Great Quotes
July 2010:
"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy."
-John Adams
“Is this not a time of peace?” the skeptic might reply. “How is this quote relevant to our modern age?” In my time, University students pursue biochemistry, medieval history, post-modern philosophy, gender studies, and linguistics. Our “political science” is hardly the “politics” that Adams studied; his created and secured nations. Ours creates and secures guest speakers on CNN. As to war, many regard it as a practice for less-educated citizens who would rather train as an officer of arms than an officer of corporations.
In honor of this month of July, one celebrating our violently-won independence, I want to turn your attentions to this quote because so many readers probably miss its importance. In fixating on some parts of the quote (“politics” and “war”) they miss its real meaning.
Adams is not talking about what we study. He is talking about why we study. Even otherwise intelligent and careful readers seem to miss this. Perhaps it is because liberally minded individuals, seemingly more abundant in this decade than ever before, see words like “war” and immediately put on their ironclad, closeminded caps. But the key word is not “war.” It is “sons.” Adams learns not for himself but for his children, that they may have the freedom to choose what they study, that they need not be directed by the demands of Adams’ own times. These sons must have the personal “liberty” to choose their field of study. Adams’ own pursuits will enable this.
So what can Adams’ successors choose to study? First of all, they can study to improve their own time, following their father’s example. Just like Adams pursues politics and war, so too could his children be pursuing the “politics” and “war” of their own time. In a more civilized age, those might very well mathematics and philosophy. Under this interpretation, learning improves one’s time, and the time of one’s children and followers. But is this the only option that Adams’ sons have? Must they live the life of their father, learning for a future generation? There seems to be another option. Adams also offers the chance to learn for pure self-betterment. After his work is done, it might be possible for his sons to study what they want to study, not just what the times demand of them. Under this interpretation, mathematics and philosophy are not necessarily the big problem-solving disciplines of the day. They might just give the proverbial sons great joy and personal happiness. That alone makes them worthwhile.
Unfortunately, these interpretations seem to be at odds. How can some men, like Adams, study for the future, and others, like Adams’ sons, study for themselves? What if Adams wanted to study for himself and not the future? Would not that leave his kids in trouble? The solution lies in the words, “may have the liberty.” Adams emphasizes this choice. The learned man should choose why he is learning and then what he wants to learn. In his time, Adams probably assessed his options and then decided that politics and war were preferable to mathematics and philosophy. Why? He wanted his children to have the liberty to do something else. Of course, in their own time, those children may have to make the same choice as Adams (continue pursuing “politics” and “war” for their own children). But they also might have the option of learning solely for their own improvement and happiness. The operative process is the choosing.
Adams wants men to choose why they learn. Do you learn for yourself? Do you learn for the future? It is not necessarily a conscious decision. It may be a natural gravitation towards destiny, heeding the herald’s call of the time. Regardless of the actual choice itself, all learned men have to make it in one way or another. This all returns to the fundamental meaning of the quote: why do we study? None of this is to suggest that you cannot accomplish both goals of studying in one lifetime. Adams loved politics and derived great personal enjoyment from it. But when he, or you for that matter, begin your education, what do you tell yourself? Some people claim “I study environmental science to fix the global energy crisis.” Others say “I study painting because I enjoy its beauty.” But perhaps the environmental scientist is deeply in love with her work, and perhaps the artist changes the world with his paintings. There is no contradiction here. In both cases, however, there was a decisive, initial impetus (to better oneself or better the future). They can certainly overlap, but that first choice, the choice that Adams wants us to make, stands alone and independent. We learned people must understand it in this way, and make our choice accordingly. Do you learn for yourself? Or for your children?