8 August 2007 - taste 2

They say there’s no arguing about taste, but actually that’s nearly all we do with it. Because we are so careless as to learn from experience, taste is negotiated, just like political borders. I wish we could settle our disagreements the clean old-fashioned way, with fire and the sword, but everybody’s convinced that the pen is mightier and goes off to write books. No doubt someone who agreed with me was responsible for finishing off the Library of Alexandria.