[David,]

I doubt it will be long before the philosophical pendulum swings back from the present materialism to an age of self-inquiry; writings which seem quaintly dated to us now will, in decades to come, resound with a flash of reason. I think the explanation for the more recent dearth of Great and timeless philosophy, art, and literature is that we moderns do not have the luxury of devotiong our entire life to the study of one subject without having to worry about the roof over our heads and the food on our tables, as many in the past did. The 1960s mantra of "tune out, turn off, drop out" has more resonance today as a result. We need to pitch out our cell phones, unplug the computers, and disconnect the car battery for a few hours and actually LIVE ... then we'll see a revived interest in such things.

[Steve R.]