A thoughtful reflection on how philosophy is the art of maintaining curiosity and amazement about life’s mysteries, encouraging readers to rediscover the magic of asking “Why?” and pushing beyond surface appearances.
I recently read Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, and it profoundly changed the way I think and view the world. The book uses a powerful metaphor involving a magician and his magic trick: pulling a rabbit out of a hat. In this metaphor, the rabbit represents the universe, and we humans are like tiny insects living in the rabbit’s fur.
Imagine a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The Rabbit represents the universe and we humans are tiny insects living in the rabbit's fur.
When we are children, we sit on the tip of the fur, looking out in wonder and curiosity as we explore the beauty and mysteries of nature and existence. As we grow older, we crawl deeper down into the rabbit’s fur, losing that magic and amazement, and start accepting the world as it appears without question.
However, some refuse to stay buried and try to climb up from the rabbit’s fur, driven by curiosity and the desire to understand. These seekers do not accept the world as it is—they ask “Why?” and “How?” over and over again. We call these people philosophers because of their astonishment and constant questioning and critical thinking.
Although philosophical questions concern us all, most people do not become philosophers. For various reasons, most people get busy and they don’t have time in their life for their curiosity and astonishment at the world, which gets pushed to the background. They crawl down into the rabbit’s fur and stay there comfortably for the rest of their lives.
This metaphor beautifully illustrates that philosophy is about being amazed by life and always striving to understand it more deeply, rather than simply accepting things at face value.