Why be erudite?
Why be erudite? Why be learnéd? I don't claim to be either of these things, though I aspire to them. Most people can't see the point of learning for learning's sake, and many never make an effort to out of pure, unadulterated anti-intellectualism. I come up against this question, whether other people ask me to my face or whether I ask myself: what's the point of learning for fun? I've got two answers, the first fanciful (and rather weak) and the second hopefully more robust. The first answer is, well...more of a question. What's the point of whatever hobby you're into? Why do you do it? Enjoyment - simple enjoyment, that's all. Follow it up with a little bit of relativism about how other people's interests are generally not subject to such questioning, and BAM! Instant pretentious argument! I don't like this way of thinking. Relativism is a little bit dodgy to rely on, and the argument itself is shallow, stating "I enjoy it"...