Down to words (15)

It is no trouble at all if we do not need to write a Critique of Dialectical Reason to ground the cup of coffee. Or write its predecessor Being and Nothingness with its example of Pierre and the Café.

“Well think about this for a moment: for Sartre to have had a appointment with Pierre in the café, there had to have been Consciousness.”

“Well, there had to have been water and coffee also.”

And so it begins.

Down to words (14)

It is clear that we often look for common ground, when we meet someone over coffee. We do this without philosophy, which in earlier centuries, thought it could state common grounds prior to the very first sip of anything.

This may be why Thales voted for water as the first element.

When we begin to see that much of conversation is a shifting of grounds and a finding of them and so on, philosophy begins to be much less troublesome.

It does not explain what we do when we talk in cases like those above. It does not ground them.

In fact, it is no trouble at all.

It has nothing to do with anything here.

Down to words (13)

As to ignorance:

A simple travel guide or a mere witness may counter my view.

Not social research.

“The Frenchmen at my table were always friendly and helped me with my French.”

Or

”When you get out of Paris things are quite different.”

Social research does not belong here. To introduce research here is to miss the context of the interchange.

Down to words (12)

Note here that common ground is not something to be backed up by statistics or social research.

The remark about Aussies is just someone’s take on Aussies. If I have a low opinion of Frenchmen and back it up, I am not offering something that is replaceable by a study.

Nor is it irresponsible not to have one.

The remark may show my colossal ignorance.

Or a family prejudice.

(“My dad just hated those frogs.”)

Down to words (11)

“Well, all this is trivial.”

“How?”

“What are you purporting to show here?”

“Nothing philosophical, I can assure you.”

“What?”

“We left that in silence in the last thread.”

"Clearly the common ground in the prior posts has nothing to do with philosophy."

"Just said that."

Down to words (10)

“I’d prefer communion with the beer and not the tea.”

“I would also, but what is a fellow to do?”

“Maybe we can get a word out of him.”

“Give him some earphones and we’ll watch the game.”

“Maybe we can agree on some chips.”

A shift here and a compromise for three.

The common ground here is that he sits with us for the moment and maybe more if he likes chips.

Down to words (9)

“I’d much prefer a dirge with an Earl Grey.”

“Well, all right. Coming up.”

Is this capitulation or agreeability or hospitality or what?

Common ground is in all of these, whatever it is.

Down to words (8)

Here it is a stretch to make the agreement to a cold one into a generalization. But it is a simple form of common ground between two people, simpler than the remark might be about Aussies among certain Englishmen.

That remark might carry weight in a more serious way, e.g., as to whether Aussies might be considered appropriate folk for a club or somesuch.

One can imagine a situation in which a cold beer might have the same force, but it is less likely from where I sit.

It is not important where I sit here.

If it is as important, as you see it, pick something which is not. You’ll get the drift.

Common ground is all over the places we talk in varying degrees of importance.

Down to words (7)

“Common ground?”

“Yes. Can we sit down to a nice talk or is something like a fight going to break out?”

“So ‘common ground’?”

“Yes. Do we get along here? Or if not here, where else?”

“Like on having a cold one?”

“And with a ball game.”

“Oh, ok.”

Wordwork is being done here.

Down to words (6)

We say things of note, sometimes in the form of generalizations.

Some are meant to be proven or argued, like the one from Aristotle above.

Perhaps even there it is not exactly argued.

Some are meant to be agreed with (or not) and not proven, but as beginnings for polite conversation:

“I say, those Aussies are right good chaps.”

“Not so much as I see it.”

“You don’t say?”

Some are meant to see if two have common ground.