#51 STIMULATING EXCHANGES

#51 STIMULATING EXCHANGES

by

Vernon M. Herron

Reliving my college days in an American literature class, I often reflect on three writings which have followed my developmental thought processes through the years. I am not sure that I comprehend the motifs but the essence follows. Are you familiar with these writings? If so, tell me about them. They are:

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s essay on---The Great Stone Face/The Old Man of The Mountain.

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay on---Self Reliance, and

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio’s essay on---The Craftsman


The fable of the Old Man of The Mountain is powerful. High above the Franconia Notch gateway to northern New Hampshire, there is a profile of an old man who appears to be relentless, tyrant, a learned philosopher, stern and solemn. The profile is composed of Conway red granite formed by five ledges, when lined up correctly, give the appearance of an old man. One ledge forms the chin, another the upper lip, a third, the nose and two layers make up the fore-head.

The story is told how a young man of the community grew up watching and studying the Great Stone Face daily. When he became an old man, he became the old man of the mountain.

Read the story and go see for yourself.

Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay on “Self-Reliance” reflects on the power of the individual toward making an impact on an institution when he says:

Every true man is a cause, a country, and an age; requires infinite

spaces and numbers and time fully to accomplish his design;…and

posterity seems to follow his steps as a train of clients. A man Caesar

is born and for ages after, we have a Roman Empire. Christ is born

and millions of minds so grow and cleave to his genius, that he is

confounded with virtue and the possibilities of man. An institution is

the lengthened shadow of one man; as Monachism of the Hermit

Antony; the Reformation of Luther; Quakerism of Fox; Methodism of

Wesley; Abolition of Clarkson. Milton Scipio called “the height of

Rome” and all history resolves itself easily into the biography of a

stout and earnest persons.

I know of many institutions which acquired greatness because of one leader/person who had stature, character, integrity and honesty. How many can you name?

Recently, I sent “An Inquiry” to my “Think Tank” friends which resulted in stimulating exchanges. I was so impressed with the responses, I share them with you for your stimulation.

The sent Inquiry

To: My “THINK TANK’ Friends

From: Vernon M. Herron

Re: A treatise written by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

He describes ‘The Craftsman’ as follows:

Neither talent without instruction,

Nor instruction without talent

Can produce the perfect man.

He should be a man of letters,

A skillful draughtsman,

Expert in geometry, not ignorant of optics.

Well ground in arithmetic;

He should know considerable history.

Have listened to the philosophers diligently,

Should be acquainted with music;

He should not be ignorant of medicine,

He should be learned in the findings of the legal experts

And should be familiar with astrology and the laws of astronomy.


I have long struggled to understand the author, to no avail. Help me with your opinion.

• What is Pollio saying?

• Must one be an expert in most subjects to be connected, function able or a craftsman?


Thanks for your response.

The following are sample responses received:

I cannot tell whether you are appalled by the utter secularity of the point of view, or the claim that a wide range of knowledge has value. Either way, I trust you are teasing those of us whom you have put in the tank.

If Pollio was a real person and not a composite of later scribes, and if he indeed provisioned large armies on the move, then he may well have come closer to meeting the ideal set down here. Most of us mortals live in lesser climes.

SJ


I think the converse of what he has written gives a common man's view of what a craftsman is. Thus, what he writes in this description elevates that common view of a craftsman to that of an intellectually well-rounded individual in whatever it is in which he is considered such, a "craftsman."

1)- A trained brain surgeon is educated and skilled in his craft, but is hardly considered a "craftsman." (intellectually well-rounded)

2)- A skilled carpenter may never have been in a classroom, but his skill makes him a "craftsman."(common man's view)

And what I just wrote probably doesn't make a damned bit of sense!!!

LOL -KK


I know only a little about this guy from my days in architecture school. Usually simply called Vitruvius, he is famous for writing some of the first extended riffs on architecture. His TEN BOOKS OF ARCHITECTURE are full of lofty pronouncements about architectural ideals. Best known is that a good building must possess firmitas, utilitas, venustas – ie structural solidity, usefulness to its occupants, and beauty.

The piece you quote is part of that “stating of ideals.” He is saying that the ideal architect (in his day, that also shaded over into “engineer”) should have all the characteristics in his list. To me, it’s a statement of things to strive for, not a set of minimum requirements to be a man.

Here’s more about him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvius

Hope that’s of some small use – just my two cents. Thanks so much for this stimulating exchange!

TH

Allow me to submit that Vitruvius had a perspective that intellectually architecture was the height of man's abilities. Perhaps he and others shared this perspective. From his point of view, the perfect man practiced architecture, which Vitruvius concluded was at the intersection of all of the disciplines of which he wrote.

My perspective is that no one discipline stands at the zenith of human achievement. Hence the wisest ever man could have been pound-foolish or the richest man ever could have been an idiot savant. I believe that our greatness can only be measured against that which we have been presented for review. Inasmuch as I believe that I am an academically intelligent individual, I believe that my intellectual advancement is not a function of my intelligence but of my ability to be accountable for the information that I have been presented with through education and experience.

To be perfect man, I believe, is impossible. To be a perfecting man, that is one who strives for perfection, one must increase his exposure to information, be astute in his awareness, practice accurate recollection, and endeavor to synthesize his knowledge and wisdom in an effort to better understand his own world.

JB

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Thank you for encouraging us to think critically. You know, Socrates, one of the most famous philosophers and teachers of all times, taught by inquiry. One question after another, dealing especially with ideas and concepts led his pupils to grasp meaning and discover answers. It is one of the pedagogical methods we use in many schools across the nation today which we call Socratic seminars.

I think the writer was saying that in order to come close to being perfect in any area, one must be astute in all of these areas. We can certainly be functional and survive as many of us do, but to become almost perfect we must have expanded our base. Perfect is key in this piece. Is anyone perfect? Is anyone capable of being perfect. I don't think so. Only one man who has lived on this earth was perfect and we know that He walked out on the water, and He calmed the raging sea. Because he was perfect, he ascended to a higher level. I personally think that is what happened to Martin Luther King and the likes of Michael Jackson in their respective domains. They were approaching perfection.

We are all on a continuum, a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest (perfection). Our goal should always be to strive for perfection, then we may make it to eight or nine. I think Obama is way up there. We must keep him in our prayers. Thanks for allowing me to participate and I apologize for my delay. You have caused me to think which great teachers do.

KS

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WHAT’S YOUR TAKE?