Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Addled Alain de Botton

The last time I mentioned Alain de Botton in these pages, I encouraged him to let go of his mommy’s hand and show some maturity, as he was waxing nostagically for being treated as a child, by the State.

In response to my mention, Alain dropped me an email stating the following.

I take it as a point of pride to have lots of immature sides. Indeed, it seems a basic definition of maturity to understand, accept, and not run away from sides of one’s nature which might offend a rigidly ‘adult’ view of the self.

I responded to Alain’s note this way.

Thank you for your note, unexpected though it was.

I, too, have immature sides, Alain, and fully understand their workings in my daily life.  Like you, I do not run away from my immaturities, but rather attempt to harness these immaturities, or grow out of them, in such a way so that I do not endanger myself, or others, relying on my reason, rationality and individual self-reliance rather than the state’s chains, which you seem to express a longing for in your article.

Though you intimate that I have a “rigid” adult view of myself, I fully realize that what abilities and strengths I have can be augmented by other individuals, by emulation and study of their abilities and strengths, or by discarding what I have come to understand as untenable rigidities.

The state cannot, and does not, protect me, or you, from any dangers, Alain, it only provides a false sense of security, a wonderland so to speak, not unlike Alice’s.

Respectfully, and with wishes for a fine day.

Alain did not respond to these thoughts, as they may have been too rigidly mature.

Alas, Alain seems to not only be susceptible to immaturity, but addledness, as he is now hawking the building of a temple, to atheism.

The atheist ‘philosopher’ Alain de Botton has undertaken a (literally) monumental project: he wants to create in the City a 150-foot-high temple to ‘new atheism’.

I wonder what they’ll use for their “scripture” books and hymnals?

We already have temples to atheism, Mr de Botton

Linked via SondraK who notes if you build it they will come to worship.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/31 at 12:32 PM
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