Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy 4.6

. . . Again she said, “If there are two persons before whom the same object is put by natural instinct, and one person carries his object through, working by his natural functions, but the other cannot put his natural instinct into practice, but using some function unsuitable to nature he can imitate the successful person, but not fulfill his original purpose, in this case, which of the two do you decide to be the more capable?”

“I think I guess what you mean, but I would hear more explicitly.”

“You will not, I think, deny that the motion of walking is a natural one to mankind?”

“No, I will not.”

“And is not that the natural function of the feet?”

“Yes.”

“If, then, one man walks, being able to advance upon his feet, while another, who lacks the natural function of feet, uses his hands and so tries to walk, which of these two may justly be held the more capable?”

“Weave me other riddles!” I exclaimed, “for can anyone doubt that a man who enjoys his natural functions, is more capable than one who is incapable in that respect?”

“But in the case of the highest good,” she said, “it is equally the purpose set before good and bad men; good men seek it by the natural functions of virtue, while bad men seek to attain the same through their cupidity, which is not a natural function for the attainment of good. Think you not so?”

“I do indeed,” I said. “This is plain, as also is the deduction which follows. For it must be, from what I have already allowed, that the good are powerful, the wicked weak.” . . .

—from Book 4, Prose 2

People sometimes like to say that philosophy is too difficult, or that it involves all of these confusing and impractical concepts. What value, they wonder, could any of this possibly have for everyday life? So philosophy gets thrown into a box in the corner, along with calculus, and particle physics, and art history, and all the things we are quite sure we don’t really need.

But all the branches of human knowledge are useful to us, because they can help us, each one in its own way, to understand our world and ourselves. Wisdom is never wasted, and all awareness can be in the service of virtue.

And philosophy, far from being an obscure outlier, is what binds everything together, because it considers the ultimate questions of meaning and value, the very universal and necessary measure of true and false, of right and wrong.

Philosophy ends up being the most critical and immediate sort of knowing, for without it nothing else can have purpose. Nothing can be more practical than having an end that directs the means. Academic professionals might want you to believe it is just about thinking for the sake of thinking, while those of us in the trenches know it is about thinking for the sake of living.

In this passage we see a wonderful example of philosophy in its most direct and straightforward form; no degrees or fancy words are required for it to make complete sense.

Which is better, getting the job done, or failing to get the job done?

Which is better, using the right tools for the job, or using the wrong tools for the job?

Which is better, doing the actual work, or just giving the false appearance of doing the actual work?

The answer is quite clear in any activity, whether it is building widgets, or fixing doohickeys, or training wombats. The answer is just as clear in the highest goal of life itself, in being happy.

Happiness is succeeding in life, and misery is failing in life.

Virtue is the right tool to acquire happiness, because it works with our very human nature. Vice is the wrong tool to acquire happiness, because it works against our very human nature.

Virtue is the real deal, and vice is the pretender. It is like the difference between a humble craftsman and a flamboyant poseur. I should know what I am doing, not look like I know what I am doing.

Feet are made for walking, and man is made to be wise, brave, temperate, and just. Hands are not made for walking, and a man is not made to be ignorant, cowardly, gluttonous, and grasping.

Complex equations or rocket science are not needed to see that it is the good man who is strong, and the wicked man who is weak. Philosophy deserves better than to be abandoned and forgotten in the attic.

Written in 10/2015