Ideal
Persons of the Dialogue
Director
Professor
1
"Are all ideals noble?" asked Director.
"You want to know if all ideals are, essentially, the same?"
Director nodded.
"No, of course they aren't."
"How do you distinguish them?"
"All ideals pretend to being noble. But some are truly noble while others are quixotic."
"What's the difference?"
"What do you mean?" asked Professor with some surprise. "It's obvious."
"Indulge me."
"Very well. The noble is something that can be lived up to, though perhaps only at times. The quixotic is simply foolishness, something that can never be obtained."
"The difference is in practicality?"
"I guess you could say that."
"What about those who fight for lost causes? Are they not both impractical yet noble?"
Professor frowned. "It depends who you ask."
"I'm asking you, my friend. What do you think?"
"I think it is spurious nobility to fight for lost causes."
"So noble idealism is the art of the possible?"
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Nick Pappas, pappasnick.typepad.com
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