“Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the blood of real civilization.”

Very interesting quote. Don't know if it is true but I think it is true sometimes. Hitler was basically uneducated, some called him a gutter politician who burned books and all trappings to logic and intellectual curiosity but he definitley had a major impact on his "civilization". Likewise Reagan was not considered by many as a paragon of intellectual curiosity but his simplistic approaches to problems such as taxes and the Berlin wall had major impact to our civilization, in the first case bad with run awawy deficits and in the second good with the fall of totalitarian governments. Intellectualism without action is a bit useless. Action based on logic and smarts, now that is something special, but apparently hard to achieve in this world of "politics".

I guess what is curious and real to any group of individuals is not so to another. Most don't want to know the what, where, why, etc. of life's events, only a perceived outcome. Sort of, I'm to busy making a living to make any money or, you don't know what you have until its gone or, I'm getting along in this statist theocracy, don't confuse me with the facts or freedom.

I'm having trouble being disinterested. My very way of life is at stake...and that interests me greatly.

Waff, as to "run away deficits" , Obama and his cool-ade drinking friends in congress will make even Bush look like a miser if he gets his way.

It's self evident... in other words be curious even about things you are not interested in.