I can ( I think this is "can't" -CB) understand the practice of talking about things you haven't read or seen - as a lot of people have said, learning that trick is one of the great benefits of an Ivy League education. But actually admitting to and defending the practice is a novelty to me. You learn something new every day.
Doug
^^^^^^^ CB: I can understand what you mean. However, then I think "most of what most people know is based on hearsay, usually about five to ten layers or more of hearsay." I've never had direct observation of the U.S. Civil War, the continents of Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America, Australia, dinosaurs, atoms, electrons, my great, great grandmother,Babe Ruth, most Americans, the GDP for the year 2000, etc. Yet I feel alright talking about them. We humans are _highly_ social, which means having an enormous amount of trust and reliance on other humans, including trusting reports of their observations and experience as the basis for most of what we "know".