This book, with its argument composed as it is of American music, mathematical logic, and psychology, might be seen to speak past some central human concerns.  But the pursuit of democratic ideals is never as far away as we would sometimes like to think. 

            In his classic book, The Intelligent Investor, Benjamin Graham writes: "[T]he investor's chief problem - and even his worst enemy - is likely to be himself."  This vision of inward struggle points to the theme of The Mighty Quinn (a pessimism of the intellect and an optimism of the will) and various manifestations (the inoculaltion with disillusion, the renunciation of ideology).   A powerful statement of this idea, included elsewhere on this website, comes form Ludwig Wittgenstein: 

            "[Wittgenstein] often remarked that the problem of writing good philosophy and of thinking well about philosophical problems was one of the will more than of the intellect - the will to resist the temptation to misunderstand, the will to resist superficiality." 

             "Return to normalcy" is a famous phrase from a speech by Warren G. Harding which also contained these words:  "Sober capital must make appeal to intoxicated wealth, and thoughtful labor must appeal to the radical who has no thought of the morrow, to effect the needed understanding." 

            The mormalcy that was meant to follow The Great War (meant itself to make the world safe for democracy) gave way to The Roaring '20s, The Great Depression (featuring the Bonus Army), The Good War, The Cold War...   

            These words are from John C. Bogle, whom Gretchen Morgenstern, in her July 30 column in The New York Times, described as a "philosopher of finance" (Ms. Morgenstern describes the words below as "bringing a little 19th-century enlightenment to this moment of 21st-century gloom"):  

        "We Americans are one lucky bunch.  But, let's face the truth.  While the Declaration of Independence assures us that 'all men are created equal', we'd best face the fact that we may be created equal but we are born into a society where inequality of family, of education and, yes, even opportunity, begins as soon as we are born.  But the Constitution demands more.  We the people are enjoined to form a more perfect union, to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, and to promote the general welfare and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.  So it's up to each of us to summon our unique genius, our own power and our own personal magic to restore these values in today's imbalanced society."

          A more global perspective on Bogle's sentiment was delivered by the man who coined the beautiful phrase "a more perfect union" at one of America's darkest moments.  Abraham Lincoln was quoted on September 11 1868 as saying.  "Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere." 

Photos, left to right: Warren G. Harding, Benjamin Graham and John C. Bogle