Irrational Man Page #2

you should learn that much of philosophy

is verbal masturbation.

- Have you talked to him at all?

- Mmm.

You know, I asked him

if he wanted to eat with us.

- I like the guy, but he's in a world...

- He likes to eat alone.

Yeah, he's in a world all his own.

I think he likes to keep to himself a bit.

Uh, yeah, I guess so.

Yeah, so, let him be. Right?

- Could take some time.

- Right.

Okay, Kierkegaard.

Um...

You know, when making everyday decisions,

we have absolute freedom of choice.

All right?

You can do nothing, or anything.

And this feeling of freedom

creates a sense of dread.

A dizzy feeling.

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.

The students love you,

but, of course, you've raised

some eyebrows with the faculty.

- Do you ever get discouraged teaching?

- No.

You don't ever ask yourself

what the hell is it all about?

Mmm-mmm.

Another school, another batch of kids.

Sweet kids.

Mmm. Average kids.

Nice, but mostly mediocre.

They'll grow up to be those people

who shape the world with their ignorance

or misinformation, or passivity.

- Are you okay?

- Hmm?

- Are you okay?

- Yeah, yeah.

You want to come in?

This is where I live.

Paul's in Aspen at a symposium.

I've got great grass.

- Some other time.

- Are you sure?

Yeah.

Thanks. Thanks anyway.

I'll see you.

Tomorrow we're gonna discuss

phenomenology and Husserl.

So, be sure you do the reading, you know?

It can get a little complicated.

All right?

Hi, you wanted to see me?

Yes, your paper was quite good.

- Really?

- Yes.

I read so many papers and,

usually the students are merely

paraphrasing what they've read,

but I found your thinking

fresh and well-presented.

Oh, thank you.

I'm flattered.

I have to say, I was very influenced by

your ideas on randomness and chance.

Well, the truth is,

what I found most exciting

was when you took issue with my ideas.

When you disagreed with me,

your arguments were

well-reasoned and original.

Am I blushing right now?

That's a really big compliment.

Thank you.

Um, I did actually find

some parts of your book

a little hard to follow though,

and I would love if you

could explain some things to me.

Sure, can we get out of here,

though, before I die of suffocation?

I found your view of existence

too bleak for me.

It was like there were

no redeeming joys or pleasures.

Okay.

Why are you taking philosophy?

What do you want out of it?

Because if your goal is

to try and figure out

what all this bullshit's about, forget it.

You write books, you write papers.

You've done so much.

Well, let me tell you, when I look back

at all that verbal posturing,

my group thought we were

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