Rescuing the Obvious – On Truths that Should Be Truisms
“Every high civilization decays by forgetting obvious things.” G.K. Chesterton Nothing unites people more than sharing what they hold to be obvious, even if only tacitly and implicitly. Disputed questions, controversies and unresolved problems inevitably divide us, but the sure things – those that “go without saying” – are what make us feel that […]
Surprised by the Obvious
We are accustomed to being surprised by the unobvious, that which no one would ever have expected. Good philosophy, however, begins with a wonder that consists, essentially, in being surprised by what is (or should be) extremely obvious. It was said of Socrates – the granddaddy of Western philosophy – that wherever he was, and […]