a stone has whatness
that is measured, tasted,
seen & felt as stone
& not feather
its howness
weighed first in my hand
so I know
how very much stone it is
heavier than air
that is slingshot
through that proven air–
its target your head
see?
I have proven
it is a stone
sorry,
I just bruised you
with ontology
or at least
a stone
***OK, you philosophers out there–did I miss a step? Sure it is inaccurate, as it has been years…
Susan Daniels Poetry 
I would never pass myself off as a philosopher, but this seems right to me.
I like the humor. Usually you see people saying things like “I was bitten by my dogma” and so on. But I like the image of being hit in the head by ontology. That made me laugh. And “it’s funny because it’s true.”
Thank you Jeremy! Just couldn’t resist…stumbled into ontology while I was looking into something else, and had the idea 🙂
I no naught of philosophy…I just know it made me laugh. LOL So I guess I have a humorous philosophy! Love it
Thanks, SFAM, appreciate it. Ugh, lucky you–I almost married a PhD candidate in philosophy…good thing I didn’t–could never get to the point I was trying to make before he was already disproving it…So, I am not a philosopher myself, but some of my best friends are…..
so clever
Thank you–this came up in my search for different areas of physics I have not written about yet–who knew?
Love it. But how to explain that I felt that stone hit?
LOL, got me there!
the whatness and howness of stones! Susan, your poem got me thinking – do stones exist to be thrown? is that property their key defining attribute? What of “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”. David despatched Goliath with a stone and a sling! In one, stone functions to build, in the other, to kill. Objects can therefore be neutral – human agents/users may not necessarily be!
Ahhh–here comes a philosopher! Yes, the question of intention, of use of the pure object, which I have left out of the above & therefore rendered useless my little exercise in ontology….What to do now with the above–define the user and the intention, as well; or call it all an amusing exercise that is flawed and leaves you with a sore head?
Perhaps 2am in the morn is not the best time to wonder about the essence of stone in the form and function of stoness, A good poem and good comments but I am now reminded about something I read about horseness now who wrote it, hmmm
Ian–Let me know when you remember–I am curious now 🙂
Hey, on googling (because I have to know everything right NOW)–James Joyce used horseness and whatness in Ulysses… Oh dear me, sure he did a much better job of it than I ever could….
I Googled it to and it was Aristotle, way to early to take it in
🙂
I like the – ness angle. Stoneness – objective property of a stone, includes form and attributes, including shape and weight. Function – a decision and a choice! Poemness – throwing stones, weighted, waiting, weighty to be hurled!
🙂 thanks for the comment! Provoking thoughtfulness this morning.
Susan the sphere and it’s showness – Van Morrison and his philosopher stones rolled down a hill sat and loved. This was has awesomeness all over it now this ‘ness’ is thinking, hmm . .
All your fault Missy . .
🙂 sorry, Mari…
so how to you feel about Richard Dawkins
Don’t buy into his brand of religious atheism, but other than that, have no real opinion.
he’s very logical
🙂 I would have to read more of him than I have to form any kind of opinion, but thanks for dredging his name up in my mind.