John Keats (1795-1821) and Negative Capability
I have always had a soft spot for John Keat’s idea of Negative Capability and the real sense of thinking ‘outside the box’ of our preconceptions and mental lenses. It fits with my dislike of ideology, of seeing the world in pre-conceived ways.
This is what Wikipedia has to say about it:
Negative Capability is the state of creative opposition that enables one to transcend any intellectual or social constraints. It describes the ability of the individual to perceive and to think beyond any presupposition of the capacity of the human intellect. It further captures the capacity of human beings to reject the constraints of a closed system or context, and to both experience phenomenon free from any epistemological bounds, as well as to assert their own will and individuality upon their activity. The term was first used by the Romantic poet John Keats to critique those who sought…
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