All human activity is prompted by desire. There is a wholly fallacious theory advanced by some earnest moralists to the effect that it is possible to resist desire in the interests of duty and moral principle. I say this is fallacious, not because no man ever acts from a sense of duty, but because duty has no hold on him unless he desires to be dutiful. If you wish to know what men will do, you must know not only, or principally, their material circumstances, but rather the whole system of their desires with their relative strengths.
[…]
Man differs from other animals in one very important respect, and that is that he has some desires which are, so to speak, infinite, which can never be fully gratified, and which would keep him restless even in Paradise. The boa constrictor, when he has had an adequate meal, goes to sleep, and does not wake until he needs another meal. Human beings, for the most part, are not like this.
- History of blaming immigrants
- Revisiting Rawls
- On Dolly Parton
- Steal and repeat
- Is American literature too provincial?
- History of tennis
- On book hunting
- Louise Glück, Nobelist
- Wagner, restless provocateur
- Favorite sandwich
A Critics’ List: Books To Read About Theatre
For now, if we can’t be inside the theatre, at least we can be all about it in our reading and our thinking. – Aisle Say
Fun To Think About: Are We Living In A Computer Simulation?
“Some have tried to identify ways in which we can discern if we are simulated beings. Others have attempted to calculate the chance of us being virtual entities. Now a new analysis shows that the odds that we are living in base reality—meaning an existence that is not simulated—are pretty much even. But the study also demonstrates that if humans were to ever develop the ability to simulate conscious beings, the chances would overwhelmingly tilt in favor of us, too, being virtual denizens inside someone else’s computer.” – Scientific American
Turner Winner Rachel Whiteread Urges Creative Young People Not To Give Up
The artist says that she’s been gaining comfort from doodling in her journal, not to mention new drawings and sculpture. But, in opposition to the offensive retraining advertisements the British government tried to put out a couple of weeks ago, she says that for young artists, “It is important they don’t give up on their dreams, and they follow through with what they have trained for.” – The Observer (UK)
The Great British Baking Show Still Somehow Makes Us Feel Good About Humanity
After all of these seasons, a switch from the BBC, the loss of the great Mary Berry (not to mention presenters Mel and Sue), and a barrage of other baking shows, how does the Great British Baking Show still do it? “To watch The Great British Baking Show is to believe that the average guy and gal can do remarkable things, that good nature is compatible with excellence, that high achievement will be recognized, that honest feedback can lead to improvement, that there are things to life beyond work. It is to believe that spectacular creativity can actually be scrumptious.” – The Atlantic