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I think too many of us believe that intelligence is valuable, in and of itself. Instead, I think we should value personal excellence. That is, making the most

I think too many of us believe that intelligence is valuable, in and of itself. Instead, I think we should value personal excellence. That is, making the most of the intelligence you’re given. The arc of intelligence in Flowers of Algernon is the same arc that we’ll all experience over our lifetime. With old age, we, too, will lose our intelligence. If we value intelligence, in and of itself, we’ll eventually face a crisis of sorts. But, if we value making the most of our intelligence, we are resilient. Applying this framework to Charlie, there’s much less to be sad about. He made the most of the intelligence he was gifted, and that’s what really matters.

erybodyknows 4y ago
I just read this story for the first time and gathered similar insights on character, intelligence, and personal excellence. What stood out to me most was that he consistently tried to excel with what he was given. To do better for himself, and to help those around him. Another point that stood out to me is that from his most gifted vantage point, he correctly identifies the all too human fallibility of his Scientific Observers. Jealousy, greed, and feelings of inferiority.
svat 4y ago
> If we value intelligence, in and of itself, we’ll eventually face a crisis of sorts. Related, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Water https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Water — > […] pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness. > Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out.
- fairity 4y ago
  Thanks, I hadn’t heard this speech before. It was a good reminder to live consciously - that is, choosing our values for ourselves. But, my biggest takeaway was that “the whole trick is keeping the truth (your values) up front in daily consciousness”, which I’ve found to be 90%+ of the challenge.
maemre 4y ago
I like this reading of the story a lot (although I didn't read it this way when I read the book originally). It reminds me of how Camus approaches to making peace with the absurd: recognizing the absurd and creating a personal meaning in order to get free from the meaninglessness (I might be totally off base with this interpretation of Camus).

erybodyknows 4y ago

I just read this story for the first time and gathered similar insights on character, intelligence, and personal excellence. What stood out to me most was that he consistently tried to excel with what he was given. To do better for himself, and to help those around him. Another point that stood out to me is that from his most gifted vantage point, he correctly identifies the all too human fallibility of his Scientific Observers. Jealousy, greed, and feelings of inferiority.

svat 4y ago

> If we value intelligence, in and of itself, we’ll eventually face a crisis of sorts. Related, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Water https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Water — > […] pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you. On one level, we all know this stuff already. It’s been codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, epigrams, parables; the skeleton of every great story. The whole trick is keeping the truth up front in daily consciousness. > Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out.

fairity 4y ago
Thanks, I hadn’t heard this speech before. It was a good reminder to live consciously - that is, choosing our values for ourselves. But, my biggest takeaway was that “the whole trick is keeping the truth (your values) up front in daily consciousness”, which I’ve found to be 90%+ of the challenge.

maemre 4y ago

I like this reading of the story a lot (although I didn't read it this way when I read the book originally). It reminds me of how Camus approaches to making peace with the absurd: recognizing the absurd and creating a personal meaning in order to get free from the meaninglessness (I might be totally off base with this interpretation of Camus).