Two Davids

I’d rather listen to a record by David Byrne, but I’ll turn to David Weinberger for analysis of ideas and knowledge. Byrne set out to “draw an evolutionary tree on pleasure,” or “draw a Venn diagram about relationships,” but Weinberger sees that when we construct tree-like maps and treat them as the true shape of knowledge, we impose an extrinsic order that conceals other sorts of connection. I’ stick with David W. on the miscellaneity of knowledge, but — to be fair — even on his best day, David couldn’t equal Byrne’s “The Great Curve” or “Born Under Punches,” or even a lesser effort such as “Don’t Worry ’Bout the Government.” And, to be fairer still, Byrne doesn’t present these as “the nature of the world,” but as thought experiments. I just think that David B. does better with music than with thought.

4 thoughts on “Two Davids

  1. Sticking with David W. just adds another datum to the facts piling up around my theory that everything is mucilaginous.

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