On Philosophy

I am not a philosopher but I have read (or at times, tried to read) philosophy. Sometimes I think that in order to read and understand philosophy you have to have the same amount of will power it takes for those guys to sit through a week long texas holdem tournament. Sure you might be good, but can you sit expressionless for that long?

To know philosophy I guess is to know what each of the multitude of philosophers had or has to say about things (forget for the moment that some of them might say that there are no such things as "things".) And what about the things that philosophers have said about what other philosophers have said.? An infinite regression or just an indication that I really can't keep track of all of that.

Is there a world "out there" or an internal soul "in here". Do we all see a world the same way.? What is a six letter word for existential breakdown? So many terms to remember. And hard to follow. Sometimes it feels like trying to understand Greenspan talking about current or future economic conditions. (Luckily it all became clear when I found out that he wrote his books while sitting in a bathtub! How can you not trust a man who writes half under water?)

I used to have a friend who would ask me questions whenever I asked him a question. I think he was trying to follow that venerable philosophical tradition of leading me to discover my own truth. All well in good but it doesn't work that well when all I wanted was to find out where the closest 7-11 was. But at least he wasn't acting like he knew and I didn't. And I must admit that not relying on him for answers was a bit challenging if not frustrating at times. I guess that's the road less travelled. (I'll take books with the word road in them for $200, Alex.)

I've seen some people who think they are philosophers or have that word somewhere in their official title, but most of the time I really can't stand listening to them. That's one of the reasons I think that philosophy has (so far at least) utterly failed at providing us with important insight into the human condition. (Well, there was Hannah Arendt but she's the exception to the rule. If a rule is really a rule are there allowed to be exceptions?) Often it seems like if I went to the doctor because I needed an operation and he told me that I had to take and pass a course in anatomy before he would operate on me. I don't need to know ALL of that. Sometimes if there are two of them in the room they start completing each other's sentences or laugh at things that, quite frankly, I don't find very funny. Now don't get me wrong, I like to laugh but it usually involves someone getting hit with an object in the groin or making mysterious noises with their body. Now that's funny.

So what good is philosophy? Must have some value or it wouldn't have been around that long. Maybe it's just a place where people who can remember complex notions can sit together and leave the rest of us alone. I always thought that the statue of "The Thinker" was perfect because he spent so much time thinking that he had no time to work or buy clothes. He was built pretty well though. How do you think he stayed in shape?

Perhaps there's a philosopher out there somewhere who can answer that question.