Judicious judgment : a case for very unusual minds

This paper addresses a mode of thinking that, it is argued, is manifested in Max Deutscher’s oeuvre. It explores the intricacies inherent in the ‘singular thoughtfulness’ of Deutscher, intricacies that emerge through his use of imagery in its connection with the subject matter with which he deals. The paper challenges the idiom of obvious associations and moves towards an appreciation of Deutscher in his judicious balance of his experience and thinking as well as a correlative balance of certainty and uncertainty, all contrasted on a ground of confidence and its intensified over-confidence. The paper employs an imagery of its own in order to highlight Deutscher’s peculiar use of everyday images in his work. Thus figures as diverse as Whitehead, Proust and Sand are woven into the fabric both in order to support and to distinguish Deutscher’s thought. The paper was first presented as a fifteen minute presentation: the object here is to retain a quality of brevity, swiftness and economy: all features of Max Deutscher in his extensive writings.