To mark a man's faults and failings was, for Johnson, to indicate where he had diverged from his true relation to God; for Strachey it was an agreeable intellectual pastime, which flattered his sense of superiority both to his subject and to the illusion-ridden mob.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Johnson viewed faults as spiritual divergence from God, while Strachey saw them as intellectual entertainment.
- In plain terms
- Johnson thought mistakes showed you were far from God, but Strachey thought making fun of them was fun.
- What can you take from it?
- Moral judgment varies between spiritual concern and intellectual amusement.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is criticism a game?
- How do we judge others?
Another view
It reduces complex spiritual views to simple intellectual games.
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