sapere aude -- attributed to the 1st-century B.C. Roman poet, Horace.

        “Dare to know” is the usual translation but it is not enough. The Latin "Sapere" is more than “to know”-- Sapere is about wisdom. The road to wisdom is a journey, not a destination. ‘To know’ implies destination, as in: ‘Ah.... I have arrived!’ To know is, for example, to know the news of yesterday’s Middle East atrocity -- it is something gained as in, "I got it!" -- something known as in past tense. Finished. A done deal. But Sapere -- to understand, to gain wisdom -- that begins with knowing and then inquires fairly:  How did this Middle East atrocity happen?  What causes have driven these particular people to shed this blood?  What causes drive people in general to shed blood?  Where is the right and wrong in one and the other?  How can the situation be improved?  How can I learn more? How can people be improved?  What can I do to help?  What should I do?

      The person who dares to search after wisdom engages those questions, grapples with them in a serious, sustained, systematic and honest way. Determination. Courage. Aude Sapere! It takes work, it takes time, it incurs risks and incurs failures. With each failure, we need the determination to get back up and the courage to start again. And again. Aude! Risk it!

       But, you may still be asking, "Why bother?" A few short paragraphs here will answer that question and present the remainder of my main teaching goals.