Understanding the meaning of a sentence

Question

Hello everyone,At this moment, I am puzzling over this sentence "We might seem to be well within the old ideal of modesty if we claimed the virtue of intelligence,"which can be found on this website http://home.uchicago.edu/~ahkissel/education/erskine.htmlHow does claiming intelligence as a virtue imply that we are working within the old ideal of modesty? Is the author somehow being facetious?

GPY · Accepted Answer

As far as I can tell, the author believes that intelligence is a "modest" kind of virtue, similar to meekness, humility etc. mentioned earlier. If so, I'm not sure I really agree.

Bashyboy · Answer

Perhaps it is, but he has certainly not sufficiently demonstrated this; although he may explain this better later in the essay. By the way, thank you for your response.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

It seems to me that the author believes that **** sapiens can claim intelligence, and not be exaggerating or bragging.  He also implies that intelligence is good, as a virtue.

GPY · Answer

AlpheccaStarsIt seems to me that the author believes that **** sapiens can claim intelligence,

I think this point hinges on whether "if we claimed the virtue of intelligence" means "if we (humans) claimed to possess the virtue of intelligence" or simply "if we claimed that intelligence was a virtue". I was tending towards the latter, based on the overall context, but I'm not at all certain.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

The prior sentence is:
When the wise man brings his list of our genuine admirations (by this, he means virtues), will intelligence be one of them?

The following sentence is:
But before we claim the virtue, are we convinced that it is a virtue, not a peril?

So he is going, in the following text, to argue if intelligence is good (as a virtue), or bad (as a vice).

GPY · Answer

AlpheccaStarsSo he is going, in the following text, to argue if intelligence is good (as a virtue), or bad (as a vice).

I agree. However, all other things being equal, this supports the latter interpretation in my previous post rather than the former.

Bashyboy · Answer

Hello again,

I have two sentences that I would like to discuss, both of which come from the same article as given above. Here is the first sentence:

"None of the reasons here suggested will quite explain the true worship of intelligence, whether we worship it as the scientific spirit, or as scholarship, or as any other reliance upon the mind. "

What exactly does it mean for intelligence to be a reliance upon the mind? Certainly we must rely on the mind to acquire intelligence, but is this what the author is trying to say? Also, the other says that there are other reliances upon the mind. What might these other ones be?

Here is the second sentence:

“We believe that even in religion, in the most intimate room of the spirit, intelligence long ago proved itself the master-virtue. “

What is the meaning of purpose of the phrase “in the most intimate room of the spirit?” Does it describe what religion is? Or is the sentence trying to say something to the effect:

“We believe that even in religion, we believe that even in the most intimate room of the spirit, intelligence long ago proved itself the master-virtue.”

Also, what sort of phrase is "in the most intimate room of the spirit?"

AlpheccaStars · Answer

BashyboyWhat exactly does it mean for intelligence to be a reliance upon the mind?

The mind is a pre-requisite for intelligence. A rock has no mind, thus it cannot have intelligence.

BashyboyWhat might these other ones be?

Ciphering might be one.

BashyboyAlso, what sort of phrase is "in the most intimate room of the spirit?"

It is a prepositional phrase.

BashyboyWhat is the meaning of purpose of the phrase “in the most intimate room of the spirit?” Does it describe what religion is?

No, not what is it, but perhaps where it resides, or where it springs from.

Understanding the meaning of a sentence

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