Calvin Tomkins, on Page 24 of the biography he wrote, Eric Hoffer, notes: " . . . That's how I do research. I go to the library, I pick up the thing s that interest me, I use whatever comes my way. And I believe that if you have a good theory, the things you need will come your way. You'll be lucky. You know what Pasteur said: 'Chance favors the prepared mind.' Take one of the chanciest things in the world, like war. Both Kitchener and Frederick the Great , when they were considering a general's qualifications, would always ask, 'Is he considered lucky?' It was a perfectly legitimate question, because if he was considered lucky, it meant he was prepared to take advantage of chance. I depend on chance to help me find what I need and most of the time I've been lucky."
Eric Hoffer, above, was describing his research method: he just browsed the library. He has his philosophical framework in his said, so he could fit many of the books or articles that he encountered within his meta-narrative. He had a prepared mind, a theory, based upon years of reading, thinking, conversing, pondering.
If a young maverizer would read, think, live, love and grow is a fashion not dissimilar to Hoffer, he would be prepared to make his big move or creative breakthrough once reality favors him with its flashes of insight.
No comments:
Post a Comment