David Hume was a badass. He basically invented the idea of the social sciences. He inspired Adam Smith to study economics. David Hume tried to write history without injecting his own bias into the process. Just the facts, ma’am. In the end, he decided that this just wasn’t possible. He has a great quote to the effect that you can never remove the human bias from human endeavor because it is done by humans. The real thing is better than that, but I can’t remember it right now.
Sitting in Citery Bakey this morning with BD, I had it all figured out. I could tell you — and did tell him — exactly what went down with the auto-de-fe in the Valley of Love and Delight. I could also tell you exactly what the hell to do about it. Sometimes I marvel at myself, my insight, and my ability to discern a fortuitous direction. Other times I marvel at what an ass I can be. BD was correct in saying that, as much as we think we know, we don’t know. Even the people right at the center of the action couldn’t tell you, whether they wanted to or not.
And if anyone knows about not knowing, it’s BD. Imagine leaving out for a bike ride and waking up three weeks later. Imagine being told what you did — to some extent who you were — for those three weeks. Then try to imagine not knowing what will and will not be a part of your life tomorrow or the next day. I’m talking like writing or dancing or smelling or tasting. I know that in one sense this is the condition we all live with, but few of us live with it consciously. We think we know what the day will bring. What we don’t know is that we have no clue.