"The exception that proves the rule"

Of Ludwig Wittgenstein, wrote Bertrand Russell in his Autobiography, "He was perhaps the most perfect example I have ever known of genius as traditionally conceived, passionate, profound, intense, and dominating." Whenever I read this line, I think not of Wittgenstein's genius - of which there seems scarcely any doubt - but of Russell's generosity, for Russell was his teacher and yet, considered him a friend and an intellectual equal, if not a superior.

Having spent most of my life as a student, I have seen how rare this is, especially in University. Barring a few, most of the teachers I have studied under would never even dream of treating a student as their equal, much less their superior or friend. Their attitude seems to be that a student, no matter how good, is an intellectual inferior and, therefore, must know her/his place, which is under their thumbs, in perpetual servitude.

To this charge, many of them might retort that we are not Wittgenstein. To which, I can only respond that neither are they Russell. My point, however, in citing this example is that generosity will not reveal itself even in the face of genius if it is not already inherent in an individual.

So, why does this trait elude most of my teachers? Because most of them are insecure, so insecure that they seem to suffer from an inferiority complex. And to compensate for it, they maintain an air of superiority among their students by suppressing any one, who dares to speak to them as an equal. If all this sounds a little vague, let me try giving an example. In University, we are taught to accept nothing at face value, to have doubts, to raise uncomfortable questions, to speak up. If, however, we are stupid enough to adopt this critical attitude against our teachers - and what and how they teach us - we soon discover that these lessons are meant only for the readings we receive, not for anything else. And if one of us were to make our dissent official, rest assured that not only will the problems raised not be addressed, but the student in question will probably be threatened with consequences for having the temerity to do so.

Of course, there are a few noble exceptions, a few teachers, who are generous to a fault, but alas, they are "the exception that proves the rule."