Sage's Analysis of "Zeal Without Knowledge"

In “Zeal Without Knowledge,” Hugh Nibley emphasizes the importance of thoughts and their direct effect on gaining knowledge. People should be “directing our minds to the highest possible object” thereby becoming the individuals that they are meant to become. He points out that many members of the church find zeal as more important than knowledge and actual learning as he says that it doesn’t matter how much zeal a person has if they do not have knowledge. To show this, he uses metaphors, appeals to logos, and thought invoking quotes, which allow him to successfully show his audience that knowledge must be sought for along with zeal in order for it to be worthwhile.

Hugh Nibley uses the tactic of metaphors in “Zeal Without Knowledge” to demonstrate his purpose. He compares being allowed to choose what you think about to “choos[ing] from the heap whatever gem [someone] wants- but only one.” In this example, all attention is focused on one object and all others would drop into the background. By using this metaphor, Nibley demonstrates two imperative principles. The first is that thoughts are so important that they can be compared to treasures. Just as someone would treat a treasure with care, one should also treat thoughts with care. He goes on to discuss how modern society doesn’t understand the importance of thoughts because of their involvement in media—watching TV, or “merely sitting in meetings.” (209) The other important principle is that human beings can only think about one thing at a time. Each and every thought is a choice. “If every choice I make expresses a preference… then with every choice am I judging myself, proclaiming… to God… the things which I give supreme importance.” He emphasizes the belief that every thought should be used to better oneself. In another metaphor, he compares zeal to an engine. “Without clutch, throttle, brakes, and steering wheel, our mighty engine becomes an instrument of destruction.” (210) The comparison also can be seen between the mind and an engine. The clutch, throttle, brakes, and steering wheel can be compared to knowledge. The more knowledge that is obtained, the more control there is over the “engine.”

Nibley appeals to logos while demonstrating his point. He quotes Niger Calder with information on one of the recent scientific studies writing, “Two of the most self-evident characteristics of the conscious mind [are that]… the mind attends to one thing at a time, [and] that, at least once a day,… the conscious mind is switched off.” These studies show how important each and every thought is. Nibley gives an obviously ridiculous example. “We think it more commendable to get up at five a.m. to write a bad book than to get up at nine o’clock to write a good one- that is pure zeal…” (213) No one would really believe that a bad book is better than a well written book simply because the author woke up earlier to work on it, yet, through this example, Nibley shows how ridiculous humans can truly be. It makes it seem crazy to believe that zeal is more important, or even as important, as knowledge.

The last tool Nibley uses, and his most powerful tool, is quotations. Knowing that most of his audience will be members of the LDS church, he quotes scriptures to demonstrate his point. Since the scriptures are such a large part of the LDS religion, many people agree with his use of them without question. His use of quotes helps convince his audience of the importance of thoughts in gaining knowledge. “’Sin is waste. It is doing one thing when you should be doing other better things for which you have the capacity…’ Probably 99 per cent of human ability has been wholly wasted,’ writes Arthur Clarke.” (209) He points out that idle thoughts are not only sins, but shows that even the most righteous are in constant need of repentance, and that everyone falls short because of the small percentage of human ability that is used.

People today should be, like Abraham, “seeking for greater light and knowledge” (Abraham 1:2). Learning should be a continuous and consistent process. Considering the human mind only has the ability to think of one thing at a time, it is extremely important that all thoughts are used to benefit and better oneself. Through using metaphors, appeals to logos and quotations, Nibley shows that one can successfully accomplish this way of learning through their willingness to train their thoughts and consistently seek for knowledge.