It is quite possible that modernity has succeeded in forever ridiculing “skepticism,” the “inquisitive spirit,” and the appreciation for rationalization. At the very least, they no longer command the respect that similar attitudes commanded at the beginning of the last century. The speaker begins a narrative and makes a point of emphasizing, right from the start, the qualities of his Western mindset, which has subjected everything that follows to the most meticulous scrutiny; throughout the narrative, he interjects confessions of difficulty in accepting what is being recounted, due to his rationality, etc., etc. If, at one time, such passages aroused admiration for the speaker, today—how to put it?—they do nothing but elicit a smile identical to the one that appears on the lips of someone confronted with a blatantly childish display.