The Library of Mankind

From the dawn of written language, culture and understanding have advanced because some, never all, chose to preserve what they had learned in words. Each generation added its volumes of hard-won insight, believing, rightly or wrongly, that such knowledge was worth passing on. Thus, enabling the progress of humanity, each new generation standing upon the shoulders of all previous generations.

Thus libraries were formed: repositories of accumulated thought, where each new generation might test what had been received, discard what proved false, and add what it had learned. Knowledge progressed not by accident, but by inheritance and careful contribution.

A particular man (or woman, and I am not good at shifting pronouns, so please assume I mean both unless otherwise specified) of any given generation is endowed with a particular combination of gifts and skills. His personal library, therefore, ought to lean heavily in the direction of those particular gifts. It is neither necessary nor useful for a great musician to master all that is known of astronomy; yet he must steep himself in Bach and Beethoven if he hopes to add anything of lasting value to the musical canon.

Life is brief. One does not have decades to arrive at this realization. If a man scatters his attention indiscriminately across every subject, he will have little time or strength left to pursue better ideas deeply enough to develop them. To dabble endlessly is to arrive nowhere.

Scripture, and the light shed upon it by faithful commentary, is essential. Philosophy, rightly handled, enriches every discipline. Beyond these foundations, one must exercise discernment when venturing further afield. To read everything is to read nothing well. To listen to everyone is, in truth, to hear no one at all.

Let great men keep company with great minds, that their learning may be accelerated and their gifts refined for the good of many. Do not demand the time of wise men unless you come as an equal or as a genuine disciple - prepared to enrich, correct, or learn rather than to interrupt.

Do not cloud the waters of knowledge with endless chatter. Suppose a trivial dispute or local rumor is settled, will the fool not simply turn his attention to the next piece of empty gossip? He will not develop a taste for deeper things unless they are presented to him with care, beauty, and gravity.

Then, and only then, might he lose his appetite for the silly, the mundane, and the common, and go forth discerning what is good. And if God grants it, he may yet contribute a new volume of insight to the library of mankind, and many will benefit.