Paris Intellectuals
I’ve been in Paris for the past week, taking my morning coffee in the usual café. On the morning that I returned to London, there was a meeting of intellectuals, debating the mutual influence between Mozart and his father, Leopold. These men were not young, but they’d set themselves a specific topic and researched it passionately. One even had his wife along to ensure that he didn’t get overheated. Even in a city with an intellectual tradition, I’m impressed.
What they’ve got going is life-long learning. It may be that they’re all passionate about classical music to begin with, so that the topic isn’t completely random. What’s fascinating is the enthusiasm that they put into their respective theses. This was no book-of-the-month club that placidly agrees with the current opinion. It was the critical defense of carefully constructed viewpoints. The level of detail commanded by each of the participants shows that it’s no kaffee-klatsch laissez-faire event. Each has taken the time and effort to acquaint himself with the subject and to recall to memory details that I would normally have to keep as notes. Wow.
Unless it’s all faked of course, but assuming that the detail apparently known and the facts match up, it’s amazing. Try it yourself. Pick a topic, maybe in an area that you’re already interested in, maybe in something completely new. Learn it in obsessive depth, as narrow a topic as you like. It’s sure to stimulate your brain in a good direction. Those who learn, stay younger.