That Kennedy speech is precisely discussed in the first chapter of "The Music of Time. Poetry in the Twentieth Century", by John Burnside, which I started to read a few weeks ago. Can't recommend this book enough, it's absolutely awesome.
It is hard to see any of our leaders speaking up in support of things they cannot measure, profit from, or stick in a spreadsheet cell. Kier Starmer failed to name a favourite book when asked in a softball interview, and apparently doesn't read. His Education Secretary axed subsidised Latin lessons for impoverished children half way through the academic year, apparently out of ideological spite, given how little money will be saved - so the students will need to find private support if they want to sit the exams in the summer.
It's sad to see the humanities slowly lose traction in a society that has lost its centering points. STEM, tech -- we certainly need them, they make up a key part of the framework, but in the end I believe they are just containers that traffic ideas in an ever more efficient manner. So much so, that the endless tidal wave of "content noise" is drowning out deeper, long term thinking.
So, if you are void of an ethical framework, logic, and critical thinking skills, the vacuum will be filled with distraction and, ultimately, tiny steps toward destruction.
I think that Huxley, Orwell, Postman, and McLuhan are all comparing notes with each other right now and saying I told you so.
That Kennedy speech is precisely discussed in the first chapter of "The Music of Time. Poetry in the Twentieth Century", by John Burnside, which I started to read a few weeks ago. Can't recommend this book enough, it's absolutely awesome.
It is hard to see any of our leaders speaking up in support of things they cannot measure, profit from, or stick in a spreadsheet cell. Kier Starmer failed to name a favourite book when asked in a softball interview, and apparently doesn't read. His Education Secretary axed subsidised Latin lessons for impoverished children half way through the academic year, apparently out of ideological spite, given how little money will be saved - so the students will need to find private support if they want to sit the exams in the summer.
It's sad to see the humanities slowly lose traction in a society that has lost its centering points. STEM, tech -- we certainly need them, they make up a key part of the framework, but in the end I believe they are just containers that traffic ideas in an ever more efficient manner. So much so, that the endless tidal wave of "content noise" is drowning out deeper, long term thinking.
So, if you are void of an ethical framework, logic, and critical thinking skills, the vacuum will be filled with distraction and, ultimately, tiny steps toward destruction.
I think that Huxley, Orwell, Postman, and McLuhan are all comparing notes with each other right now and saying I told you so.