Blake Morrison "As if"

[twiggy55]

John Major said at the time of the Bulger case "We should understand less and condemn more". Morrison came to the opposite conclusion but what was the actual quote in the book about understanding more?

My library doesn't have the book!

[maggiebee]

I've read the Philip Pullman's crit of "As If" and he quotes Blake Morrison as saying (of the Major quote) "Of course we mustn't understand less. We can't go back to being children, back to the innocence of the ape. We must go forward into deeper knowledge, painful though that is." Not sure though if this is what you are looking for and you really need to read the story of the ape to fully understand where he is coming from. Can quote it if you need more.