Opus 2026-078: It’s Everywhere

Everyone is a philosopher.  Philosophy is all around us.

This came to me today when my wife asked me why my whites were not on the back porch.  In this case it had to do with laundry, at least on the surface.  Underneath it, though, was really a philosophical question.  She was really asking, “Why?”  She was not really interested in the laundry.  She wanted to know what eternal truth was keeping me from completing a simple task.

You may have run into this at work, if not at home.  When I was teaching I would often have administrators asking “why” questions.  They really didn’t want to hear my answer.  They didn’t care what I said or my motivation.  The question came because their view of reality was being questioned.  I found that I could not help them.  I found that the best way to help them find reality was to stay out of their sight.

Think about it.  When your wife asks you, “Why haven’t you taken out the trash”, she really doesn’t care about your reason.  It does, though, reflect her feeling that meaning is eluding her.  If her real concern was the trash she might say, “I would feel better about the condition of the universe if you would take out the trash.”  She could also do it herself unless she is confined to a wheelchair but that would not be philosophical.

So next time you are asked, “Why” consider it to be a question about the meaning of life not just an evasive request for the completion of a menial chore. 

homo unius libri