The Spirit of Cities by de-Shalit Avner Bell Daniel A

Author:de-Shalit, Avner, Bell, Daniel A.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2013-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

Cricket on a Sunday, by Christ Church College, Oxford. Photograph © Douglas Freer. Courtesy of Shutterstock.

The colleges try to stimulate their fellows (lecturers and students) to creativity by supplying the right atmosphere. Their approach is mens sana in corpore sano—a healthy mind in a healthy body. The idea is that if you offer students and scholars an aesthetic environment and facilities to carry on their sports (cricket, walking, jogging), they will intellectually develop more soundly. Many colleges therefore count cricket grounds and sport facilities among their attractions.

When in Oxford during my summer research breaks, I enjoy meandering over to St. Hilda’s College in the late afternoon. St. Hilda’s is a beautiful building next to the River Charles. On the opposing riverbank one can see tennis courts and cricket grounds, which, when not flooded, as they often are in winter, are dotted with men and women in white, their voices drifting through the summer air. Occasionally you may encounter a theater group rehearsing, and, if you are fortunate (there are long lines), you can hire a rowboat (or a punt, which is a long, narrow boat) and watch the student production of a Shakespeare play from the river—free of charge, naturally. Indeed, in 1898 St. Hilda’s College bought its first rowboat, which it called the Wild Goose.14 The first punt was purchased in 1900. I wonder how many they own today; probably several. Punting is tranquility, and even if you lose the punt (the pole you push into the muddy floor of the river to drive yourself along) a couple of times and have to jump into the river to retrieve it, the joys of punting are great. Above all, I enjoy coming here to gaze at the beautiful garden and watch the smooth, gentle movement of the river. When we were studying at Oxford, my friend and colleague Saul used to say that when he finished his doctorate, he would photograph the landscape at St. Hilda’s, make a massive print, and stick it on his window at home (which is not in England), so he could still see the landscape. He said, and I agree, that bringing this tranquil landscape to mind should have the same quality as formulating an interesting philosophical idea.

LEARNING: THE RIGHT CLIMATE FOR STUDY

While I was writing my dissertation for my D.Phil., a friend with whom I had studied as an undergraduate in Israel visited me in Oxford. He joined me in a class called “Star Wars” because the three teachers—Gerald Cohen, Ronald Dworkin, and Derek Parfit—were considered the best in their fields, and their approach to one another was competitive and somewhat antagonistic. Dozens of students packed into the library room at All Souls College, but I can’t recall which of the three “stars” lectured and who “slaughtered” him (our way of referring to the philosophical critique each lecturer was put through by a colleague), but it was certainly an experience. On our way out, my friend, who was very excited about the lecture, mentioned his dislike for the All Souls College architecture.

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