Why Philosophize?

While this is a knitting and crocheting blog, nothing is meant to be done in isolation. When I knit or crochet, rarely do I sit alone in a room and solely concentrate on my craft. Often I am conversing with others, but even when I am alone, I think about the world around me and why it is the way that it is. While I have not always enjoyed philosophizing because of the mental torture that is inevitable, throughout my time at Martin Saints Classical HS my appreciation for philosophy grew. The integrated curriculum means that philosophy is incorporated into each class, even in math and science. It is this appreciation of philosophy that has allowed me to gain a better understanding of the world. Appreciation does not always mean enjoyment. Philosophy is a journey that twists and turns often bringing you right back to the starting point. As previously mentioned, nothing is to be done in isolation, even philosophizing. At MSC, the point was stressed that each person who asks why contributes to the “Great Conversation” that has continued for centuries. My dread of philosophizing became a toleration and then an appreciation when I witnessed characters in literature, musicians, artists, and mathematicians all asking and answering the same questions in their own ways, with their own mediums. 

As I sit and knit or crochet, I sometimes wonder why I like to do this? Why did I choose these crafts out of the many crafts that there are in the world? What is it about my brain that allows me to knit complex patterns, but doesn’t always allow me to sing on key? Does this make me truly happy? Is my work beautiful? My classical education has given me the context in which to ask these questions of myself and the world around me.

Recently I was looking through some old files when I came across a Philosophy assignment that I wrote a few years ago. I like this assignment because it reminds me that it is ok to not have all the answers because no one will ever have all the answers. I chose my siblings as the interlocutors because they are my most constant companions as my philosophy of life evolves over the decades.

"Why Philosophize?" Dialogue written January, 2021 for Senior Philosophy class at MSC.

FAITH is sitting on the couch in her living room with her laptop on her lap. 

FAITH: If only I knew what to do for my philosophy assignment. I have to write a dialogue for tomorrow, and I thought Tom and Jerry were the best characters to use until I realized that making them talk about the meaning and purpose of life when all they do is fight with each other was too daunting.

ABBY: I would imagine that writing a substantive dialogue between John and Mary would be impossible.

NATHAN: Ohhh! Roasted! Faith, why don’t you write about how much you hate Socrates?

FAITH: Surprisingly, we are learning about other philosophers now, so my hatred for Socrates wouldn’t really be related. Actually, maybe it is! If there is one thing I’ve learned in Philosophy Class, it is that sitting and thinking all day just leads to more wrong ways of thinking.

ABBY: That’s nonsense. How can there be wrong ways of thinking?

FAITH: I guess I should have said they lead to false understandings of human nature.

ABBY: If you know a bunch of wrong ways of doing something, aren’t you getting closer to understanding the correct way? For example, in Meno, Socrates gets closer to understanding virtue by talking about everything virtue is not.

FAITH: What if the thing has an infinite number of ways of being wrong? Like imagine I said, “Think of a number” and I gave no parameters. There is literally an infinite number of numbers I could say. If you guessed 5 numbers, it’s not like you are five things closer to finding the number because there are an infinite amount of solutions. Your only hope is to randomly guess the correct number. To me, that is what philosophy sounds like.

MARY: Once again, that was a stupid analogy that did not make sense and was totally unrelated.

FAITH: It makes a lot of sense because--

JOHN: Philosophy sounds stupid. What is the point of philososophizing?

MARY: It’s philosophizing, you idiot.

DAD: Mary Grace, did you just call my son an idiot?

MARY: Well that’s what he is.                                                                

NATHAN: Ohh! Roasted! 

FAITH: GUYS!!!!!! This doesn’t help me with my philosophy homework!        

NATHAN: Ohh!

MARY: Well yes it does because telling people what they are leads them to finding out the truth. Duh!
ABBY: No Mary! That’s ridiculous!

NATHAN: Ohh! Roasted!

HANNAH comes out of her room and into the living room to speak. Guys, you are all being so loud. Faith, just think about the philosophers you studied this year. Are there any you agreed with? What is it you disagreed with? Then write about that.

FAITH: Thank you Hannah!

Exit HANNAH

Well, I think it is important to philosophize because we think about the deep questions of life like meaning, purpose, and what it means to be human. Obviously there is more to life than just doing things in the most efficient way possible. We read an article by Joseph Peiper where he talks about how people are worried too much about doing things in the most efficient way possible, and that they do not stop to think about why. He says that in an efficient society, people call the one who asks “why” a crazy man. I will now add another philosopher to de-cart of philosophy. Get it?

ABBY: Yes Faith, but it’s not funny when you have to explain it.

FAITH: Anyway, Descartes doesn’t trust his senses, and tries to prove that he exists without using them. In his first meditation he says that sometimes his dreams are so realistic that he believes he is awake. It is only when he wakes up that he realizes he has been sleeping. Therefore, he says that he can’t say that he is not dreaming. He also denies everything he has ever believed and instead of supposing that he was made by an all good God, supposes that he is being deceived by an evil demon. Eventually he reasons his way to the existence of a God. He also reasons that because he can think, he must exist. So he used his reason to reach those conclusions, but my reason would not lead me to disregard everything I ever knew. I do not think there are incorrect ways of thinking, but there are misconceptions and incorrect assumptions that lead to incorrect conclusions. But if one believes their thoughts to be correct, then how do they ever know which is correct? This is why I believe that Philosophy class is essential: we can share our thoughts with each other, and realize where there are flaws in our thinking. Men like Descartes, Locke, Hobbes, and all those other dudes just sat by themselves and wrote their philosophies. 

ABBY: Hold the phone! Did you just change your views? Are you saying that we should philosophize?

NATHAN: Ohh! Roasted

FAITH: I guess so. 

ABBY: How so, Socrates?

FAITH: Oh my gosh! I’m not Socrates! Don’t compare me to that buffoon!

ABBY: But isn’t he the one who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living?” And aren’t you arguing that it is important to philosophize?

FAITH: But how do I know if I am coming any closer to the right conclusions? We also learned about Hobbes who describes the state of nature as each man living freely, doing what he wants, and seeking what is pleasing to him without a government. But man gets beyond this state of nature because although it seems nice, it is actually chaotic with an “every man for himself” war mentality. He thinks that these desires driving people will give up some of their freedoms when they realize that if they each give up some freedoms and form a commonwealth, they will get more of what they desire. They will form a unified government that rules by the collective will of the people. A united will means that they will the same things.

ABBY: What say you now? 

FAITH: I think it is impossible for people to have a united will. I mean, just look at the U.S. for example. Here is another example. Nathan, I’m going to Lucky Seven to get some bacon cheese fries. Would you like to come?

NATHAN: Yes! 

FAITH: John?

JOHN: Can we get fried chicken instead?

HANNAH happens to be going to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and passes through the living room. Can you get mac'n'cheese?

FAITH: See Abby, if we cannot even unite our food choice, how can a large group of people unite their wills to form one governing body? Hobbes also does not account for the family. In his state of nature, it is each man for himself.

HANNAH: Don’t forget the women. Congress might get mad if you forget the women.

FAITH: Actually, Hobbes probably wasn’t thinking about women, because he does not talk about families or tribes. I think that factions of people are more likely to arise than a unified government. Those factions will fight with each other, and the stronger will take over the weaker. 

JOHN: If the stronger is going to take over the weaker, shouldn’t people just focus on being the strongest they can be so that they can outpower the opponents?

FAITH: Eventually the factions will tire of constant war.  They will make treaties, and that is when there are periods of growth in civilizations.

MARY: Isn’t that basically history?

ABBY: Exactly! Where on earth did Hobbes get his idea for the state of nature?

FAITH: At the time he was living, England was pretty much the way he described the state of nature. Everyone–

JANE: Faith! Just shut up. Nobody cares, you've been speaking forever.

FAITH: Jane, because this is my dialogue, I can speak as long as I want. Are you going to stop me from philosophizing? Why philosophize? Because I can annoy you, that’s why.

ABBY: Faith, is that really a valid reason? What would Miss Tomato do if you put that in your dialogue?

FAITH: I’m sure she would laugh. But in all seriousness, I must continue my dialogue. Hmm…. Why philosophize? Philosophers have asked the same questions over and over again: What is human nature? What is virtue? Is there a God? What is truth, beauty, goodness? I guess it is all part of the “Great Conversation” that Mrs. Jaguar talks about at open houses. As humans, we want to be part of something that is greater than ourselves. We want to join others in discussing these questions and making discoveries.

JOHN: But what about how earlier you said that those philosopher guys wrote stuff to themselves.

ABBY: I think that they are still part of the conversation, they are just giving very long monologues. It then becomes our job to sift through their ideas. We can agree with the ones we find reasonable, and disagree with the unreasonable ideas according to what we think and believe. Sometimes the ideas of others that at first seem unreasonable might even influence our thoughts and eventually change our minds.

MARY: But if not everyone is going to philosophize, why bother?

FAITH: That is like saying, if not everyone is going to try to get to heaven, why bother trying to get to heaven. We can be the example for others. In the talk that Dr. Prather gave the other week, she talked about how much her students and children love Socrates. She sees the difference between them and other children because reading Socratic dialogues makes them present themselves in a different, well formed manner. 

DAD: Doesn’t that make you want to quit bickering forever? Now it might be fun to persiflage, but dialogues are better for your mind and soul. 

NATHAN: Ohh! Roasted! Wait! Am I a bad person if I do not philosophize?

ABBY: Nathan, obviously not. But I bet you ponder things without even realizing it because of the environment you are in. You have grown up among such lovely sisters who have such meaningful conversations that I’m sure have probed you to ask questions you might not have thought about if you just sat by yourself all the time. Isn’t it so beautiful that we have each other to converse with?

FAITH: Now do you see why I could not use Tom and Jerry for my dialogue? They are funny characters, and it would be funny to imagine them reasoning with each other instead of clobbering each other with frying pans and crowbars, but they have not experienced enough beauty and truth to discuss the themes that we have just unpacked in the past few minutes. Now that I have some ideas, I better start typing my dialogue.

MARY: Obviously you should make me the really smart character because the rest of you are stupid!

NATHAN: Ohh! Roasted!

DAD: Nathan, enough is enough now. You were all getting along so nicely! John and Nathan, it’s time for bed now.

JOHN: Can you read us a story?

DAD, JOHN, and NATHAN exit. HANNAH grabs another cup of coffee and returns to her room; MOM comes down from upstairs.

MOM: Jane, it’s time to go to bed.

JANE (sighs): Fine. Frumps to bed.

FAITH: I think I have a lot of good things to put in my dialogue.

ABBY: My work here is done! Socrates out! Drop the mic. She drops a hair brush.