In Praise of Rory Stewart: The Long History of Ignorance

The first time we heard former Tory MP Rory Stewart , he sounded different. A man of integrity, we divined. They had just made him Prisons Minister or something, and there he was on Today on Radio 4 setting himself a target and declaring: “If I don’ hit it in a year, I’ll resign.” It may not surprise you to learn that he didn’t last long in the Conservative Party of those days. Since when he has drifted centrewards, even sharing a podcast with Labour Panjandrum Alister Campbell. And always endlessly gnawing on the same questions. “What is Truth?” “what is integrity” “why do Democracies sometimes make such Godawful decisions(think Trump, Brexit).

Now he has pushed off alone with a new series of podcasts called The Long History of Ignorance, a look at what constitutes true learning. It’s a play on the dual meaning of the word “ignorance” as the wisest of persons are always the first to admit that they don’t know. The theme has been raised before: old hands will recall the last, immortal, episode of Bronowski’s Ascent of Man TV, series from 1973. But here it is again, in modern clothes, neatly tucked up in short, easy to digest podcasts. Much of the first one covers ground we have often gone over on this blog, gentle reader. So you’ll be well clued-up before you get there. But we earnestly, earnestly recommend you give this one a shot. For there is no fool as great as the one who thinks himself cleverer than all the others.

^{thanks to P Seymour}

[1]https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m00199xy

#rory stewart #learning #knowledge