{"text":"Manlius ... Took care in his invitations, actively sought to exclude from his circle crude and vulgar men like Caius Valerius. But they were all around; it was Manlius who lived in a dream world, and his bubble of civility was becoming smaller and smaller. Caius Valerius, powerful member of a powerful family, had never even heard of Plato. A hundred, even fifty years before, such an absurdity would have been inconceivable. Now it was surprising if such a man did know anything of philosophy, and even if it was explained, he would not wish to understand.","author":"Iain Pears","tags":["broad-mindedness","civilization","crudeness","education","knowledge","like-mindedness","materialism","philosophy","plato","power","understanding","vulgarity"],"id":224491,"author_id":"Iain+Pears"}