Occasionally on my visit to the library I hit a bonanza and this last visit was, I think, such an occasion. I borrowed Matthew Arnold’s book “Essays in Criticism”. I have only read the first chapter “The Function of Criticism at the Present Time” but find that I cannot go two paragraphs without seeing several intellectual ‘gems’ that I must pursue with gusto.
Matthew Arnold 1822-1888 had four significant literary periods in his life. In the 1850s we was a poet, in the 60s a literary critic, in the 70s religious and educational writings, and in 80s he returned to criticism and essays.
Arnold is, I think, most recognized as a critic. He claims that the challenge to criticism is disinterestedness! Criticism can show disinterestedness best by keeping aloof from the practical view of things; by the free play of the mind on all subjects upon which it touches. “Its business is,…simply to know the best that is known and thought in the world, and by in its turn making this known, to create a current of true and fresh ideas…and to leave alone all questions which will never fail to have due prominence given to them”.
The world is full of partisan and emotional criticism, right and left. It is filled with various sound bites and bumper stickers advocating nostrums that are promoted with bluff, bluster, and bravado. We, who are of the critical thinking mind, should remain disinterested to such malarkey and try to take the path less traveled. To take the path of disseminating truth as we can perceive so as to lay a foundation for new ideas with new approaches to old problems.
The disinterested critique approach must recognize that its approach is long range resulting in significantly large rewards if successful. This approach creates and nourishes fresh new foundations for the structure of new ideas. This approach lays down a foundation of intellectual grounding that provides for a solid structure but, of course, it will be a painful activity because emotional rage seems to be the order of the day and that rage will express its anti-intellectualism by focusing attacks on those who seek to make a different way.
Do you think that the roll of critic is similar to the role you call skeptic?
Matthew Arnold 1822-1888 had four significant literary periods in his life. In the 1850s we was a poet, in the 60s a literary critic, in the 70s religious and educational writings, and in 80s he returned to criticism and essays.
Arnold is, I think, most recognized as a critic. He claims that the challenge to criticism is disinterestedness! Criticism can show disinterestedness best by keeping aloof from the practical view of things; by the free play of the mind on all subjects upon which it touches. “Its business is,…simply to know the best that is known and thought in the world, and by in its turn making this known, to create a current of true and fresh ideas…and to leave alone all questions which will never fail to have due prominence given to them”.
The world is full of partisan and emotional criticism, right and left. It is filled with various sound bites and bumper stickers advocating nostrums that are promoted with bluff, bluster, and bravado. We, who are of the critical thinking mind, should remain disinterested to such malarkey and try to take the path less traveled. To take the path of disseminating truth as we can perceive so as to lay a foundation for new ideas with new approaches to old problems.
The disinterested critique approach must recognize that its approach is long range resulting in significantly large rewards if successful. This approach creates and nourishes fresh new foundations for the structure of new ideas. This approach lays down a foundation of intellectual grounding that provides for a solid structure but, of course, it will be a painful activity because emotional rage seems to be the order of the day and that rage will express its anti-intellectualism by focusing attacks on those who seek to make a different way.
Do you think that the roll of critic is similar to the role you call skeptic?
