Dear Nicholas

How ignorant of me! 

I long puzzled about the term “minute philosophers” in Pope and Berkeley,
and find it of course in your line in Aristophanes

>  “I do not know the name accurately. They are minute philosophers, noble
and excellent.”

Which lies for instance behind Pope’s comment, concerning the all presiding
Goddess of Stupidity..

“She recommends to them to find proper employment for the Indolents
before-mentioned, in the study of Butterflies, Shells, Birds-nests, Moss,
&c. but with particular caution, not to proceed beyond Trifles, to any
useful or extensive views of Nature, or of the Author of Nature. Against the
last of these apprehensions, she is secured by a hearty Address from the
Minute Philosophers and Freethinkers, one of whom speaks in the name of the
rest. The Youth thus instructed and principled, are delivered to her in a
body, by the hands of Silenus; and then admitted to taste the Cup of the
Magus her High Priest, which causes a total oblivion of all Obligations,
divine, civil, moral, or rational.”

Since we recently heard mention of Whorf, and now the cup which causes the
oblivion of rationality, might I dare to mention this chain of individuals,
who, in chronological order, over a number of generations, I believe, took a
trip out to visit the Hopi:

Warburg - Huxley – Whorf – Castaneda

As I understand it, Warburg, the eldest son of a highly influential family,
drew upon his findings there to publicise the suggestion that irrationality
was more fundamental than rationality in humanity.  And  much later,
Feyerabend, who wrote approvingly of  the (very controversial) accounts of
Whorf and the (very very controversial) accounts of Castanada, bade us all
bid  “Farewell to Reason”.

I hope this will not seem too far off topic.  There seem to me to be useful
background hints in these matters, informing aspects of the biography and 
intellectual life of Keynes (and his close friend Wittgenstein).

Rob Tye, York, UK