Welder-Philosopher Kings...

Dear Maria,

Oh, so very quickly the Thanksgiving blowout now come and gone. Just 30 at our tables—end to end to end—three “Greats” in their 80s and two yet to have a single candle on their birthday cakes. Good fun, good food, good people. Might not be in the right order, but you can gather it was a success.

Weather has taken a turn for the warmer, and so blooms continue and birds seem chipper. While making the morning rounds with Max the other day, I watched a bluebird, a blue jay, and a cardinal zip into a hedge of overgrown holly. Tis the season.

Apparently there was some kerfuffle over welders and philosophers among men who would be king—or at least chief executive. My thinking is that I would be all for more welders as needed by the economy.  Maybe an expansion in infrastructure spending?

But, saying yes to more welders doesn’t change labor force needs or labor force interest—we seem never to talk about that edge of the coin. The what-if-no-one-wants-to-be-whatever-it-is-we-need-more-of conundrum.

Wait, is this a supply and demand wage-issue? More welders, cheaper labor?

As for philosophy—who isn’t a philosopher, even if a lot of folks would be struck dumb by the notion. And old—well, young--Senator Rubio seems tangled up in a philosophical web of his own weaving. The Miami Herald quotes him offering up Pope Francis as “a moral authority . . . reminding us of our obligation to be good caretakers to the planet.” Rubio further observes, “I'm a political leader. And my job as a policymaker is to act in the common good. And I do believe it's in the common good to protect our environment, but I also believe it's in the common good to protect our economy."

I would say: Well, Senator, you welded moral authority, environmental ethics, and political responsibility into a very heady fusion of philosophical concerns. Two common goods? Uh-oh, that can’t end well.

At least the “P” word was out in the open for a bit of the news cycle. I always thought that we give short shrift to the larger picture for our students as we release them out the door without trying give what the heck they have been doing some kind of broader consideration. Putting a little Decartes before the diploma wouldn’t hurt.

By the way—not to sound flippant—this letter may be the last for a good while. Some other projects are on my mind, but to offer up a “never again” seems a foolish thought.

Have the very best of a holiday season. Enjoy the family, and be well.

Yours, still, of course, 

srk