[coberst]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually MidGe I was just struck by the picture Coberst painted which made me think of Kanzius. If I'm saying anything its: Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is self-education or self-directed learning. An autodidact, also known as an automath, is a mostly self-taught person.

Now the dilettante that Sartre mentions is probably the ineffective autodidact. I wasn't mentioning him. I posted the link so people can see more about autodidacts. But now that you mention the dilettante I guess it just shows the spectrum of effectual and ineffectual autodidacts. I've never read Sartre's work Nausea.

I do find Twain's quote humorous though:
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education".

I guess we're all responsible for our own education.

[/ QUOTE ]

A dilettante just dabbles at this and that never doing anything with intensity. Intensity is living life with some degree of disinterested passion. Disinterested passion is gusto with small regard to self aggrandizement.