Justin was quite correct, in that I had seen this before… but as it’s a favourite^[1], and applies nicely to what I’m trying to do with my life right now^[2], I’m gonna repost it here verbatim:

Don’t become a well-rounded person. Well rounded people are smooth and dull. Become a thoroughly spiky person. Grow spikes from every angle. Stick in their throats like a pufferfish. If you want to woo the muse of the odd, don’t read Shakespeare. Read Webster’s revenge plays. Don’t read Homer and Aristotle. Read Herodotus where he’s off talking about Egyptian women having public sex with goats. If you want to read about myth don’t read Joseph Campbell, read about convulsive religion, read about voodoo and the Millerites and the Munster Anabaptists. There are hundreds of years of extremities, there are vast legacies of mutants. There have always been geeks. There will always be geeks. Become the apotheosis of geek. Learn who your spiritual ancestors were. You didn’t come here from nowhere. There are reasons why you’re here. Learn those reasons. Learn about the stuff that was buried because it was too experimental or embarrassing or inexplicable or uncomfortable or dangerous.

- Bruce Sterling

[ ¹ - Fanboy is as fanboy does. ]

[ ² - As well as what Justin's doing with his, I suspect. He'll go far, that one. ]

An interesting little debate is taking shape over at ‘Adventures in Ethics and Science’, regarding whether one’s occupation is actually worthwhile in ‘real life’, and broadening out to ask whether:

The Socratic method, as a way of approaching questions, is harmful because it occupies people in critical examination of issues and delays (or prevents altogether) action.

Or to put it another way:

Critical thinking has failed as a tool with which to address pressing societal problems, and teaching students critical thinking as if it were the key to making the world a better place is tantamount to corrupting the youth.

Yours truly has put his two pence worth in on the side supporting critical thinking, and hence by implication the many branches of human endeavour that do not produce instantly tangible results or solutions to real problems. I’d be interested to hear any arguments for or against this position from my own readers…come on, I know some of you have opinions on this sort of thing, so let’s hear it. Speak up!