I’m trying to learn for my English class and I’m stuck. Can you help?
The opening lines of Butler’s essay might be understood as an invitation to participate with her in one of the traditions of philosophy. She writes:
What makes for a livable world is no idle question. It is not merely a question for philosophers. It is posed in various idioms all the time by people in various walks of life. If that makes them all philosophers, then that is a conclusion I am happy to embrace. (p. 114).
Stylistically, Butler makes use of questions as a way of enacting philosophical inquiry. As you reread, pay attention to Butler’s questions and, through these, to the method and the rhythm of philosophical inquiry. How would you describe the use, placement, and pacing of her questions? How does one question seem to lead to another? Where do they come from? How do they work together to make an argument?
