In Pixie, the Philosopher’s Cat, our Philosopher dialogues with her precious cat about one of her favorite books, which she has decided to read again to help enhance her own understanding of our complicated world. This little book explores issues of trust and integrity, love and friendship, but also blind loyalty and cowardice. Communicating with her cat, the Philosopher escapes the need for words, which so often get tangled and misused. Through this dialogue, Maria daVenza Tillmanns explores the disconnect between our increasing dependence on words and how our use of words often leads us astray and leaves us confused. She worries that meaningful communication has, in fact, broken down. However, in the Philosopher’s exploration of what gives life real value, we discover that other forms of communication based on trust, integrity and truthfulness can once again give our exchange of ideas a North Star.
What Can We Learn from Cats? (An essay inspired by Maria Tillmanns’ book Pixie, the Philosopher’s Cat)
I have before me a wonderful book by Maria Tillmanns Pixie, the Philosopher’s Cat. Maria tackles a serious and, dare I say it, eternal theme – “The Philosopher and the Cat” (read: “The Philosopher and Life”). This fascinating yet incredibly challenging task involves being a worthy interlocutor for one’s alter ego, a philosophizing cat. It involves accepting the Other as oneself, without encroaching on their autonomy. After all, cats embody the great philosophy of silence and contentment with life. If Buddha, Epicurus, Pyrrho, or Epictetus were animals, they would definitely be cats. In addition, to their wealth of wisdom would be added the indescribable expression in their eyes and the incredible grace of their movements. Pixie cat and the Philosopher shared the same inquisitive and curious spirit and both looked upon the world as a place full of discoveries to be made. Rather than it being something to just know about, the world to them was something to wonder and ponder about. Pixie cat and the Philosopher were always trying to figure things out (p. 1). This is how Maria begins her story.