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    How To Philosophize With A Hammer
    How To Philosophize With A Hammer
    How To Philosophize With A Hammer
    Ebook47 pages42 minutes

    How To Philosophize With A Hammer

    By Phil Wheeler

    ()

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    About this ebook

    A semi-autobiographical, somewhat humorous look at the meaning of life; with detours into sex, kids, friends, and German Philosophy.

    Fredrick Nietzsche said 'What does not kill me makes me stronger'. That soul of warmth G. Gordon Liddy is credited with paraphrasing it into the more widely known 'That which does not kill us makes us stronger'. Kelly Clarkson is credited with turning that phrase into a music video. (Go figure, I thought it was Katy Perry!)

    Still and all, I do not believe what does not kill me makes me stronger, if that were true I would rival superman or the incredible Hulk for biceps. What I do believe is what does not kill me makes me laugh. That is the only way that life makes sense, if you laugh at it.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPhil Wheeler
    Release dateMar 30, 2014
    ISBN9781311467270
    How To Philosophize With A Hammer
    Author

    Phil Wheeler

    Phil is an old man living in a trailer. He likes to write about things, but his memory is going, so who knows how much longer before his kids put him in a home.

    Read more from Phil Wheeler

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      Book preview

      How To Philosophize With A Hammer - Phil Wheeler

      How to Philosophize with a Hammer

      Published by

      Phil Wheeler at Smashwords

      Copyright 2014 Phil Wheeler

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Chapter 1

      How to Philosophize with a Hammer

      "What does not kill me makes me stronger."

      (Friedrich Nietzsche 1888)

      I happen to be reading the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's Twilight of the Idols, written in 1888, in the original German (the only way to read it!), when I was struck by a certain error in his thinking. Since he is no longer around for me to correct I thought that I would pass it on to you, the reader of this little tome. By the way, How to Philosophize with a Hammer is not my idea, but the secondary title of Nietzsche’s book Twilight of the Idols. I just thought that it made a way cool chapter title. Now, back to his error.

      Actually, I have to go back one more step because what I wish to talk about isn't really in the book Twilight of the Idols it is in his book From Life's School of War, a good title but not as good as How to Philosophize with a Hammer, which actually fits my feeling for this chapter. One more thing, I didn't really read the book in the original German. I haven't actually read the book at all, I googled it. My reference information is stolen from Wikipedia.

      Now, down to business. Nietzsche's original line What does not kill me makes me stronger has been referenced and re-referenced many times. That soul of warmth G. Gordon Liddy (former assistant to President Richard Nixon, aka Tricky Dick) is credited with paraphrasing it into the more widely known That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Pretty much the same meaning, but I am a purist elite snob, so I will go with good old Friedrich's version. After all, he did write it!

      I do not believe what does not kill me makes me stronger, if that were true I would rival superman or the incredible Hulk for biceps. What I do believe is what does not kill me makes me laugh. That is the only way that life makes sense, if you laugh at it.

      Let me give you an example. I recently went to my doctor on a Tuesday morning because I had a clogged left ear and I was having trouble breathing (I do not breath through my ear, the two were not related). First the ear, it was so packed with wax that Shrek stopped in and asked for some so that he could make a candle. Repeated irrigation efforts failed to dislodge the mass, as did the doc's attempt to pull it out with a rather strange looking pincers. They were L shaped, with tiny mechanical jaws at the end that reminded me of the baby alien that popped out of that guy’s chest in the movie of the same name. After repeated failures by my physician, I

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