Most things in our lives can be compared to philosophical ideas. We will use a short extract from Winnie The Pooh in order to draw parallels between what is happening in the story and Pooh’s reasoning.

Pooh goes outside to hear buzzing. He uses his senses and observations to interpret the world around him. Pooh continues, “That buzzing-noise is a sign. This buzzing noise is not just random buzzing. It has a meaning …”,. Pooh uses the sensory information he has gathered to determine what else he can learn from what he heard. This is similar to the beginning section of the philosophy concept known as the principle sufficient reason. In order to come to an understanding that the object being studied has clear cause and reason, you first have to use your basic senses to notice it. Pooh begins to realize that the buzzing sound cannot be made without a bee. Pooh relies on his sensory experience to prove that a sound must come from a honeybee. Pooh, through his reasoning, discovers that it is a bee that makes the buzzing noise. The Principle Of Sufficient Cause describes that everything in the world has a cause. Pooh starts to identify the real reason for the buzzing.

Pooh finds that he has to think through another thing after discovering bees around him. Pooh says: “And I only know that being a bumble bee has to do with making honey.” He is putting forth the idea that by discovering bees, he will be able determine if those bees have the ability to produce honey. This could be for Pooh’s benefit. Pooh, by his own admission, rationalized the use of these bees to produce honey. The philosophical concept can also be compared to Pooh, who, in the same way, thought about the reason why bees are necessary to produce honey. Pooh’s philosophy may have some flaws. His philosophy is tailored to suit his wants and tastes. For example, he thinks bees produce honey solely for him to consume.

The Winnie The Pooh story is an example of how one can find philosophical ideas in just about anything. Pooh’s premise and conclusion can be used to compare concepts with the Principle of Sufficient Cause. Pooh is a good example of a character who can easily be misunderstood or misused. Pooh’s explanation made it sound as though the bees existed primarily to benefit him. The Principle Of Sufficient reason seeks out the absolute cause or reason for a subject. In this case, it is God.

Bibliography

A.A. Milne. The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh was published by Dutton Children’s Books in 1994 and contains four stories.

michaellang

Michael Lang is a 33-year-old professor and blogger who is passionate about writing. He has been blogging for over 7 years and has written for various online publications. Michael is also a seasoned professor who has taught at the college level for over a decade. He is currently a professor of English at a community college in the Midwest.