Thought of the Day 06.21.10

There are two basic kinds of intellectual oppression. The most obvious sort is when a particular idea is discouraged, whether through censorship or less overt mechanisms, such as social disapproval.

But the much less obvious sort stands opposed not to the direction of the belief, but to the degree with which it is held. The culture of indifference doesn’t suppress any particular idea. Instead, it suppress having any of them strongly. This zealotry of moderation opposes anything it considers extreme without noticing that devout apathy is itself a form of extremism.

But beyond being merely self-contradictory, this kind of oppression also proceeds from very mistaken anthropology. The human heart, you see, is so deeply wired for enthusiasm that it needs devotion, just like it needs companionship or significance. In trying to avoid eating poisoned food, it’s not a solution to avoid eating altogether. That just leads to dying in a different way.