6
"You really think that?"
"I really do."
"What do you think I have to say?"
"I think you have things to say about philosophy."
"You're the one who has interesting things to say about philosophy. And I've noticed that you make enemies at times when you talk about it. How do you deal with them?
"I treat them ironically."
"What does that mean?"
"Even though I am fairly certain they are enemies from the outset, I treat them as though they were my friends."
"How?"
"If I think they are doing something right, I tell them that I think so - just as I would with a friend. And if I think they are doing something wrong, I tell them what I think about it - just as I would with a friend."
"The difference is that they do lots of things that are wrong?"
"Yes."
"So they get tired of your telling them about what they are doing wrong and come out into the open as enemies?"
"Pretty much."
"What if they have a question, an earnest question? Do you answer it for them the way you would for a friend?"
"No."
"How does your answer differ from enemy to friend?"
"Friends I tell the whole truth. Enemies I tell part of the truth. If they prove to be friends after all, I can tell them the rest then."
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Nick Pappas, pappasnick.typepad.com
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