( Eventually, it dropped Milo Yiannopoulos’s book.) He had every right to air his political beliefs, but he didn’t have a right to a lucrative book contract. Several years ago, I pulled out of a book deal with Simon & Schuster because the publishing company had bought a book by a white supremacist provocateur.
I believe we should be exposed to a multitude of interesting ideas and perspectives, including those that challenge our most fiercely held beliefs.īut engaging with the world with intellectual honesty and integrity is rarely simple. I often write about my opinions, and I know I can’t do that in a vacuum, as tempting as that sometimes seems.
That is, certainly, an illusion, but I can see the appeal. It’s clear that what these modern-day hermits want is to exist in a vacuum, where they are not affected by nor do they affect anything beyond the boundaries of their home. Over the course of an hour, I’ll watch someone build a yurt or a mud hut with cob walls or a house on a mountain outside of Denver, powered by solar panels. Sometimes, I watch a reality TV show called “Building Off the Grid ,” about people who decide to make homes for themselves in remote places where they can live sustainable lives.
