Philosophy Still Lives Because God Isn't Dead
David Hume probably never told this joke, but it illustrates a central tenet of his philosophy:
Two men are riding on a train from London to Edinburgh. One of the men is reading a book, and after he finishes each page, he rips it from the volume and casts it out the window.
After observing this action for a few minutes, the other man inquires, "Sir, why are you throwing book pages out the window?"
"Why," the first man replies, "obviously to keep the elephants off the tracks. If we should collide with an elephant, a great loss of life could result."
"But, sir," cries the second man, "there are no elephants on the tracks!"
...Charles Edward Whiteis Professor of Christian Thought & History at Spring Arbor University in Michigan. He has recently run his 50,000th mile since January 1, 1992.
Get Salvo in your inbox! This article originally appeared in Salvo, Issue #39, Winter 2016 Copyright © 2024 Salvo | www.salvomag.com https://salvomag.com/article/salvo39/cogito-ergo-deus-est