Anna why have erected the blackboard in your room again
Because I am trying to answer a question
What is that question
Why do philosophers die
I would imagine for the same reason that we all do
Their life force is spent
We both believe in God yes
Yes
Our beliefs differ slightly as you are more traditional
Whereas my beliefs are more pantheist in structure
Anna apart from the obvious answer why do philosophers die
What is God’s logic
Are you saying that God is logical
Does he understand logic
God created logic
Then why do philosophers die
It seems totally illogical for their minds to die
And that I believe can be applied to all people with outstanding talents
But I am thinking only of philosophers at present
Imagine if philosophers were immortal
Well Plato might see a few changes
Have you seen the price of cheese in the supermarkets
Be serious Anna
I am
Would you like to see my blackboard
Yes I would like to exchange sitting by the sea for a look at your curious blackboard
What are you doing
Looking at chance
Really
How did Camus die
In a car crash
How did his father die
In a car crash
No his father died in the First World War
What is the common factor
That they both died violently
Precisely
But there is a strict difference between their deaths
Do you know what that is
Not really apart from the obvious
That being
That Albert’s dad died during a war whereas Albert died during a peaceful period
There is another difference
I am all ears Anna
Well Albert’s dad went to war clear in the knowledge that there was a good possibility that he was going to die
Whereas Albert when he accepted the lift was not expecting to die
We do not get into a cars expecting to die
There is an awareness that if the car is involved in an accident we might die
But then again if one fell down a manhole then there is a possibility that we might receive fatal injuries
But we do not avoid manholes or cars as the possibility is so slight
Are we looking at the mathematics of coincidence Anna
Very much
Both Albert’s dad and Albert died violently
That is the coincidence
Albert’s dad was aware of the possibilities of death as wars are by their very nature violent
But if Albert’s dad had survived the war as had been around when Albert accepted the lift do you think he would have stopped him
No
Why
Because car travel is an extremely safe method of travelling
It was logical to think that Albert would arrive safely
That is a quite logical thought but is it a logical thought
Albert’s dad has no foundation for this logic apart from the knowledge that most trips by car end safely
In a way it was an abstract assumption as he has no proof that the trip would end safely
That is what the boxes are at the top of my blackboard
There was something else about Albert’s death that might have spooked his father
That being
That Albert had intended to travel by train and had already purchased a ticket
Albert by changing his plans had without knowing had changed his own history
He was responsible for his own actions and it is likely that if he caught the train he would have not died
Camus would have lived his full life and no doubt have written many more books
We will never know
But where does his father come into this
Well lets say Anna that you were at an airport travelling to New York to meet a friend and then the friend contacts you to say that she because of circumstances out of her control (family illness or something) she would be a couple of days late
Would you
1/ Travel on the same plane that you intended to fly on
2/ Book on a later plane so that you did not have to hang around in New York
3/ Cancel the whole trip
I would probably choose the second one
Why
Because I do not like hanging around
I like to be in charge
This would be a change in plan
I had not allowed for this
What would you choose
One
Why
Because I would feel nervous about changing my plans
Surely that is because you do not like flying and know that planes sometimes crash
As a little aside although I am not as nervous as you about flying
I always feel safer when flying over the sea
Why
Because I am a good swimmer
Logic tells me that if my plane crashes from 37000 feet into the sea that whether I am a good swimmer or not is of little importance
But I ignore this logic and because of that feel calmer when flying over the sea
All I cling on to is the fact that I am a strong swimmer
What should Albert’s dad have done
I would like to say that he should have asked him to stick to his original plan
But Albert’s dad had been dead for over forty years
So as he was not there Albert was responsible for his own actions
He had a railway ticket but made a fatal choice
I feel that we are going around in circles Anna
Is is question after question after question
If you ask too many questions
There will be no room for the answers
There is always room Anna
What was the original question
Why do philosophers die
Then what do you think the answer is
I do not have an answer
Then why ask the question
Because as you see from the final line on the blackboard I had made a mistake
That being
I questioned God’s logic about letting philosophers die
I stated that God invented logic
How would I know that
Am I greater than God
Outlaw seems to think he is
That is Outlaw
I am not greater than God
Did you think you were
No
But I stated that God invented logic
Which was plainly wrong and that is what I was working out on this blackboard
Philosophers die for various reason
That is an easy answer
I might have just been saying why do tramps die or why do grasshoppers die
Does he understand logic
Is God a he
Does God understand logic
I have no idea
Anna we have a lovely table and chairs just yards from the sea
Why do we not retire and watch the sun slowly set with a mug of hot chocolate
Yes lets do that
Is Penelope in
No
That is logical as she cannot work from home