Coincidentally, I've just been reading about Esperanto. It seems slightly nutty in today's climate of English dominance. But when you needed to learn several natural languages to communicate internationally, it made far more sense to pine for a simple, neutral common tongue.
I don't see anything "nutty" about Esperanto. Not everyone speaks English, even people who spent several years on an English course in school. I have found Esperanto very useful on my travels.
