The falcon cannot hear the falconer
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
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The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Prof. Andreas Glaeser, The Aims of Education Address 2005, Univ. of Chicago
Poetry was arguably the first human practice of making or remaking symbols in a self-conscious fashion, that is, in a way which is cognizant of the process of making itself. In fact, in ancient Greek the verb poiein means "to make or create." Seen in this way, poetry can be understood as the art of making meaning, the art of charging worn symbols with new meanings, or the art of inventing new symbolizations which again give us an orientation in the world. Let us call the practitioners of this art "poets." Would it not be marvelous if you could learn to be a poet?