Savant idiots

A) Definition of a ‘learned idiot’

1. Formally, the term refers to a person who has a mental disability or learning difficulties but is extremely gifted in a particular way, such as the performing of feats of memory or calculation. Also, about half of cases are associated with autism and may be known as ‘autistic savants.’ While the condition usually becomes apparent in childhood, some cases may develop later in life. The condition is not generally recognized as a mental disorder, and it is rather rare- one estimate is that it affects about one in a million people. [1], [2]

2. As far as the official definition of a ‘learned idiot’ is concerned, I alternatively used the term ‘savant idiot’ (which is of French origin) with a completely different meaning, and certainly with no intention to offend disabled people who are truly gifted. Instead my offensive was against those who are ‘normal’ but constantly oppress those who are ‘special.’

B) The importance of knowledge

3. Why people consider knowledge so important, that as parents they will make any sacrifice necessary, so that their children will be educated?

4. No matter why parents want their offspring educated, knowledge is something elusive and ambiguous- even if the truth is always one and the same, the interpretations of what is right or wrong may vary.

5. Ultimately, far beyond social power and recognition, knowledge helps us overcome our primordial fears, offers us the ability to produce progress, and guides us in our search for the ideal of happiness.

C) Three kinds of people with respect to knowledge

6. We may consider three different categories of people, with respect to the knowledge they possess. Firstly, there are people who are simply naive. Farmers in the Middle Ages is a good example. Usually such people are worm and friendly, they are unselfish, and ready to believe whatever crazy story you might tell them. However, although naive people are not generally considered to be dangerous, they may let other people become greedy and dangerous by exploiting the naivety of others.

7. The second category is that of truly wise people. Who is really wise is relative, so that a person who might consider himself wise would also test his wisdom. They will never claim that they know. Instead they will assume that they might know, and go on to confirm what they know. One might say that wise people are invisible- a wise person is like Odysseus- he was dressed like a beggar when he finally returned to Ithaca, to see if his servants were still loyal to him (whether a truly wise person should have slaves is another question).

8. To the third category belong the ‘wise idiots’ (the ‘savant idiots,’ in the sense used here). These are the worst of all. They are certain that they know, without ever questioning their knowledge. For them knowledge is something unquestionable and self-evident- “God exists, end of story.” Most often they are pompous and cunny. They use what they know in order to impress and exploit others. Even if they say that they respect your point of view, they are not paying attention. I would say that, apart from a 5% of knowledgeable people, and another 5% of people ineducable, the rest 90% belongs to this intermediate category of wise idiots.

D) Three ways to become wise

9. So how can one become knowledgeable and truly wise? One way is to use the method of reduction to absurdity. Assume that you don’t know, and then follow a syllogism that will indicate that you have finally been correct. In fact absurdity is an indicator of genius on its own (this is also why satire is an element of our society)- find something which is irrational, but at the same time has meaning.

10. A second way is to pretend ignorance. This is the Socratic method- pretend that you don’t know anything about a subject, and make the others tell you what they believe. This way you can learn what other people know.

11. The third way, but also ultimate goal of wisdom, is self- sacrifice. Knowledge has to be transmitted, no matter what the personal cost might be. If one knows something which is important, sharing the knowledge becomes a strong urge. On the contrary, if someone tells you that he has a secret to share with you, don’t believe him. When you want to tell the truth, you do not start with secrets. ‘Precious secrets’ are only for the ‘wise idiots.’

E) What is important is not the destination, but the journey

“As you set out for Ithaka

hope the voyage is a long one

full of adventure, full of discovery.”

Constantine Cavafy [3]

12. If someone tells you that he knows where the island of the lost treasure is, thus in general how you might fulfill all your secret wishes, he is nothing more than a manipulator who acts for his own benefit. Furthermore the real treasure is not found in a case of gold, but in an empty case: You can only appreciate wealth with an empty stomach.

13. Similarly you cannot appreciate the importance of a thing or a place if you haven’t enjoyed and endured the journey. This is why in another poem about Odysseus (Tennyson’s Ulysses), the hero finally leaves Ithaca for new adventures. The road to knowledge is infinite. Ithaca is just a stop.

F) ‘Happy knowledge’

14. But are those who know always sceptic and pessimistic? In fact wise people are neither happy nor sad, because you never know what the future might be. Thus those who believe that the end is near, or that the human race is governed by a blood thirsty elite, are just naive. In fact the world is ruled by the vast majority of those who believe that they know- the savant idiots.

15. What is left for those ‘who know that they don’t know?’ To be aware of one’s own ignorance is like an endless adventure. Wherever you go and whatever you find, you are never satisfied. You just keep on going, exploring new places and finding new treasures. Although you may never feel the security of being satisfied with having just the essentials (for example, a steady salary or pension, or a permanent residence), you will always have the pleasure of learning, and of enjoying the endless journey of knowledge. This is ‘happy knowledge,’ or ‘gay science,’ as Nietzsche used to call it.

[1]: [https://www.google.gr/search?q=idiot+savant+meaning]
[2]: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome]
[3]: [http://www.babelmatrix.org/works/el/Kav%C3%A1fisz,_Konsztand%C3%ADnosz-1863/%CE%99%CE%B8%CE%AC%CE%BA%CE%B7/en/43817- Ithaka]

10/11/2018

Image: [https://www.askideas.com/as-for-me-all-i-know-is-that-i-know-nothing/]