Chapter 1/4

But on the Other Hand

The words of a Randy Travis song suggest the way. Early in his career Travis sang about a fellow who has just met an exciting woman. She has captivated his complete attention has him almost spellbound. As he considers the possibility of spending the night with her, he sings, “On one hand I count the reasons I could stay with you . . . all night long . . . and on that hand I see no reason why it’s wrong.” That is one way for him to look at the situation. But the refrain reveals the rest of the picture, as he sings, “But on the other hand there’s a golden band, to remind me of someone who would not understand.” He has been tempted to forsake his marriage, and might have done so if he just looked at things from the most obvious point of view, the way he felt. He sings about a strong desire to stay, but the logic of marital love and commitment tells him that, “the reason I must go is on the other hand.”

This indicates the importance of DIALECTICal thinking for even the most careless of us. On one hand--every day, throughout the day--we see things we believe to be right and that feel right at the time, but on the other hand there is always more to be considered. On one hand we are ready to act; on the other hand it is always possible that we might be wrong and regret what we did. In life too much is at stake for our conduct to be decided by one-handed thinking.

The truth is that no single way of seeing anything ever sees the whole picture. There is always more. Mortimer Adler made the strange claim that the greatest contribution Greek civilization ever made to our culture is the idea of men and de. These strange words are two little particles in the Greek language, commonly translated into English as on one hand/on the other hand. When we think of Greek culture, sculpture, philosophy, and drama, we might wonder what Adler was thinking when he made such an audacious claim. Why would he say on the one hand/on the other hand is the greatest contribution of the Greeks? Because it is a concise expression of that which this book is about, that which we call the DIALECTIC.