Philosophy

For hundreds of years, the increased specialization of labor drove greater productive capacity and increased efficiency across all sectors of the world economy. Philosophers like Karl Marx noted the potential damage of such a division of duties to man’s soul. But few could have predicted then that the over-specialization of labor could spell financial catastrophe on a massive scale for those married to very specific skill sets.

Where have I been?
What happened to me?
What am I?
Where am I?
How long will I be here?

About four years ago, my friend Joshua Herman introduced me to the idea that we only consider things that do not work as they should. Take computers for instance. A typical computer user with modest computing needs seldom considers the inner workings of a computer in the absence of some sort of technological bugaboo. In the presence of such a snag, however, such a user suddenly develops an unprecedented interest in memory, networking etc. On the other hand, consider gravity. We know of no reason why gravity should exist, but it operates so flawlessly and consistently that most of us waste relatively little time considering what its nature might be.

Today I was walking near my hotel, pondering my goal in writing. Naturally, I thought along the lines of “what overarching idea am I trying to capture?” I thought about what criticisms one might rightly raise about the consistency of my entries and their relationship to one another. Alighting on the topic of contradiction, I asked myself three questions.