Platitude of the Day

I was recommended a site yesterday called “Platitude of the Day“. This site “translates” each Thought for the Day, revealing its banality.

A lot of work is clearly going into the site, and what it does is great, but I don’t agree entirely with its manifesto for change, which implies that everybody has an equal grasp and understanding of morality and everybody will be articulate enough and and indeed wise enough to advise others. I have not found this to be the case so far in my life.

The manifesto seems to be egalitarian to the point that it considers your local road sweeper’s grasp of morality and the human condition (or indeed the complex politics of the war in Iraq) to be likely to be as sophisticated as that of, for example, John Stuart Mill, David Hume or, on the latter point, for example, Christopher Hitchens. Now while sweeping roads is a very important job in society and not to be sneered at, there is in fact a low likelihood of this man having considered and researched moral and political issues to the same degree as these figures.

I understand the motivation – to include the man in the street as much as possible – and that’s great. Hearing their views is interesting, but this happens during news reports. “Thought for the Day” is supposed to offer insight into the human condition from a philosophical perspective. It must be a meritocracy if it is on at all, and I don’t have a problem with the “great and the good” providing they really are great and good, and not just religious figures.