Is anyone else missing 'Question Time' as much as me? Thursday evenings have fallen very flat since its departure on the 4th July. It has only been through sheer will power that I've managed to hold on until tonight when it broadcasts to us eager, all ears, pursuers of truth. Because is there really any deeper bottom to reach than the quest for the political truth?, I would say it's the most infuriating task and I give all credit to those in the audience that do not rush to a member on the panel; with all British decency cast aside, begins to throttle to the life out of a politician. I have found myself purely judging the purveyors of policies on their ability to answer any question put to them in a straight forward manner, but the manner in which we debate never really has the sharp returns of Murry on court, as they are laden with digressions or self certifications on character traits (think Janet Street Porter style).
This brings me nicely to who else blesses the chairs around the masterly shrewd David Dimbleby: journalists who tend, I think, to be less entertaining as the years go by. The recent upheavals and revelations in the press world has knocked the stuffing out of an institution that had, less we forget, a huge amount of clout when it came to delivering answers to our questions; even presenting us with questions and startling reveals that we didn't even know we wanted to ask. However they constructed the stories of the day and classed them as reports; to the public it was a part of the day to be assured, whether breakfast, lunch break or teatime we were being kept informed - did we trust it?, probably as much as we trusted the government, but those paper sheets of words seemed to penetrate on a deeper level, rousing discussions at work, down the pub and over the fence between neighbours.
Since yesterday I have been focusing on the factors of questions and how I have change in my quest for answers. One thing that has come to my attention is the way I weave information together; I believe that connectives are more than they appear to be - coincidences, no, I don't like this word as it douses the possibilities in the subconscious that makes the brain spark and link things together. I'm also a great advocator of further reaching questions in life, although I'm careful not to rocket off into the realm of Plato and Aristotle - yet.....but I have read about Descartes (1596-1650) and his theories. I'm sure his dualism principles would not of been favourable to D H Lawrence but I have always endeavoured to practice, 'I think, therefore I am'.
People make established careers from the art of questioning, and it is an art to ask questions well, according to who you are referring to. Of course simple questions can gather far too much baggage and get loaded down with further complexes - ask any seven year old!
Yesterday I read about a philosopher I knew by name only, C. E. M. Joad who made a name for himself in the thirties and forties by questioning the glories of war, embracing socialism and voicing his startling opinions on women:
'Women, he insisted, were "capricious, self-important, touchy, egotistical and, above all, boring".
(Bourke, Joanna 2013, BBC History Magazine, Bristol: Immediate Media Company Bristol Ltd)
In 1941 he starred in one of the most popular radio information programmes during the war called
The Brains Trust along side Julian Huxley who, as well as being a brilliant biologist made studies into social philosophies, for instance eugenics, which was a popular topic for the early Fabian's whose members included George Bernard Shaw and H G Wells.
My last recall from the 11th September 2013 regarding questions was from yet another radio programme, the Jeremy Vine show. Not usually something I tune into but I caught the last fifteen minutes of the modern philosopher Roger Scruton's soothing tones on 'What Makes Us Human'. I will include it on my links purely because it is an appropriate question for yesterday.
What fills me with hope is humanities on going quest with recording the details of life - tragedies and celebrations. For as much as the people who are in charge are being careless with life, society is still 'making things new': the new super library in Birmingham is yet another effort to maximize the post modern theory. Ultimately I have realized - to question all things leads to a better understanding in the actual art of query and this in turn is paramount to our survival.
