It is generally understood, by most college students and their parents, that the study of Philosophy should be considered as a minor or — at best — an elective credit or two towards graduation. I would think that the prerequisite for any student graduating from college as a Philosophy major would be ownership of a large trust fund or — if that is not the case — a good knowledge of plumbing, roofing, electric or some other technical profession. Audio engineering happens to be a great technical profession for poets, musicians and truth-seekers, as it seems to lend itself better to the artistic and idealistic type than some of the other technical careers available to emerging philosophers.
That’s not to say that philosophy is too heady for the practitioners of other technical disciplines. However, we “artistic” types may have a little more time to be philosophical and to wax poetic as we ride the bus from gig to gig, or as we wait for the other philosophers on the crew to finish the task of focusing their lights. The great thing about philosophy? While it can be a noble, intellectual pursuit, it is not exclusive to merely the lofty and intellectual people of this world. Everyone can have a philosophy, and most people usually have more than one to which they adhere and can expound upon; as witnessed by anyone who has taken a cab in New York City before the advent of the back seat television.
» Philosophy, Defined
From the Online Dictionary, “philosophy” is defined as:
1. A set of ideas or beliefs relating to a particular field or activity; an underlying theory; (i.e., an original philosophy of advertising).
2. A system of values by which one lives; (i.e., an unusual philosophy of life).
3. Any system of belief, values or tenets
4. A personal outlook or viewpoint
5. The rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge or conduct.
6. A system of philosophical doctrine: (i.e., the philosophy of Spinoza).
7. The critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge; (i.e., the philosophy of
science).
8. A system of principles for guidance in practical affairs; (i.e., a
philosophy of life).
Perhaps the reason it’s so difficult to make a living as a philosopher is because it’s so hard to define. By the way, the Spinoza of item #6 refers to Baruch Spinoza who lived in the 1600s and is considered as one of Western philosophy’s most important thinkers. It should also be noted that other than being a well-regarded philosopher, he was also the recipient of a large inheritance. He also had a steady job as a lens grinder and was known to be quite talented at his trade.
» Applied Philosophies
As a trade, philosophy itself is not a high paying vocation (it’s ranked just slightly above “audio engineer”), although if one is successful at their chosen profession, they can then write books and appear on talk shows to explain the philosophy behind their success. There is an abundance of self-help literature available these days regarding sex, love, diet, health and money; and many of these writings espouse not only a practical means to achieving happiness — in regard to the aforementioned topics — but also a philosophical way to vanquish the demons that keeps one from being fulfilled in their endeavors. These way-of-life solutions are not just whimsical thoughts to ponder, but rather are applied philosophies that (if followed correctly) will lead to positive results in one’s life.
Other lofty ideals such as democracy, capitalism and socialism — to name a few — are also applied philosophies, which, if adhered to correctly, should provide excellent results. The same positive results should also apply if one should attach themselves to a particular set of religious beliefs. Philosophically speaking, these theoretical suppositions work just fine — at least on paper — yet in their everyday application, perfection is hard to attain. Also, considering the fast-paced life we all lead, who really has time to read and disseminate all the intricacies of the deep philosophical writings that accompany these intellectual and spiritual concepts?
» Philosophical Slogans
We are all inundated with sound bytes and advertisements, which often appear to be statements purporting to be a given philosophy. A slogan is elegant in its brevity and is often easier to remember than a whole treatise on the alleged subject and, just because it is concise, does not denote that it is less significant than the book on the same subject. “Do unto others as you would have them do to you” comes to mind as one of the more notable philosophies in a nutshell. Eric Hoffer, a well-respected 20th century philosopher said, “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” I assume he was speaking about many applied philosophies.
Possibly it might be best not to rely too heavily upon the untried philosophies and rather go with those that have been proven from a lifetime of effort, although sometimes a high ideal works out even if it’s not precisely as written. Margaret Thatcher said, “Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy.” A bit snide, I would say, but not altogether untrue. Another quote, “Rule number one, never lose money. Rule number two, never forget rule number one,” coming from anyone but Warren Buffett would seem mundane, but since Mr. Buffett has such a well-proven track record, his tongue-and-cheek remark carries some philosophical weight. Alice Roosevelt Longworth said, “I have a simple philosophy: Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. Scratch where it itches.” Philosophically concise, to the point, and eloquently stated, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Ms. Longworth was also guided by a more complicated philosophy as well.
» A Sound Philosophy
This brings me around to the point, once again, that everybody lives their lives according to one or more philosophical viewpoints. Sometimes we choose a philosophy that we strive to achieve, and other times we cite a philosophy that explains our actions. That said, I started thinking about the philosophy of sound. After all, there is a philosophy of politics, a philosophy of mathematics, and so on. I have read some of these very heady dissertations and all I can say is that I see why certain philosophies are written by either cave-living gurus or trust fund recipients.
Most of us need to make a living and don’t have the time or energy to contemplate such heady thoughts as whether or not sound exists on its own plane outside the physical realm, but after putting in some time in the audio business, I do have a few slogans that I think can be called a sound philosophy.
These are a few of the sound slogans by which I work and live.
1. Control your environment and do not let your environment control you.
2. Keep a low input and a high output.
3. Follow signal flow — input never goes into output.
4. What happens on tour stays on tour.
5. Know your limits.
6. Open the channels, keep it simple, and know when to stop mixing.
7. Feedback is not an option.
8. I’m a technician, not a magician.
9. Neatness counts.
10. Stupid gigs should be compensated with stupid money!
11. All gigs are stupid.
And my friend Joe Biegel adds this philosophy to live by: “Never become the ground.” Good advice!
