A writer-editor-teacher’s quote of the week #159

Aristotle was banned by the Church, I think because he was so discouraging. Some sort of vital instinct, down under the superficial intolerance and stupidity, felt the menace of logic-chopping, of all this cutting up, rationalizing and dissecting of reality. Not but what a man can dig a lot of acute sense out of Aristotle if he pick out what suits him in a given case or a given moment.

Nothing is, without efficient cause. Rationalizing or rather trying to rationalize the prerational is poor fishing.

– from Chapter Four, “Totalitarian,” in Guide to Kulchur by Ezra Pound

Filed under: Critical Thinking, Teaching, Writing and Editing Tagged: Aristotle, Church, cultural criticism, editing, Ezra Pound, religion, teaching, writing