Letter From Virginia
12 January, 2007
Previous
Letters from Virginia:
Medicine issued a new
report
emphasizing the importance of teaching evolution in public schools.
On coming across a news item announcing the report, one of the people I
work with commented that we should not be insisting on the dichotomy
between the scientific and the religious views. That the two can
be reasonably reconciled, and the conflict resolved. I countered
that rather than trying to explain the religious view scientifically,
for example by understanding the term "one day" in Genesis as meaning a
"celestial day"--in other words a period of millennia, it is better to
view one's religious and scientific sides as two completely separate
aspects: orthogonal axes. By coincidence, I found two days later
that the same thesis is expounded by Stephen Jay Gould in his book
Rock of Ages, in which he maintains that religion and science form
Non-Overlapping Magisteria (NOMA).I would like to write on this topic, and on other related questions (such as prayer in school); but there is research to be done first. So instead, I will write on an easier topic: the difference between the words "uninterested" and "disinterested". They are too often used as if interchangeable, when they have distinctly different meanings.
Once, there was businessman named Umberto. By chance, his brother, a doctor, had treated a famous wrestler known as Cain the Crusher for several fractures to the small bones of his right hand. The fact of these injuries, however, had not been publicised; so when Umberto saw that Cain the Crusher was to fight Abel the Assassin, and was the great favourite to win, he saw the opportunity to make a significant betting profit.
Umberto had a problem: he had never found the slightest appeal in sports, especially the pugilistic sports; and he had no idea how to go about placing a wager on such an event. Fortunately, he remembered an old school-friend, Daniel, who keenly followed wrestling. Daniel was no stranger to the bookmaker; indeed, most of the quite considerable amount of money he made as a successful plumber was lost to his betting habit. Daniel agreed to help Umberto make his wager, and even declined to take any share in the profits, in memory of their past friendship.
As the day of the big match approached, both Daniel and Umberto eagerly anticipated the event. But each had a different reason for their fascination: Umberto looked forward to the sizable increase in his wealth; and Daniel was anxious to see whether Cain the Crusher would avenge himself for the sneaky way in which Abel the Assassin had won their last match. (This last feat involved a mouse and a foul odour, but the details are too sordid to go into here.)
Finally, the big day arrived. Umberto did not watch; the fight itself held absolutely not appeal for him. All that concerned him was the outcome, which he firmly expected to be a quick win for Abel the Assassin. Daniel, in contrast, could not drag his eyes from the arena; it did not matter to him who won, so long as he could see every move made.
You see, Umberto was uninterested in the match; even though the outcome would be very interesting to him financially, the match itself was not. Daniel, on the other hand, was disinterested in the match; he did not stand to gain in any way from the outcome, but found the match itself riveting.
If you are looking for a judge in a dispute with your neighbour, you want one who is disinterested, but not uninterested. He should pay attention to the arguments (i.e. not be uninterested), but he should not stand to gain personally by finding in favour of your neighbour (i.e. be disinterested).
In contrast, if you are looking a financial manager, it is good to find one who is not disinterested. In other words, if his financial success depends on his good management of your money (providing it is not at the expense of your financial success), then he is likely to serve your needs better. It is not necessary, indeed may be an impediment, however for him to be uninterested.