Studentenalmanak 1950 - pagina 221

„Till quite recently, I must confess, I too took learning and

philosophy and science, all the activities that are magnilo­

quently lumped under the title of „The Search of Truth" —

very seriously. I regarded the Search of Truth as the highest

of human tasks and the Searchers as the noblest of men. But

in the last year or so I have begun to see that this famous

Search of Truth is just an amusement, a distraction like any

other, a rather refined and elaborate substitute for genuine

living; and that Truth­Searchers become just as silly, in­

fantine and corrupt in their way as the boozers, the pure

aesthetes, the business men, the Good­Timers in theirs. I

also perceived that the pursuit of truth is just a polite name

for the intellectual's favourate pastime of substituting simple

and therefore false abstractions for the living complexities of

reality. But seeking Truth is much easier than the art of inte­

gral living (in which, of course, Truth­Seeking will take its

due and proportionate place along with the other amusements,

like skittles and mountain climbing). W h i c h explains, though

it does'nt justify, my continued and excessive indulgence in

the vices of informative reading and abstract generalization.

Shall I ever have the strength of mind to break myself of

these indolent habits of intellectualism and devote my ener­

gies to the more serious and difficult task of living integrally?

And even if I did try to break these habits, shouldn't I find

that heredity was at the bottom of them and that I was con­

genitally incapable of living wholly and harmoniously?"

Dit citaat laat H uxley's ideaal zien van integral life, maar

laat ook doorschemeren een verontrusting om de onbereik­

baarheid ervan.

„Living's much more difficult than Sanscrit or chemistry or

economics. T h e intellectual life is child's play; which is why

intellectuals tend to become children — and then imbeciles

and finally, as the political and industrial history of the last

few centuries clearly demonstrates, homicidal lunatics and

wild beasts."

Dezc verontrusting geeft aan H uxley's latere boeken een

andere klank.

In Brave New World hebben we al de brillante en geestige

perversiteit, die de vroegere boeken kenmerkte, maar 't is

211

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