Today, Tuesday, 2/7/2012, is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dicken’s birth in Portsmouth, England, so it’s fitting to remember Thomas Gradgrind, teacher of facts, in Hard Times.
Also, listen to the TED talk by Tim Hartford, who presents the antithesis to the Every-Complex-Problem-Has-A-Simple-Solution-But-It’s-Wrong assertion that he calls the God Complex: There’s a simple solution to every complex problem, and it’s right.
Thomas Gradgrind, a wealthy merchant who only believes in facts, is an ardent believer in the God Complex, but then he learns that a wise man knows he’s a fool and begins helping the poor.
