The past is a counterweight to these febrile inanities of pygmies who stand on the shoulders of giants only to mock their size. Just as one who feels battered by the relentless enfant terriblisme of “modern” art or music can revive his spirit by communion with Vermeer or Mozart, so the friend of reason can draw comfort from the achievements left by the like-minded of the past. The story of the discovery of rational methods of evaluating evidence can serve as a point of reference and can supply material for the defenses of rationality that will have to be undertaken.
