distractions—if that is what he means by “curiosity.” I am jealous of my “brain space.” If it is stuffed with trivia, there’s no room for thinking. I don’t want to walk around with news pictures, advertising jingles, and popular music in my mind. I don’t watch television. At breakfast I read Plotinus instead of the morning paper. If I do, on occasion, read the paper, I often cry about the misery I encounter, and can’t do anything about. If I can’t help, I think, I need not know about it. Choosing