{"id":73266,"date":"2014-06-27T16:57:37","date_gmt":"2014-06-27T20:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=73266"},"modified":"2014-06-29T13:50:11","modified_gmt":"2014-06-29T17:50:11","slug":"philosophy-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/27\/philosophy-of-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Philosophy of the World"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kirchner_-_Kaufhaus_im_Regen_-_1926-27\"<\/a>

Detail from Ernst Ludwig Kirchner\u2019s Kaufhaus im Regen<\/i>, 1926-7.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the summer, a trip to the grocery store or the laundromat can pose one existential conundrum after another. On seemingly every corner of the city, one is greeted by a young person with a clipboard in his hand, an enormous T-shirt on his back, and desperation in his eyes. And then come the questions\u2014huge, unanswerable, world-shaking.<\/p>\n

DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?<\/p>\n

SPARE A MOMENT FOR GAY RIGHTS?<\/p>\n

DO YOU LIKE TO LAUGH?<\/p>\n

ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE IN NEW YORK STATE?<\/p>\n

CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT YOUR HAIR?<\/p>\n

YOU LOOK LIKE A FRIENDLY PERSON! CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING?<\/p>\n

ARE YOU JEWISH?<\/p>\n

DO YOU LOVE CHILDREN? <\/p>\n

If you are feeling contemplative, you may think, DO I like to laugh<\/em>? It really depends on the circumstances. Sometimes laughter is inappropriate. There\u2019s nothing fun about nervous laughter. And what about cruel laughter at other people\u2019s expense? <\/em><\/p>\n

DO I care about the environment? What does <\/em>caring mean, really? Am I doing enough to lower my carbon footprint? Does using Mrs. Meyer\u2019s soap and Small Steps paper goods mean anything? I can\u2019t wait until I run out of dishwashing liquid so I can coordinate all my scents. \u201cSmall Steps\u201d is such a smart marketing ploy. It helps the self-satisfaction of selfish people like me. <\/em><\/p>\n

CAN you ask me a question about my hair? I don\u2019t know! Maybe something is preventing you\u2014a magical charm or spell. Maybe it\u2019s a highly specific kind of jinx that doesn\u2019t allow you to ask people questions about their hair. <\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, you rarely think anything of the kind. You think only, fleetingly, that you want to avoid an unpleasant moment with this poor, young person and his awful summer job. That you have no interest in seeing some midtown comedy show. That you already have a hairdresser you like and don\u2019t need the hard sell about some full-service package from a dubious salon. At most, you might question the logic of having three<\/em> canvassers for Children International stationed on a single block; is the idea to wear you down?<\/p>\n

Sometimes I entertain myself by imagining what different philosophers would answer if someone posed these queries. I recommend this game, which works especially well with Sartre and Schopenhauer\u2014Fichtean idealism, after all, applies to most of these situations. No matter which philosopher you choose, it adds an element of intellectual engagement to any errand.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have the heart for straight-up snubbing; I always mutter \u201csorry\u201d as I scuttle past. I used to be more apologetic\u2014sometimes I would explain that I didn\u2019t have much money, or already gave to someone else. Occasionally I would explain my reservations about a certain charity and their allocation of funds\u2014well, when I was a teenager. (After one lecture about how my dad had abandoned his ancestral people, I learned better than to explain I was half Jewish.)<\/p>\n

Yesterday, I was walking down Broadway and was accosted by three young people in a row, all advocating for children of the world. People around me stared straight ahead; I did my usual sheepish shuffle. The woman directly ahead of me, however, took a different tack. \u201cI\u2019m going to walk that way now,\u201d she said pleasantly to the young man, indicating a direction that was not his, and did just that. I wonder what philosopher she was channeling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the summer, a trip to the grocery store or the laundromat can pose one existential conundrum after another. On seemingly every corner of the city, one is greeted by a young person with a clipboard in his hand, an enormous T-shirt on his back, and desperation in his eyes. And then come the questions\u2014huge, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13115],"tags":[14446,14445,125,7403,14443,14444],"class_list":["post-73266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-our-daily-correspondent","tag-evasion","tag-fichte","tag-new-york-city","tag-philosophy","tag-street-canvassers","tag-summer-jobs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPhilosophy of the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sadie Stein on approaching grassroot campaign workers on the street with philosophy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/27\/philosophy-of-the-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Philosophy of the World by Sadie Stein\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"June 27, 2014 \u2013 In the summer, a trip to the grocery store or the laundromat can pose one existential conundrum after another. 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