Fire and Knowledge

Here is a great story about a family who got rid of their car and replaced it with bikes and public transportation. I’ve wanted to do this for a couple years now, but just haven’t had the courage.

In nuclear or biological warfare, in which we know we cannot limit effects, how do we distinguish our enemies from our friends—or our enemies from ourselves? Does this not bring us exactly to the madness of terrorists who kill themselves in order to kill others?

–Wendell Berry, “A Citizen’s Response” in Citizenship Papers (2003), p. 4

The biologist J. S. B. Haldane liked to say that if biology had taught him anything about the nature of the Creator, it was that he had “an inordinate fondness for beetles.”

–Carl Zimmer, Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea, p. 198

An enemy [has] to remain a caricature if he [is] to be kept at a safe distance: an enemy should never come alive. The generals were right—no Christmas cheer ought to be exchanged between the trenches.

–Graham Greene, The Human Factor (1978), p. 203

For most people who are serious about learning, anything over a B. A. is a waste of time and money — unless it is needed for a career. In a world of cheap books, public libraries, easy recommendations, digital lectures, meetups, and the internet, self-education is easier and cheaper than ever.

That’s why when I saw The Personal MBA Manifesto, I couldn’t help but pass it along. Why spend 3-4 years and $100,000+ working on an MBA? I have no idea. I owned and sold a business and worked as a freelance web designer without an MBA. My mom owned, sold and started another business without any college education. Many of my friends have, too. It’s done all the time.

So for those who are considering starting a business or “advancing their career” and thus considering an MBA or similar degree, consider reading the books on your own time — and budget — instead of making 4 years of your life (and your family’s life!) miserable by going into debt and squeezing in night classes.

If you need accountability, join or create a club for those who are doing something similar. Or if you are a aural or visual learner, consider listening or watching lectures from The Teaching Company, where they have some of the best professors around the country teaching a wide range of subjects.

You’ll learn quite a bit — maybe even more than those cramming for exams — quickly, cheaply, and at your own pace.

Corn has succeeded in domesticating us.

–Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006), p. 23

When you write down your thoughts, your chances of having the flash of insight you need in order to come up with a solution are significantly impaired – just as describing the face of your waitress made you unable to pick her out of a police lineup…. With a logic problem, asking people to explain themselves doesn’t impair their ability to come up with the answers. In some cases, in fact, it may help. But problems that require a flash of insight operate by different rules.

–Malcolm Gladwell, Blink (2005), p. 121

If ordinary Americans are to find a deeper understanding of why so many people are angry at us, we will need to overcome our appalling ignorance of world geography and international events and develop a much deeper comprehension of what the American government is doing in our name.

–Jim Wallis, God’s Politics (2005), p. 100