"Whence it is somewhat strange that any men from so mean and silly a practice should expect commendation, or that any should afford regard thereto; the which it is so far from meriting, that indeed contempt and abhorrence are due to it"
About this Quote
Barrow doesn’t merely disapprove; he performs disapproval with the cool precision of a man used to proofs. The sentence advances like a geometric construction: premise, surprise, conclusion. Start with the feigned puzzlement - “somewhat strange” - a polite mask for what is essentially an indictment. He’s not asking a question so much as setting a trap: if the practice is “mean and silly,” why would anyone expect praise for it, and why would anyone else supply the social oxygen of “regard”? The answer is built into the cadence. Admiration isn’t just misplaced; it’s irrational.
The moral force comes from how he shifts the target from the practitioner to the audience. Barrow’s real subject is complicity. A “practice” survives not only because some do it, but because others reward it with attention, status, deference. He treats applause as a kind of moral error, almost a mathematical mistake: you don’t get to celebrate what is structurally contemptible.
Context matters. Barrow, a 17th-century Anglican divine as well as a mathematician, wrote in a culture anxious about manners, wit, and the public economy of reputation. His era’s “mean and silly practice” could point to fashionable vice, idle gossip, theatrical showmanship, or religious hypocrisy - behaviors that thrive on being seen. The phrasing “commendation” and “regard” evokes a society where honor is currency, and Barrow is arguing for a punitive exchange rate. If you want fewer corrupt performances, stop paying them in admiration. Contempt and abhorrence aren’t just feelings here; they’re policy.
The moral force comes from how he shifts the target from the practitioner to the audience. Barrow’s real subject is complicity. A “practice” survives not only because some do it, but because others reward it with attention, status, deference. He treats applause as a kind of moral error, almost a mathematical mistake: you don’t get to celebrate what is structurally contemptible.
Context matters. Barrow, a 17th-century Anglican divine as well as a mathematician, wrote in a culture anxious about manners, wit, and the public economy of reputation. His era’s “mean and silly practice” could point to fashionable vice, idle gossip, theatrical showmanship, or religious hypocrisy - behaviors that thrive on being seen. The phrasing “commendation” and “regard” evokes a society where honor is currency, and Barrow is arguing for a punitive exchange rate. If you want fewer corrupt performances, stop paying them in admiration. Contempt and abhorrence aren’t just feelings here; they’re policy.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
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