Wonder

In 'A defence of useful information', Chesterton first describes how he cannot appreciate the collections of information that are apparently enjoyed by the 'common man'. I can empathize with him when I think about Plinius' 'Naturalis Historia' or Isidore's 'Etimologiae': lists of odd facts have certainly a limited appeal to me. Chesterton, however, after recognizing that is is 'shapeless' and 'trivial', argues that this curiosity about facts is actually 'the babyish and indiscriminate curiosity of a people still young'. In 'A defence of planets', he laments that there is no poetry written about the new scientific worldview. Somehow, we have become aloof, or even snobbish, about the world around us, and this is actually a very sad thing.