Irony and Contemplation
Peter Schultz
Consider: Was Aristotle moralizing about morality in writing his Ethics? Or was he philosophizing about morality? And: what happens to morality when you philosophize about it, when you contemplate it philosophically?
Was Aristotle politicizing about politics in his Politics? Or was he philosophizing about politics? [E.g.: Men like Jefferson and Madison were politicizing about politics, not philosophizing about politics. They were “political thinkers” or “statesmen,” not political philosophers.] Political thinkers, statesmen, unlike political philosophers, are not ironic.
What happens to the political when you philosophize about it? Is it possible, so viewed, to affirm the political? Viewed philosophically, the political is ironic.
Was Jane Austen romanticizing romance or was she contemplating romance, philosophizing about it? George Will, et. al. say the former. Jane as radical says the latter. Hence, Jane’s irony, especially revealed in her anal sex joke about “rear admirals.”
Was Mark Twain romanticizing (affirming) Joan of Arc or contemplating her, philosophizing about her? Hence, his irony. Who was closer to being contemplative, Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn?
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