past. He is out of joint with his moment, and the result of being so
dissociated is often the enmity of others. People do not like his ideas,
which seem to be an indictment of the way they are living. The
thinker is a walking criticism of the lives of the rest, as Socrates
showed. And Socrates paid for the demonstration.
But still— one wants to know. To possess the Truth may, as Aris-
totle suggests, be something not unlike a human instinct. One de-
sires to know, and one is even willing to extend admiration to those
who appear to possess knowledge. Yet all of this must be safely done.
One has a regard for health, as Nietz sche says: one’s own health.
How are we to slake our hunger for contemplation and for its
(possi ble) result, wisdom? It is not hard. Let the acquisition of
information replace thought; let the well- informed individual,
brimming with opinions, replace the man or woman who might
actually be wise, the phi los o pher.
For information is valuable: information helps the Self success-
fully navigate the current world. What portable wireless device shall
I buy? How shall I fi nance my home? (And what lending- thieves
must I avoid?) Where is the optimum place to vacation? How can I
get the best- priced transportation there? (And once there, how can
I best ignore the plight of the indigenous poor?) Where shall I send
my children to school so that they can have the best possi ble
careers— make the most money and be the most secure? Whom shall
I vote for in the next election— which is to say, who can best serve
my interests? Plausible answers to these questions qualify as au-
then tic knowledge in contemporary culture, and there is no end of
sources to provide them: turn on the TV, the radio, pick up the
newspaper, enter the world of the Internet. That there could be any
other kind of knowledge is anathematic to the faith in informa-
tion. One knows in order to consume. One knows in order to
succeed. One knows in order not to be made a fool of. But one does
250 Polemical Conclusion