Boards
Kundera's presumption of the consequence of wisdom
My alarm when first encountering the apparent utter fatalism of Kundera's sorrow regarding attaining an exhaustive wisdom has dissipated but I think it remains useful to ponder his remarks even if his coquettish humour was the initial driving force for them.
Of course, full wisdom of all that one is aware is an impossible state; indeed, it is illogical. However, in the hypothetical scenario where full wisdom is attained, does despair necessarily follow? Does man require the unknown (to him) in order to retain his sanity?
I argue that a firm "no" is the answer to both questions. Full wisdom is desperate for a scientist who seeks such a state continuously but if he achieves his goal then he is instantly worthless, but for an artist wisdom is merely a tool; the latter should, if he respects the ego of the artist, assume an exhaustive wisdom before he arts. He must posit himself as a god.
Thus, Kundera's presumption fails.