So I’ve had a couple of challenges as to why I have a “philosophical” category in my blog, when I don’t actually talk about philosophy…and I guess the answer is that I think of philosophy as “reflections”; on the nature of the world, the nature of man, of society, of life, the universe and everything...in other words, I think a person can be philosophical without actually having to resort to quoting Aristotle, Descartes, Plato, Strauss or Rand.

     I don’t hold with the idea that a person has to approach the discipline of philosophy with formal training in order to be reflective.  It’s kind of something humans do.  We impose order on the world in the way we interpret and order our perception of the world and ourselves, we occasionally have to re-assess those perceptions, interpretations, and the order, and we have to devise systems of thought to do so.

     So, while reading, studying and referencing the great philosophers of the ages is desirable, useful and improves upon our ability to do what comes naturally to us as humans, it is wrong to say that a farmer, or a cab driver or a neurosurgeon cannot be philosophical.

     There are some who would assert that philosophy is dangerous and should be kept away from the great unwashed masses who are unfit for its rigors.  I disagree.

     You may not have heard this argument, so I’ll sketch it out a little for you.  I’ve met a few people (neoconservatives) who are quite passionate about this idea and while it may be a perversion of a more formalized area of thought that actually has some merit, I will stick to the level at which I feel competent to argue.   (Mostly because Strauss is beyond me, in that I can’t really figure out what his argument is much of the time.  It is easier to argue with his more plain-spoken adherents who are, after all, the problem before us.)

     Anyway, the idea is that philosophy contains within it the dangerous seeds of nihilism, moral relativism, and other anti-social thoughts.  That, as Obi-Wan Kenobi so succinctly put it, “…many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”

     The idea is, that once a member of the great unwashed mass learns this, they will, in their lazy, slovenly way, simply decide that everything is true, and nothing is true, give up their good Christian values, scorn Midwestern social norms, and join a gay, polyamorous pagan commune (horrors!!) and not be useful little cogs like they’re supposed to be.

     Then shall follow the complete meltdown of human civilization and all that is good in the human condition.

     Therefore, those who are not suited for the self-possession demanded by Philosophy must be confined to the discipline demanded by religion.  For their own good, and the good of the world and humanity.

     The fact that I find this sort self-congratulatory wanking to be morally repugnant notwithstanding, it is fundamentally un-American.

     America is all about the dignity of human kind, and the proposition that it is the duty and honor of each person to follow the dictates of their conscience.  To pray, love, live, work, and cultivate themselves as they are lead by their nature and their own assessment of their own greater good.  Thomas Jefferson dealt with this somewhat obliquely when he admitted that there were some who would follow unwise and unaccepted paths, but then said that they alone would bear the burdens of their actions and as for him “It neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket.”

     The idea was that if someone were to simply become a “moral degenerate” and not bother to follow an ethical path beyond their momentary hedonistic wants…well, they bear the consequences for those choices in this life and the next.

     The fact that I would trust most of the gay, or polyamorous, or pagan or commune-dwelling people I know with my wallet and my well-being over most of the devout Fundamentalists I’ve encountered in my life should probably be mentioned.  The fact that these groups are seen as being morally degenerate is based on pograms of hate, fear, misperception and outright lies more than anything else…aided by anecdotes of bad people from these groups meeting bad ends.

     The idea that anyone can know what is best for another person…the idea that my idea of what is best for you can over-ride what you think is best for you is not an American value.

     We were meant to be a country of seekers and explorers.  We were meant to be a nation of hobbyist inventors, armchair philosophers, weekend warriors, public-square statesmen.

     This is the greatness of our country and our society.  We are seekers, shapers, dreamers and makers….and we were not formed to be friendly to the idea that someone else can decide that an idea, thought, concept, personal choice is too dangerous for us.

     Information that we need to be the ruling populace we were authored to be by our creator and our forefathers must never be kept from us under the auspices of “our own good”…whether that be the great tradition of formal philosophy, food labels, the exact text and language of Federal Laws under which we can be prosecuted, the records of the actions and decisions of our elected officials, how we can prevent pregnancy and disease…the list goes on.

     “But,” rejoin my elitist conservative friends, (yes, the right has elitists too), “You say everyone is created equal, yet clearly they are not.  There are people who are simply superior to others…smarter, stronger, etc.”

     Duh.  I can list a dozen people that I know I am smarter and more capable than.  But I will be the first to tell you that does not make me more qualified than them to know what is for their greater good.  It would be morally wrong for me to hijack their will. 

     I do not know what makes them happy better than they do.  I do not know better than they what gives them a feeling of satisfaction, of purpose, of what constitutes them being their best selves.

     I know at least a dozen people who are smarter and more capable than me, and I shudder to think of the life-paths that they have occasionally outlined for me to follow which would “maximize my strengths”.  If I followed the paths they sketched for me, no doubt my life would be a great success by their measure, but a dismal failure by my own.

     So I observe and learn, listen, watch, read and think.  I am my own philosopher, and I bring what I learn and know and think to you…to do with as you will…

     I may occasionally feel that I know what is best for others, and when I do I tell them so…when others tell me what they think is right for me, I think it only wise to listen and consider what they say, but I do not yield my right to decide my own good, and I claim no right to dictate what is best for others.

     One final note, please, please, please save us all the tedium of hair-splitting, straw-man arguments about minor children, the mentally incompetent, and the insane.  Clearly there are exceptions, and our society has appropriately rigorous tests and checks to decide who needs to be protected from themselves.

     Also, please refrain from charging me with saying that it’s OK to commit murder and rape and child buggary because I don’t want to be “judgemental”.  That’s not the case, and if you don’t know it, go back to the parts where I say it’s not OK to hijack another person’s will and violate their right to pursue happiness, self-definition, and determination of their own greater good.  Clearly, killing, raping or taking advantage of their inability to give consent counts under that exclusion.  I’ve gotten so tired of those arguments over the years that I’d rather not do them again.

     Thank you in advance for your consideration.

     I would, however, be happy to hear honest thoughtful objections to my opinion.  That would be great, as I am ever looking for the challenges that cause evolution and progress…so if you have such an opportunity ready for me, I would love to hear it.

Unless you are one of the people who I referenced to create the composite I now call Anomalous Fred.  You know who you are.  I don’t want to hear from you on any subject, but particularly this one.