GG: invention and its relationship to system

["Joseph Podlesnik" <veronese@jerseycape.com>]

One of my favorite writings of Gould's happens to be a speech he delivered
to the Royal Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto, November 1964.

In this, he talks about teaching, invention and its relationship to
pre-established system (or tradition) and about the artificiality of system
(in this case, music) and the dangers of becoming too respectful of it.
This reminds me of something by philosopher Karl Popper:

"Despite my admiration for scientific knowledge, I am not an adherent of
scientism. For scientism dogmatically asserts the authority of scientific
knowledge; whereas I do not believe in any authority and have always
resisted dogmatism; and I continue to resist it, especialy in science...As
far as I am concerned 'I do not believe in belief', as E.M. Forster says;
and I especially do not believe in belief in science ... belief has a place
in ethics ... objective truth is a value -- that is, an ethical value,
perhaps the greatest value there is -- and that cruelty is the greatest
evil."    I'm sure GG would have agreed.

The speech also recounts GG's pivotal experience with the vacuum cleaner
and the Mozart Fugue.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

Should anyone respond, I will elaborate on what I find really interesting
about the vacuum cleaner experience.

--Joseph Podlesnik