Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The Philosopher in the Back Seat



This actually happened earlier this week.

The Girl and I were in the car, driving home after a school event.  She’s nine, and she was in the back seat.

TG (unprompted): How do philosophers make a living?

DD (laughs): Where did that come from?

TG: Well, if I want to be a philosopher, how will I make a living?

DD: Well, lots of them have a hard time with that.  Some of them teach philosophy to support themselves.

TG: I don’t want to teach!  I want to do it myself!

DD (laughing): Okay, well, sometimes they have other jobs to support themselves, and then they write in their spare time.

TG: But I’d be too tired!

DD: Yeah, that’s a problem.

TG: I mean, you never see signs saying “Wanted: Philosopher!”

DD: That’s true.

TG: And if you did, what would they do all day?

DD: Ya got me.

TG: You can’t really sell philosophy.  People don’t buy philosophy books like they buy Harry Potter books.

DD: No, they don’t.

TG: They don’t make movies about philosophers.  It would just be people asking “why are we here?”

DD: Well, sometimes they do, but they’re not very popular.

TG: Exactly!  They’re not like Thor.

DD: No, they’re not.

TG: Maybe I could be a veterinarian first, and then be a philosopher.

DD: Sounds like a plan.

So there you have it.  Philosophers are not like Thor.