Letter 293b

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 293b
Recipient	R. B. McCallum
Date	11 January 1967
Subject(s)	A remark from Tolkien about the essence of an intellectual

Letter 293b is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition.

Summary

McCallum believed Tolkien made the below remark.

The essence of being an intellectual in the true as opposed to the vulgar sense of the word was that an intellectual is a man who whatever strong beliefs he may have is not “shocked” by being told of any idea or practice. He may object, reprobate, repel but if he really is an intellectual he should not be shocked into being unable to think or learn about the matter.

Tolkien did not remember making the remark but said he agreed with it and would not mind it being attributed to him.