ve gone all philosophical on us”.
It reminds me of the probably apocryphal story of King James IV of Scotland locking two new born babies on Inchkeith island with a deaf-mute wet nurse, to see whether they would grow up speaking Hebrew in the absence of any other linguistic input (such was the hold of Christianity over popular thinking at that time). The outcome is not known.
On a side note, had fellow-Andalusian Juan Goytisolo recounted the tale from his lair in Tangier, he would have had the children speaking fluent Arabic, but that’s another story…
“It admits that the self speaks before reason, and that reason exists to interpret rather than to strangle.”
This is a great distillation of your works here, and a reminder that argument is not a sin but a virtue, and that “being right” (at least sui generis) is less important than being yourself.
I find contradictions in your various posts, but this post explains it: Talk first, then think about what’s been said.
Is there a difference between knowledge and information? My senses provide information, but not knowledge beyond the most basic. Similarly, we have access through technology to a great deal of information, but we still must bring our full attention and capabilities as thinkers (considering and reconsidering) before we obtain knowledge and, even more valuable, wisdom.
While I did not agree with your thesis, it made me think! : ) and I enjoyed your writing.
Great piece, all the more relevant given how technology has pervaded our lives over the past 15 years, and for longer than that as well. Homo neuroticus is the new state of mankind.
Thank you for this Zineb, this is fascinating. As my wife often says to me, “you’ve gone all philosophical on us”.
It reminds me of the probably apocryphal story of King James IV of Scotland locking two new born babies on Inchkeith island with a deaf-mute wet nurse, to see whether they would grow up speaking Hebrew in the absence of any other linguistic input (such was the hold of Christianity over popular thinking at that time). The outcome is not known.
On a side note, had fellow-Andalusian Juan Goytisolo recounted the tale from his lair in Tangier, he would have had the children speaking fluent Arabic, but that’s another story…
“It admits that the self speaks before reason, and that reason exists to interpret rather than to strangle.”
This is a great distillation of your works here, and a reminder that argument is not a sin but a virtue, and that “being right” (at least sui generis) is less important than being yourself.
I find contradictions in your various posts, but this post explains it: Talk first, then think about what’s been said.
Is there a difference between knowledge and information? My senses provide information, but not knowledge beyond the most basic. Similarly, we have access through technology to a great deal of information, but we still must bring our full attention and capabilities as thinkers (considering and reconsidering) before we obtain knowledge and, even more valuable, wisdom.
While I did not agree with your thesis, it made me think! : ) and I enjoyed your writing.