There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
– Isaac Asimov, 1980
Mark Twain, detail of photo by Mathew Brady, February 7, 1871
Well, I liked the king, and as king I respected him—respected the office; at least respected it as much as I was capable of respecting any unearned supremacy; but as MEN I looked down upon him and his nobles—privately. And he and they liked me, and respected my office; but as an animal, without birth or sham title, they looked down upon me—and were not particularly private about it, either. I didn’t charge for my opinion about them, and they didn’t charge for their opinion about me: the account was square, the books balanced, everybody was satisfied.
Why is it interesting that it was interesting to me? Mostly, because I find baseball incredibly slow and painful to watch more that 3 times a season. Reading about our “national game” is not something I do very frequently.
The book uses both narrative and statistics to compellingly argue the where the competitive edge comes from for baseball teams. It leads to thinking about how those decisions can be made in other area of life. And isn’t baseball supposed to be a metaphor for life and all sorts of other stuff?
Anyway, I highly recommend it and and even bought it for a baseball-nut friend of mine (who says he loved it).
Why did I single Mr. Levitt out when there are co-authors?, you ask. It is because this book got me to purchase his other book “Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty“. I am in the midst of reading it and am giving it a big thumbs-up. Will see if Mr. Armour has written anything else in the near future….
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
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