Charles Fort on Knowledge

In the topography of intellection, I should say that what we call knowledge is ignorance surrounded by laughter.

—from The Book of the Damned by Charles Fort

I will try to post an excerpt per day if I am able. Some of the excerpts that I note in my "commonplace book" are more quote-worthy than others. I skipped over two others just now, before I came to this one. I suppose I'll use the others on days when I can't find something more clever.

Fort had a clever wit, but not so much rapier as cudgel. His response to those he chose to disagree with was not so much a skewer as it was an avalanche. He didn't seem to hold very high regard for "authorized journalists," or "authorized scientists" either.