Epistemology etc. (was Re: Back to Windows... )

[Nikolai]

Peter Garrett wrote:

> Indeed, Alyosha wants to know why Ivan began "as stupidly as you could"
> 
> Ivan replies "Why, first of all, to prove to you that I'm a Russian:
> Russian discussions on these subjects are all conducted as stupidly as
> possible. And secondly, the stupider, the more to the point. The stupider,
> the clearer. Stupidity is brief and artless, but intelligence shifts and
> shuffles and hides itself. "
> 
> .. and so on. No doubt the subtleties are lost in translation ;-)

You got that straight :-) and I think you're on the right track although 
the end of the track is the best kept secret (the proverbial Russian 
soul) and can't be reached by non-Russians :-)

If you're inclined to further investigate the intricacies of the above 
mentioned soul, I suggest you switch your attention to Nabokov who wrote 
most of his work in English (traitor :-)

All of the sudden the subject line (back to windows) begins to make 
sense since, as you probably know, Feodor spent some time glazing 
through the only window available in his cell :-)

> <joking>
> 
> Emails are by necessity "brief and artless" , a bit like pat answers
> from catechisms  ;-)
> 
> But I haven't the excuse of needing to prove myself a Russian *grin* 
> 
> </joking>

Ouch :-) Let's just say it slipped off my tongue, shall we? As to the 
pat answers, I surmised  you were interested in a definition and I 
provided one I'm quite happy with. Do you have anything better? :-)

Nikolai