Who is my favorite philosopher? I got hit with that question the other day by a student in my Ethics class. I didn’t have to think about it very long – only a few seconds. I don’t think he got the answer he was expecting.
I said, “Thomas Traherne.”
Like your favorite book, movie, or piece of music, your choice of favorite philosopher says a lot about you. About how you look at the world. About what you think is True about God, Man and the Universe. About what you think is Important in life. So what was I saying to that student when I owned Traherne as my own personal favorite?
I take an optimistic view of things. I believe that there is a God behind this universe, and God is good. The universe is good. Life is good. Any philosopher or theologian who takes the bleak view is not going to appeal to me. I see Order, Wisdom and Beauty around me, and they fill me with joy.
Do you want to be happy? Of course you do. Everyone does. The desire for happiness - the desire to flourish and enjoy the fullness of well-being - is the most basic urge experienced by any existing thing. So now the question is, how do we achieve happiness? The path is neither hard nor obscure. Pursue wisdom and goodness. Love others, and be creative. Realize that kindness will get you farther in life than violence, and fill your soul with everything good.
As long as I continue to keep this blog, I will try to make it a thing of Beauty and Wisdom. I will try to make it a tool for the attaining of happiness.
Otherwise, what’s the point?
Oh, and about the title. That's an homage to my friend Joseph Schneider. Joe is another student of philosophy who has always had an attraction towards the more lugubrius Germans, and who likes to tease me for my inclination towards the sunnier thinkers of the Greek and the English traditions.
One time he was recommending a book to me and said something along the lines of, "You'll like it. It's very optimistic, and you always want to dance with the universe." I couldn't deny it.
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