ABSTRACT
WATER AND THOUGHT Is philosophy like plumbing? I have made this comparison a number of times, wanting to stress that philosophizing is not just grand and elegant and difficult, it is also needed. It isn’t optional. The idea caused mild surprise, and has sometimes been thought rather undignified. The question of dignity is a very interesting one, to which we will come back at the end of this chapter. But first, I would like to work the comparison out a bit more fully.
