I find myself shaking my head in disbelief after many (mostly political) conversations that I often initiate on Facebook.
It comes from a received comment that is totally unrelated to my initially expressed idea… which leads to other unrelated comments and so on. Such is life on social media but I’ve been perplexed by why it happens so often?
Then I realized that my comments are from a philosophical consideration, while others, want to deal in “facts” and polls and, sometimes, rumors.
No one way is superior to the other but, put them together, and no one gets anywhere but confused…sometimes angry.
Those who deal in philosophical terms are dealing with concepts and beliefs. They realize that they simply don’t know everything, and, also believe, neither does anyone else. So, to the philosophical person, data is not a part of the discussion. It may be worthy of a power point presentation but simply offers nothing when discussing principles and reasoning itself.
I admit that I am numerically impaired. I try to remember exact numbers and statistics but I cannot.(besides, I don’t trust them)
Because of my impairment, I’m really not interested in that kind of discussion, anyway.
There seems to be folks who are my opposite. I call them Fact-focused. I’d say they are, sometimes, quite philosophically impaired. You can recognize them immediately. They have “facts” and stats and find their truth somewhere among them. I’d want those people doing my taxes but I get frustrated with them in any philosophical argument because they are not speaking a language germane to my subject.
Furthermore, a philosophical person primarily asks only one question… Why?
A Fact-focused person asks many…Where, When, and How many?
To cement my self-labeling as a philosophical thinker, a fact-focused person would not have needed to understand “Why, am I not being understood?” as I just have … but I suspect they are searching, at this same moment, through data and sharpening their information for their next battle of wits. Problem is, we won’t be on the same planet when it occurs. Ugh!
Related articles
- Public Philosophy? (3quarksdaily.com)
- How To Think Like a Philosopher (with Daniel Dennett) (bigthink.com)
Sillyfrog's Blog 
Why? Why not! Pretty hard to make a simple conversation with philo, eh? They should join the Philosopher’s Café instead. As long as they leave this planet and you my silly frog must remain on Earth. Live long and prosper.
❤ Thank-you
Agree. There are those of us that care more about discussing the why than the bean counting. It takes all kinds.
Certainly does take many kinds…it is so hard to communicate, though, when we don’t speak the same language. Giving up is not an option. 😉