Chapter One
The Ways of Learning
The mosquito is an automaton. It can afford to
be nothing else. There are only about one
hundred thousand nerve cells in its tiny head,
and each one has to pull its weight. The only
way to run accurately and successfully through a
life cycle in a matter of days is by instinct, a
series of rigid behaviors programmed by the
genes.... The channels of human mental
development, in contrast, are circuitous and
variable.
Edward O. Wilson,
On Human Nature
Fritz wore very thick lenses in his wire rimmed
spectacles. He was an awkward kid who mostly
liked being by himself. At age eight he was
becoming an insatiable glutton for the printed
word, devouring all manner of written
nourishment wherever he found it. At first, his
parents were vexed by his marathon stays locked
in the bathroom, until they found out that that
was where their eccentric Fritz felt most
comfortable ...
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