Alain Stephen

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.’

his History of Western Philosophy, Bertrand Russell suggests that philosophy sits astride the fields of science and theology, applying reason to hypotheses in areas where hard facts are not yet available.

Instead, I was developing a sense of the fallible nature of things in general.

What is at the core of this transient nature of reality that my six-year-old self was struggling to comprehend?

I was asking questions, analysing, deliberating and, quite frankly, feeling confused. As far back as my memory serves, that seems to be the point when I first started thinking, or was conscious of being able to think, for myself.

Of course, I must have been thinking before that.

Was this knowledge a priori (a term many philosophers are particularly keen on), meaning had I acquired this knowledge from my innate capacity for theoretical deduction, as opposed to observation of my own experiences?

This ‘voice in my head’ was starting to ask questions – why is there a voice in our heads?

I’ve used the word ‘known’ several times in this paragraph, in the present perfect tense most commonly used to denote unfinished time.

But what would happen if time suddenly stopped; if it finished? Would every voice in everyone’s head suddenly stop thinking? It is a pretty fearful thought.