"Now, Henry, did you finish your assignment?" "Yes." "Of course." "Good." "After lunch I shall examine you on it in detail." "Miss Seymour, must we?" "One should always know something of the history of the country one visits." "It's really very interesting, Henry." "Well, I've just read all about the Cossacks." "Why are people so frightened of them?" "Russia is a vast empire of many different nationalities." "Unfortunately, some of them are considered, well, undesirable." "By who, the czar?" "I'm afraid so." "The czars have always used the Cossacks as a kind of police force." "Sometimes they do things that are not very pleasant." " Like what?" " All right, that's enough, Junior." " But, Father..." " And don't talk with your mouth full." "Yes, sir." "Good heavens!" "Oh, Henry, no!" " I couldn't help it." " Not a word." " lt was an accident." " Do you hear?" "Not one word!" "Professor Jones!" "Hello!" "And, of course, Anna." "And this is Miss Helen Seymour." "The Akhmatovs are very old friends of mine." "It is particularly kind of them to invite us to their daughter's wedding." "You will be on your best behavior throughout the whole of our stay." "Yes, Father." "Your very best behavior." "Do I make myself clear?" " Yes, sir." " Good." " lt wasn't my fault..." " Not another word." "Your behavior is intolerable." "Now, I demand you apologize to your mother this instant." "I'm sorry, Mother." "Henry, we are guests in this house." "Guests, Junior, not rampaging barbarians." "Now, until you learn to conduct yourself in a suitable fashion, you'll stand here in this very spot." " But, Father..." " ln this very spot." "Anna, remove your son." "It wasn't my fault, Mother." "Of course not, it never is." "Things just happen." "Like the pig you painted purple in Saint Petersburg." " Oh, no, I explained that." " Or the moose in Murmansk?" "How could you know he would get stuck in the outhouse?" " Right, yeah." " So what's your excuse this time?" "Well, there was a bat." "You were playing baseball in that room?" "No, no, Mother, a real bat, I'm serious." "I don't even want to hear about it, Henry." "Mother." "I'm really, really sorry." "Your father will deal with you in the morning." " What's he gonna do?" " Have you shot at dawn." "I'll provide the blindfold." "Well, perhaps it won't be quite so severe, but almost." "It's not fair." "This time he has gone too far." "I just hope his father doesn't go too far as well." " Professor Jones." " Come in." " Helen, what's the matter?" " It's Henry!" "He's gone!" "Gone?" "A pillowslip is missing and some of his things and that ridiculous baseball glove." "Well, maybe he's hiding." "You know, one of his pranks." "Pranks." "I'll give him pranks." " Where are you going?" " To search every inch of this house." " English?" " Yes!" "Yes, I speak English!" " A common language!" "Wonderful!" " Yeah." "You reeking little swine!" "How dare you shoot me in the ass?" "I thought you were a giant weasel." "Do I look like a giant weasel?" "Is it my twitching snout, my long, hairless tail?" "Are all little English boys as stupid as you?" "I'm not English, I'm American." "That explains it." "Yeah, well, I'm sorry..." " I hate young people!" " Oh, yeah?" "Well, I hate old people!" " Ah, the murder weapon." " That's my slingshot." " Not anymore!" " Give it back!" "Oh, I get blamed for everything!" "It's always my fault!" "Wait!" "You stole my slingshot." "It's forfeit!" "Consider it firewood." "That's not fair!" "Many things aren't fair." "Life isn't fair." "Shooting me in the butt is not fair." "Leave me alone." "Stop following me!" "No, you stop following me!" "You all right?" "Take it and go with God." "Just get out of my road!" " lt ain't your road." " This side of it is!" "Fine, then." "Then stay off my side!" "Long way from home, huh?" "I'm running away." "If it's any of your business, back to America." "Why are you running away?" "My parents drive me crazy." "I can never do anything right." "Your parents are here, in Russia?" "Oh, no you don't." "See, I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work." "Walk to the moon, for all I care." "I won't lift a finger." "But you're a grownup." "You're supposed to try and turn me in." "I have never given a ripe fig for what I am supposed to do." "Not in 80 years." "Besides, I'm running away, too." "Hooey!" " Hooey?" " Yeah, hooey!" "Not the truth." "Hey, hey, hey, hey!" "Stay on your side!" " Are you calling me a liar?" " Not exactly." "Either I am telling the truth or a lie." "Which is it?" " The truth, I guess, but..." " But what?" "Well, you're old." "You think only little boys are driven crazy by their families?" "Well, he's not on the grounds, or anywhere near about." "Oh, dear." "Some peasants think they saw him walking through the fields." "How far away?" "A couple of miles." "We're forming a search party." "Don't worry, sir." "Madam, we shall find him." "You gonna miss anyone, you think?" "My dogs." "I'll miss my dogs and my horse." "You have dogs?" "So do I." "One, I mean." "Her name's Indiana." "I haven't seen her in over a year, though, 'cause we've been traveling so much." " You miss her?" " Yeah, you bet I do." "I can't wait to see her when we get home." "I wonder if she'll still remember me." "Of course she will." "Dogs are better than people." "Did you bring spare boots in that pillowcase?" "No, just the important stuff." "Bring it to me." "Oh, you fix shoes, huh?" "What else you got in that bag?" "A pocket knife, string, some rags, and my Bible." "Here..." "Here you go." "Gee, it's really old, huh?" "Like me." "It fits." "Is that all you've got in there?" "Only important stuff, like you said." "Yeah." " Want to see my stuff?" " lf I must." "All right." "This here, it's a mitt." "You know, like in baseball." "Watch." "Someone hits this with, like, a stick." "And then the other person catches it." "With this." "Simple." " lt sounds exhilarating." " Yeah." "And these..." "These here are my baseball cards." "I sense a consistency of theme." "This here is my prized possession." "Christy Mathewson, pitcher for the New York Giants." "Thirty- seven and 1 1 last season." "Earned Run Average of 1.96." "Is that good?" "Good?" "That's the greatest!" "I wouldn't give up this card for all the..." "Well, for all the gold in China." "I guess that sounds kind of stupid to a grownup, huh?" "I feel the same about my Bible." "Try that." "Thanks." "Hey, not bad!" "That's pretty good, thanks." " Boy, I am starving." " So am I." " You didn't bring any food?" " No." "Well, then, how did you expect to get anywhere without any food?" "Jeez, at least I was smart enough to bring an apple." "It's good." "I suppose I should offer you a bite." "Only if you wish." "All right, but make it one bite." "Promise?" "All right, one bite." "You ate almost all of it!" "You said one bite." "That was it." "Yeah, but I meant one small bite, not one big, big bite!" "Things should be divided each according to his need." "I am bigger than you, therefore I need more." " Quod erat demonstrandum." " But it was my apple!" "The apple grew on a tree in the ground." "It belongs to the world!" "How can you claim ownership?" "You are the meanest, meanest old man" "I have ever met in my whole life, you know that?" "See if I ever share anything with you ever, ever again!" "No one asked you to share the apple in the first place." "Don't even think about walking on my side of the road." "We should never have brought him." "He'd have been better off in a boarding school back home." "Henry..." "Professor, let's not get this out of proportion." "Your son has run away, something every normal boy does at some time in his life." " I never did." " Didn't you?" "What, not even once?" "It wasn't the same." "Wait, you don't understand." "Tolstoy!" "Tolstoy!" "Tolstoy!" "How dare you make me feel guilty?" " Who, me?" " "Who, me?"" "How can I enjoy my meal with you staring at me?" "Don't stand there like a wart on a frog's behind!" "Come in before you ruin my dinner completely!" "Yeah!" "Thanks." "Thanks." "To each according to his need." "Such good people." "The poorer they are, the more generous." "What are you, some kind of king in disguise or something?" "No." "I wrote some books a long time ago." "They weren't very good." "They weren't?" "So what's all the fuss about?" "They're peasants." "Few of them can read." "Have you thought about how to get to America?" "Stow away on a boat or something." "To the Bering Strait." "And then?" "Well, then I'd either live with the Eskimos for a while, or I'd get a team of sled dogs, and head down into America." "Good plan." "Thanks." "Thought of it myself." "And you?" "I have no idea." "Wait a minute, you're running away but you don't know where to?" "Just running away." "I seek a simpler existence." "No luxuries, no corruptions." "A place closer to God and the soil." "Well, you could come to New Jersey with me." " New Jersey?" " I mean, if you want." "Can't run away without going someplace." "I wouldn't mind the company, you know, too much." "New Jersey?" "Good." "Done." "Toast." " They're probably after you." " Oh, yeah." "Gee, thanks." "What's he saying?" "They're here to take me back, and they won't leave without me." "Well, that's just too bad." "Can't go around dragging people off." "Free country, ain't it?" "He called you a little skunk!" "Yeah, he did, huh?" "Translate this!" "Quick, quick, come on!" "Go, go, go." "Darling." "I'm sorry." "It's just, I can't help thinking, there are dangerous people out there." "Ruffians, brigands." "He's only a child." "If anything were to happen to him, I'd..." "Nothing is going to happen." "He'll be perfectly safe." "Lev!" "Lev, wake up." "Jeepers, they're still after us!" "What'd you do?" "Murder someone?" "Rob a bank?" "That's it, I'll bet you robbed a bank." "No, they're imperial Cossack troops." "They're ruthless!" "The government uses them to rid themselves of certain unfortunate ethnic groups." "Hey, look!" "They even brought a cannon." "Hey, they were calling you Tolstoy." "I think my father has some of your books." "Didn't you write that really big fat one about war?" "And peace." "No kidding?" "My father thinks you're great!" "Your dad's an imbecile." "He's usually not wrong about this stuff." "Just ask him." "People assign greatness to that which is mediocre at best." "It's a problem." "Hey, they're nearly gone!" "Let's go." "Yeah, but where are we going to?" "There's a train station at Shakino." "We'll be there tomorrow." "Yeah, we'll take a train to the Bering Straight." "They'll let us ride for free." "Yeah, I guess being Tolstoy's good for something, eh?" "Watch out." "Cobb is sweating." "Mathewson winds up." "It could be a shutout, folks!" "Mathewson is stunned!" "It's headed for the cheap seats, folks!" "Oh, no!" "Jeez Louise!" "Mathewson is furious!" "Oh, the crowd goes wild!" "Good game!" "I bet you could have been a pretty good hitter, you know?" "Too bad you wasted all those years writing." "I couldn't agree more." "I had a little boy once." " What happened to him?" " He died, a long time ago." "That's sad." "We might be lucky." "Thank you, thank you." "It's just a dumb trick." "Look, see?" "Just put 'em together, put your finger over it, and just slide." "Easy." "That's good." "Can you do this?" "The greedy bear was not going to leave such a delicate morsel as Gregor behind, so he growled and he growled, round and round the tree." "Held himself up at the branch, snapping his great jaws, gnashing." "The bear was trapped." "Just then, a hunter emerged through the forest." "Amazed at the sight, he raised his rifle and shot the bear dead." ""Grandfather," said the hunter," ""l have been tracking this bear for days," ""but for Gregor, he would not be slain."" "Grandfather swelled with pride, for Gregor's courage and quick thinking had saved the day." " What happened next?" " Ah, now what happened next?" "What's happening?" "Where are you?" "Lev!" "Lev!" "No!" "Come on!" "Lev!" "Lev, no!" "Leave us alone!" "Lev!" "Come on!" "Lev!" "Come on, we've got to get going." "Okay." "Lev!" "Help!" "No, you don't understand." "He's sick." "He needs your help." "He's Tolstoy!" "It's Tolstoy!" " What's wrong?" " This is not a holy place." "God does not dwell in this house!" "What are you talking about?" "This is a church!" "It's a lie!" "They drive people away from God!" "I renounce this place!" "But you're hurt, and they just want to help you." "I'd sooner die like a dog in the gutter!" "Lev!" "Lev!" "Stop!" "Lev!" "Lev!" "Lev!" "Lev!" "Get up!" "Help!" "Help!" "I need your help!" "Please, help us!" "Lev, why do you hate the church so much?" "They were only trying to help you." "They diminish God by claiming to speak for Him." "You may as well hold a lighted candle to the sun in order to see it better." "Do not try to see God through spectacles borrowed from the church, Indy." "See God through your own eyes." "Oh, yes, over here, please." "Thank you very much." "It's nothing." "It is only a headache." "I can't work!" "I can't do anything!" "If only I could talk to him." "Be with him." "Oh, he's impossible." "He's so stubborn, so unpredictable, so amazingly..." "Amazing?" "I just want him back!" "Should we stop and rest?" "Plenty of time for that on the train." "We'll catch the next train." "What's wrong?" "Come on, sit down." "I think you should sit down." "Perhaps, just for a moment." "Yeah." "Look, Lev, uh..." "I didn't really want to say anything about this earlier, but I don't think you're really up for this." "That's gratitude, after I got you all this way." "Don't be mad about it." "And why should I get mad, just because you want to cast me aside." "I don't think you knew what you were getting into, that's all." "It's just..." "It's just not as easy as you thought it would be, is it?" "Last night was pretty scary." "For you, I mean." "You know, 'cause..." "'Cause you're older and stuff." "You're just selfish." "You get to run away, and I don't." "Fine, go ahead!" "Don't worry about me." "I'll just stay here and rot!" "You should go home." "I'll bet your family's worried sick about you." "The only thing that worries them sick is who gets what when I die." "Oh, come on!" "Don't you think you're being a little hard on your family?" "Come on, don't you miss them a little bit?" "Of course not, don't be stupid." "Do you?" "Who's gonna take care of you if you get sick?" "I can take care of myself." "My mother takes care of me all the time when I get sick." "You should go home." "I'll go if you go." "Yeah." "Yeah, I will." "I was looking forward to seeing New Jersey." "Yeah, me, too." "Can I get you something, Miss Seymour?" "Some hot soup, perhaps?" "No, thank you." "I'm sorry to be such a burden." "You just rest." "Professor Jones, Professor Jones!" "The boy, he is found!" " ls he all right?" " Yes, ma'am." "He's all right, and he's been found." "You promise me, promise me you will not be too hard on him." "Don't worry, I promise." " Professor Jones?" "Mrs. Jones?" " Yes, that's correct." "We were told our son is here." " Come." " Thank you." "After you, dear." "Henry." "Mother!" "Oh, you scared us half to death!" "Half to death!" "I'm sorry, Mother." "Father, I'm sorry." "And, uh, I'd like to apologize for running away." "Father?" "Father." "That's Tolstoy." "Yes, sir." "He wrote some books once, but don't mention it to him because he gets very annoyed." "I guess they weren't very good." "Come on, I'll introduce you to him." "Come on!" "Lev!" "Lev, these are my parents." " Hello." " That's my mother." " Thank you for taking care of my son." " It's been a great pleasure." " He's been teaching me baseball." " It's a great honor." "Bye, Lev!" "Bye!" "I doubt I'll ever forget this day." "Henry." "Where did you get that Bible?" "Oh, Lev gave it to me." "That's far too precious a gift." "You shouldn't have accepted it." "But he didn't give it to me." "I traded him for it." "Junior..." "Father, I didn't gyp him or nothing." "Honest!" "Christy Mathewson, New York Giants." "Earned Run Average, 1.96." "The greatest!" "Father, quickly!" "We're gonna miss the train!" "That's nonsense, Junior." "We've got plenty of time." "Father, why do you always have to be the last one to go to the bathroom?" "Junior, the call of nature isn't something that one..." "Come on!" " Hurry!" " Jump on!" "Come on, jump!" " Right, sit down." " Oh, dear, I'm worried about..." "No, no, don't worry." "If it hadn't been for Junior..." " lt wasn't my fault." " No, it's Helen." "I'm afraid she's sick." "I'm sorry, I thought I was better." "Maybe we should stop over in Odessa." "Impossible." "I have to get to Athens." "Please don't worry about me." "I shall be perfectly all right." "Ah, of course, if Junior hadn't chosen to run away..." "Why is it always me?" "Don't interrupt!" "I hate you." "Junior!" "Come." "You see the minarets over there?" "Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow?" "No, that's impossible." "Tomorrow, I have to head north." "Now, the Parthenon is the most perfect building ever created." "Henry!" "Sweetheart, I..." "Junior, this is not a racetrack!" "I don't see what's so perfect about it." "It ain't even finished yet." "Junior, I trust that's a joke." "Yes, sir, it is." "Darling, I'm sorry." "I want to go back to the hotel, to Helen." " l..." " But the Parthenon..." "Oh, the Parthenon can wait." "It doesn't need me, Helen does." "I really don't like leaving you." "It's just a migraine." "A couple of days in a darkened room and I'll be as right as rain." "Miss Seymour..." "Well, have a good time, and give my regards to your sister." "I will." "And you have a good time, Henry." "And behave while you're with your father." "Not me with Father." "Yes, I'll see you both on Monday." "But, Mother, I thought I was going with you." " You are, Junior." " Yes, I am." " No." " No?" "So who's looking after him?" "Why, you are, my dear." "Helen must get over her migraine, and they don't allow children at the spa." "I am sure you'll both manage." " No, Anna, this is impossible." " lt is impossible." "I have been looking forward to this for the entire journey." "I am not staying here." "But I'm going to Kalambaka." "Well, you'll just have to take Henry with you." "Well, hanging monasteries are no place for children." "Well, why not?" " They're dangerous." " How dangerous?" "A monastery, dangerous?" "Really, Henry." "The journey there is even more so." "Sounds perfect." "An adventure together." "Yes, an adventure together." "Be quiet, Junior." "Walk the plank." "Anna, this is my work." "And Henry is your son." " Anna, it's not..." " Enough!" "You see so little of the boy." "He needs you." "And anyway, Miss Seymour isn't well, I can't take him and you can." "Yeah, but it's not..." "I'm sure that you'll have a wonderful time." "Goodbye." "Anna!" " Save me!" " Son, that's enough!" "Now, I will not tolerate you acting like a wild savage." "Yes, sir." "You're an educated young man, and I intend to treat you as such." " Yes, sir." " Now, we will be spending a Spartan weekend translating Byzantine transcripts of Aristotle." " Yes, sir." " And believe you me," "I shall see to it that you have more than enough work to keep you out of trouble." "Is that clear?" "Yes, sir." "Now start packing." "All right, down you get." "Thank you." "Father, I don't think that he understands your ancient Greek." "Well, he should have understood it." "Come on." "I bet there were lions and gladiators right here." "Junior, lions and gladiators were Roman, not Greek!" "Oh." "Well, I'll bet Alexander the Great cut off some poor fool's head right here." "Junior, this was not a barbaric slaughterhouse!" "We're standing in a theater." "A temple of great poetry, drama and philosophy." "Remember, Athens is the very birthplace of philosophy." "Tell me, what do you know of Aristotle?" "Um, he's..." "He's dead." " He's dead?" " Yeah, he's dead." "Stone dead, just like everything else around here." "Dead, dead, dead, dead." "All dead." "Father, what's wrong?" "My son..." "You call yourself my son?" "And you say this place is dead?" "So what's wrong with that?" "A miracle happened here." "A miracle mankind will never forget." "That's what's wrong." " lt did?" " Yes, I told you." "We're standing in the birthplace of philosophy." "Philosophy, right." " So?" " So?" "So what exactly is philosophy?" " Come down here, Junior." " No, I think we should get going." "Junior." "You show me some respect." "Now, you asked me a very important question." "One that deserves a full answer." "So come down here." "Please." " No, thank you." " Junior!" "Look, first you tell me what philosophy is, and then I'll come down." "Well, when you were five years old, you asked me questions." " I did?" " Yes. "Father, what is life?" ""What is beauty?" "Why are we here?"" "I couldn't answer." "I could only think about them." "But now you ask me, "What is philosophy?"" "And you can't answer that, either." "Well, in Greek, philosophy means love of wisdom." "But you could define it as thinking about thinking." " Thinking about thinking?" " Yes." "Not a science, not a religion, something in between, exposed to attack from both sides." "See, philosophy is a way by which we come to understand our existence and live in harmony with our world." " Do you understand?" " Not really." "Well, how shall I put it?" "Over 2,000 years ago, men started to ask the same questions you asked." "Why?" "What?" "How?" "But they didn't turn to the gods or superstition for answers, or their fathers, even." "They looked to reason and observation." " And did they find their answers?" " No." "And that's why the questions they asked are still with us." "All right, so these thoughts, these questions are philosophy?" "Absolutely!" "You see, Aristotle is not dead!" "Nor is Socrates, nor Plato." "Everything they thought about is still alive!" "They gave us the foundations of modern philosophy." "Everything that has come since then has been built upon what these men thought." "And they thought it here, Henry." "Right here!" "You see, Aristotle was the first to enlighten people to the idea of logic." "Our ability to understand the great philosophical question is measured by our ability to be logical." "Now, being logical doesn't mean being cold and remote." "It primarily means we follow a system of reasoning that draws a specific truth from a general truth." "Now, he called this syllogism." "What's a...a syllogism?" "Give me that stick." "Throw it to me." "Here we go." "Father, what are you doing?" "Father!" "Father, are you all right?" "Father!" "Father!" "Father, are you all right?" "All men are mortal." " I beg your pardon?" " Mortal." "All men die, Junior." " A general truth, right?" " Right." " I am a man." " Yes." "Ergo, I am mortal." "A specific truth." "All men are mortal." "You're a man, ergo you're a mortal!" " All men are mortal." " All men are mortal." "Socrates is a man," " ergo Socrates is mortal." " Mortal." " Now that is a syllogism!" " Syllogism!" "Aristotelian logic." "Obvious, you may say, but think about it." "Deductive logic is the key that will unlock the great mysteries of our universe." "Of our very existence." "The questions that Aristotle asked marked a turning point in the history of mankind." "An intellectual awakening so beautiful, its day has not yet come to a close." "So you see, his thoughts separate mankind from all the other creatures of the Earth and make us what we are." "We are thinkers, and we must treasure our ability to think." "Father, our cab is gone." "No, Junior, that's our cab over there." "No, Father, that's not our cab." "Son, you're being a Skeptic." " That's not our cab." " Yes, it is, Junior." " How can you be sure?" " Logical reasoning, remember?" "Our buggy was parked here, this buggy is parked here." "Ergo, this is our buggy." "Oh, yeah, right." "Our buggy was tan, this buggy is tan." "Ergo, this is our buggy." "Excellent, Junior." "Well done." " Our cab had leather upholstery." " This cab has leather upholstery." " Ergo, this is our cab." " This is our cab." "Well done, Junior." " Our cab had a driver." " This cab had a driver." " Ergo, this is..." " This is..." "Father, I really doubt if the bus is even gonna come." "And if it does, there's probably only one a day, and it's probably already gone!" " Junior, you are now being cynical." " Being cynical." "See, after skepticism comes cynicism." "Pyrrho made doubt a central issue to all philosophy, and Diogenes became so skeptical of the human condition, he took to living like a dog." "And that's where we get the word "cynicism" from." "From the Greek kunikos, which literally means "dog- like."" "Legend has it, he lived naked in a tub!" "Father!" "Father, look!" "Well, I told you this would be an education, Junior." "After cynicism comes stoicism." "Now, stoicism started here, too." "A determination to live life by its natural laws." "I mean, they took whatever nature threw at them." "Like me, I'm covered in chickens, and I don't care!" "Thank you." "Father, just..." "Maybe we should go back to the hotel." "No, no, we're going to the monastery." "I mean, how was I to know the cart didn't go all the way." "We'll just..." "Just get another ride." "Looking like this?" "Father, this isn't exactly what I had in mind when you said we'd be going on a weekend- long trip sitting in a library, and it's almost fun." "Well, there must be some water nearby." "We shall wash our clothes, bathe, and then continue." "Bathe?" "Each species has its own nature which we need to understand in order to understand our world." " Aristotle, right?" " Absolutely." "Ah, this is wonderful." "We should be consumed by nature." "Watch this, Junior!" "I didn't even know you could swim!" "There's a lot you don't know about me, Junior!" "When I was five years old, we used to go swimming in the loch." "Now that was cold." "You might say I had a Spartan..." " Father!" " What?" "You know how you said that we should let ourselves be consumed by nature?" " Yes." " Well, nature is consuming our clothes." " What do you mean?" " Look!" "Father, the goats definitely do not speak ancient Greek." " Father?" " Uh- huh?" "Are we being skeptical, cynical or stoical?" " Junior?" " What?" "Shut up." "Do you think they'll stop?" "Of course." "They'll see us for what we are." "Rational human beings." "Good day!" "You selfish pigs!" "Don't these tourists have any compassion?" "Father..." "I'm sure someone will stop." " So your name's Aristotle?" " Yes!" "So my wife said, "Aristotle," she said, "lf you don't call that donkey Plato," ""you're gonna have no one to talk to!"" ""No one to talk to!"" " Hey, you interested in politics?" " No, not much." "Ah, then you're an idiot." "Thank you, Aristotle." "My pleasure." "No, he's right, Junior." "Our word "idiot" comes from a Greek word which means, "One who is not interested in politics."" "Yeah, I'll remember that." "So tell me, do you believe in democracy?" "Democracy?" "Hypocrisy!" "It never existed and never will." "And anyone who believes it is a bigger fool than Plato!" "Interesting, so Plato was a fool?" "No, Father, Plato's the donkey." "It's the donkey." "Oh, oh, I see." "But this is the home of democracy!" "Tell that to my wife!" "Oh, I see your point." "But this is the home of democracy, Junior." "In Plato's Republic, Plato outlined his ideal city- state." "He took three classes." "The elite guardians, the soldiers and the masses." "And for these, he gave three structures." "Monarchy, oligarchy, now that's the rule by the few, and democracy." "What's he talking about?" "In the end, Plato decided on a mixed constitution of monarchy and democracy." "The rule by the one and the many." "A system where the people consented to be ruled by the most qualified." "So what's your point?" "Aristotle emphasized the need for wisdom in politics." "Not just popularity." "He wanted power given to the wise." "No, you're wrong." " Well, Aristotle said it." " No, I didn't!" " Perhaps it was Plato." " Well, Plato said it, too, but..." "Plato never says anything!" " What are you talking about?" " Plato's a donkey!" "Oh, so it was Aristotle." "No!" "I mean, yes!" "Democracy, power should be given to the wise!" "Now, that's a democratic ideal that still exists to this day!" " Like hell it does!" " That is what Aristotle wanted!" "That is not what I wanted!" "That does it!" "I will not have a raging democrat on my cart, trying to put words in my mouth!" "Very well, I don't want to ride on this cart anyhow!" "I'd rather walk!" " Good!" " Thank you!" "Excuse me!" "Come on, Junior." "Come on!" "Junior, come on." "Father, I really don't want to walk." "Junior, you get down this instant." "Father, I kind of agree with what he says." "I mean," " I don't live in a democracy." " Of course you do." "Well, not really." "I live in a monarchy." "You live in a democracy!" "Now get down!" "You live in a democracy!" "Now get down!" "No, I want to stay here, 'cause if this is a democracy, then I can stay here." "Junior." "Father, I think that perhaps a wise philosophy might have been not to argue with the driver." "Junior!" "Here we are." "The hanging monasteries." "It's beautiful." "Good luck, child." "Thank you, Aristotle." "Bye- bye, Plato!" "Look, the monastery." "How'd they build that so far up there?" "Well, son, they used ladders and built big winding mechanisms to lift everything, similar to this cage we're about to go up in." "Now, as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the Seven Wonders of the World." "What's wrong, Father?" "You know my feelings about heights, Junior." "Sorry." " Yeah, it's an awful long way down..." " Junior, step back!" "You know, I wonder, if that rope broke, how long it would take for us to reach the ground." "Wow!" "I'd say, pretty long." " Professor Jones!" "Good to see you." " Thank you." "I hope that your long trip went very well." " Thank you." " Thank you." "This is my son." "Pleased to meet you, sir." "When I invited your father, I didn't realize he had a son." " lt is a pleasure to meet his family." " Thank you, sir." "We waited for you all morning." "We got delayed..." "It's a long story." "Come, sup with us." "Tomorrow, the library." "It's good you came today, Professor Jones." "After tomorrow, we will be cloistered, and we'll keep a vow of silence for two days." " Sleep well." " Who gets the bed?" " Junior!" " Sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Now, Aristotle says that man is a philosophical animal." "Please behave like one." " I'm bored." " Bored?" "Bored?" "We're sitting in one of the most fascinating libraries in this part of the world, and you're bored?" "It's also the only library." "I will not have you bored." "You will look up Aristotle's Prior and Posterior Analytics, in book one, chapters 1 to 4 and 1 2." "Then, taking his rules of syllogism, you'll write me three pages on the nature of Aristotelian logic and its relation to causality, which you will find discussed in books two and three." "Well, what are you waiting for?" "Pardon?" "Oh..." " You are English?" " American." "American?" "Ah, an American philosopher!" "Well, my father says that all the good philosophers are dead." "Well, your father is living in the dark ages." "Almost." "He's a medieval scholar." "Indiana Jones." "Nikos Kazantzakis." "Good to meet you, Indiana." "You, too." "So why are you trying to read that?" "Why aren't you out playing?" "My father gave me an assignment." " ls this it?" " Yeah." "The relationship between logic and causality." "He's mad at me." "I mean, he knows I can't get it done." "It's impossible." "Oh, I don't know." "Look at it this way." "Aristotle said," ""Nature does not act without a goal."" "And that sprang from his theories of causality, right?" "What is causality?" " We have an orange on a pile of books." " Right." "We tilt the top book, now we push the orange." "Push it." "Which way did it fall?" " Down, of course." " Of course." "But what caused it to fall?" " Well, I pushed it." " What else?" " Nothing else." " Wrong." "There were four causes." " There were?" " Yes." "First, the essence of the fruit." "Its weight." "Second, its structure." "It is round." "It can roll." "Third, you pushed it." "And fourth, that its function included seeking the lowest level." "Oh, you mean like..." "Like gravity?" "No." "I mean its function." "The orange needed to fall." "Just like a bird needs to fly." "Yes, but..." "Why?" "The orange needs to fall from a tree to make another tree." "What does that have to do with logic?" "You know, a friend of mine wrote a wonderful poem when I first visited these monasteries." "You want to hear it?" "Is it long?" ""l said to the almond tree," ""'Sister, speak to me of God,'" ""And the almond tree blossomed."" "So nature does not act without a goal," "and four causes..." "But what causes nature?" "Bravo." "That is a question that comes from wisdom, and not from logic." "You have found the question your father hoped you would find." "I did?" "You see," "God." "The unmoved mover." "The prime cause." "God dances beyond the bounds of logic." "Yes." "Well done." "So maybe I am a philosopher." "Maybe you are!" "Exciting thought, eh?" "You see, wisdom is greater than logic." "But it leaves us asking the question, can you really accept something as being true without any proof?" "Well?" "I don't know." "Neither do I." "Yet." "Many thanks, Pater." "Safe journey." "And God bless you." "I'm glad you were able to finish your work in time." "For now, we begin two days of solitary meditation." " Thank you." "Bye." " Good luck." " And where is your report?" " Here it is, Father." "Oh." "Well, come on." "We're running late." " It's good." "I'm surprised." " Yeah, I know." "I'm not all together sure I'd agree with you that wisdom is greater than logic." "Oh." "That's what Nikos Kazantzakis thinks." " Kazantzakis?" " Yeah, he's a philosopher and a poet." "Kazantzakis?" "No, no." "He's a romantic." "Father!" "Father, we haven't reached the ground yet!" "I can see that, Junior, now help me!" "Father!" "Father, are you okay?" " Are you all right?" " Yes, yes." "I'm fine." "It's still a long way down, Father." "Hello?" "Hello?" " Anybody there?" " We're down here!" "Hello!" "Hello!" " Father?" " What now?" "You don't suppose they forgot about us, do you?" "Look, Junior, I'm sure this contraption is stuck, and they've gone to get things to repair it." " Just think logically." " Probably." "Well then, why haven't they, like, shouted down to us?" "Well, perhaps they don't want to alarm us." "Perhaps..." "Perhaps the monks aren't even there." "Perhaps we got them real angry at us, and..." "And they've stranded us down here so that we can starve and die, or..." "Or be eaten alive by vultures." "Please, Junior." "I bet you the first man on Earth probably felt like this." "Not even knowing what he was there for." " Just think about that." " Would you just please be quiet?" "There's absolutely nothing to get worried about." "Good God." "It's beautiful." "Junior, look at that." "Yes, Father." "It's been hours." "One minute we're safe in a library, and the next, we're in limbo." "Father, I'm cold." " Here, Junior." "Put this on." " Thank you." "Thank you." "Father, I'm very cold." "I'm so scared." "Well, Junior, so am I." "At least we agree about that." "Henry, whatever happens, I want you to remember something." "You..." "Oh no!" "Oh no!" "Out of the way." "Out of the way!" " Whose idea was it to light a fire?" " Yours!" " lt was?" " Yeah!" " Are you all right?" " Yes, Father, I'm fine." "Never felt better." " This is all your mother's fault!" " Oh, don't bring Mother into this!" "I'll bring whoever I want into this!" "You're the one who lit the stupid fire!" "Yeah, but I did it for you!" "They've totally forgotten us." "Maybe they never even existed." "Now, let's not lose our heads." "Come on." "Well, they'll be waking up soon." "I mean, it's only been twelve hours." "After all, what's twelve hours?" "Maybe..." "Maybe I should climb the rope." " No, no, no." "It's too dangerous." " Father, why not?" "I climb the rope back home at the swimming hole all the time." "It's the same thing, it's just a little longer." "I won't allow it." "What if you fell?" "We have no choice." "Yes, we do." "I'll climb the rope." "Father, that's even more dangerous." "What if you fell?" "But I won't fall." "I'll have you know, I'm a man of many talents." "Climbing is one of them." "We must remember Aristotle's golden mean." "Don't be foolhardy, and don't be too timid." "Hit the mean by being courageous." "That makes sense." "Aristotle's ethics, logic and metaphysics had as much of an impact on Western culture as any other philosophy." "Father?" "You gonna climb the rope or not?" "You have much to learn about your old man, Junior." "Your mother's right, Junior." "We don't spend enough time with each other." "From now on," "I shall see to it that we spend more time together." "Jeepers, are you sure that's wise, Father?" "Oh, absolutely, Junior..." "Oh, no." "I'm going to vomit!" "Junior, I can't hold on!" "Father!" "Go slow!" "Don't slide!" "Don't slide!" "Judas priest!" "My hands!" "Father, are you all right?" "I told you not to slide!" "Yeah, I know, Junior." "I know." "Come on, blowing on it helps." "You'll be okay, Father." "You'll be okay." "That's it, Junior." "Say your prayers!" "No, wait, Father." "Be logical!" " Logical?" " Yes!" "Aristotelian logic leads us to examine the nature of things, right, Father?" "What are you blabbering about?" " A ladder is made of wood, right?" " Yes." " This cage is made out of wood." " So?" "Ergo, our cage is a ladder!" "That's not what I call Aristotelian logic!" "We need a ladder, Father." "Let's turn our cage into a ladder." "Great idea!" "Well, these bits of wood should work." "It's Aristotle, Father." "He influenced the way we think!" "Hurry up, Junior!" "And figuring the nature of things helps us better understand the world." "Obeying Aristotle's golden mean is gonna help us out of this." "There, that should do it." "Let's go." "Wait, Father." "Here you go." "Okay." "Okay, careful." " All right, Junior?" " Yeah." "Come on, untie the bottom one, and pass me them up." "Come on, Junior." "Keep moving, good lad." "Okay, son, you've got to get past that break!" " Dad!" " Junior!" "Hold on, son." "Okay, not far to go, now!" "Okay, son, pass me another rung." "Okay, here, Father." "We're nearly there." "Come on!" "Come on, not far now." "Come on!" "Come on, not far now." "Come on!" "The pulley must have hit him on the head and knocked him out!" "Hello?" "Are you all right?" "Father, look." "Back so soon?" "I hope you had a good trip." " Welcome." " Yes, thank you." "I had a marvelous trip!" " Did you have a good journey?" " I had a great journey!" " Did you?" "Was it first class?" " First class!" " Now, Junior." " Yes?" "I don't know how much of this little adventure we should be telling your mother about." " All right, Father." " Jolly good." "Here we are, Junior." "Right, off you go!" "Remember, now, not a word!" " Thank you, Doctor." " No trouble." " Thank you." " Good day." "Oh, my Lord, what happened to you?" "We kinda met some goats." " Miss Seymour, how are you doing?" " Oh, much better, thank you." "I think I may say I'm quite myself again." "Splendid!" "And how was your weekend?" "Did you have a good time?" "What would you say, Junior?" "Did we have a good time?" " Philosophically speaking, Father?" " Oh, philosophically speaking, son." "Well, I think I'd have to answer that with a syllogism..." "A syllogism?" "All fathers and sons have good times together..." "We are father and son, ergo..." " We had a great time!" " We had a great time!" "Oh, my heroes!"