First Shakespeare sonnets seem meaningless; first Bach fugues a
bore first differential equations sheer torture. But in due
course, contact with an obscurely beautiful poem, an elaborate
piece of counterpoint, or of mathematical reasoning, causes us
to feel direct intuitions of beauty and significance....
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasio
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance
accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give
orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem,
pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently,
die gallantly....