Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Irrelevant Subjects
Roger Scruton, "The Virtue of Irrelevance," Untimely Tracts (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1987), pp. 1-2 (at 1):
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Traditionally a large part of learning was devoted to subjects which are wilfully 'irrelevant' — like Latin, Greek, ancient history, higher mathematics, philosophy and literary criticism. The syllabus recommended by ancient thinkers consisted almost entirely of such subjects. And the ancient instinct was wise. The more irrelevant a subject, the more lasting is the benefit that it confers. Irrelevant subjects bring understanding of the human condition, by forcing the student to stand back from it. They also enhance the appetite for life, by providing material for thought and conversation.
This is the secret which civilisation has guarded: that power and influence come through the acquisition of useless knowledge.
