Philosophers neglect the gustatory. The olfactory. Cicero always said that. There are entirely neglected senses.
We have to philosophise from the nose! From the tastebuds!
But this wine smells terrible. And tastes worse!
Cicero needed to teach us not to follow her. That she was disgusting, too. That she wasn’t some substitute Mother, all caring and nurturing. She had to engender hatred in us.
So Cicero was the bad mother …
Philosophy shouldn’t be about good taste, Cicero said. There’s been too much good taste.
There should be a philosophy of things past their selling date. Long past!
Philosophy of rotting things. Of the world as rotten. As festering. As putrescent.
There should be a whole philosophy of the disgusting. Of the poisonous, pretty much. A disgusting philosophy, is that it? That is full of disgust – saturated with it.
A philosophy that reeks! A wholly putrid philosophy. A philosophy of the putrid. Of the rotten soul. The corrupted soul.
Then and only then can there be a philosophy of poison, Cicero said. Only a poisoned philosophy.
Poison must think itself, Cicero said. Just as lies must think themselves.
Work in Progress 