26 - Philosophy

Socrates - Hiroshi Higuchi/Getty Images

I’m not one for small talk. In fact, I struggle in most social situations because I just can’t bring myself to even pretend to care about fluff topics. I don’t want to talk about the weather, or how the Yankees are doing.

I want to discuss meatier, brainier, more cerebral topics. Even with complete strangers. The who is not important; it’s the what.

That’s why I’m such a nerd for any and all philosophical discussions. It can be as deep as “Why are we here?,” or as ridiculous as “Is a hotdog a sandwich?”

The answer to the latter question, is obviously “no,” because if hotdogs need corresponding hotdog buns to be considered hotdogs, how can they be categorized the same way as meats and cheeses that don’t rely on specific breads to be what they are? Sandwiches are “sandwiches” whether they’re on subs, rolls, or of course, sliced bread. You can’t put a hotdog on a roll and call it a hotdog. It’s only a hotdog when it’s in the bun. But I digress.

Philosophy provides a lot of great, existential questions, even if it provides few, if any, actual answers.

But that’s what’s so great about the field. There are no wrong answers. It’s all a matter of opinion. Are we here for some deeper, spiritual purpose? Are we just bags of meat waiting to decompose, with no subsequent afterlife awaiting us when we do? Are we mere pawns in a higher life form’s simulation? You decide.

Philosophy makes for interesting, passionate, often entertaining conversation, and again, you don’t have to limit it to serious or polarizing topics.

A few years ago, when chilling on the beach with some friends, out of nowhere, the idea popped into my head to ask them if they’d rather hookup with a mermaid, or a reverse mermaid (fish upper body, human lower body).

They all said they’d rather stick with a classic mermaid. I, on the other hand, pointed out that biologically speaking, we couldn’t “mate” with (fuck) a classic mermaid, because…well look at the lower half of their bodies. Nothing doing.

It makes far more sense, though far from ideal - to “mate” with (fuck) a reverse mermaid. Sure, a fish head is unsettling, no doubt about that, no argument here.

But biologically? A reverse mermaid has legs and…ahem…other parts, that would make “mating” (fucking) possible.

I think that discussion is a lot more interesting than just mentioning how nice the weather was that day, or how refreshing the water felt. It was engaging, and provided us with more laughs than any small talk ever could.

Philosophy makes you think - about the serious and absurd alike. You may discover things about yourself and your belief system you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. Challenging yourself and questioning your feelings on ethics, reality, and life itself, all help shape you into a more complete, more well-rounded person.