Reblogged from Jim Webster, aka Tallis Steelyard:

If I was to say that Tullit Wheelbone has practiced philosophy for many years, you might get the wrong idea. Indeed people have claimed that my lady wife, Shena, has to be extremely philosophical, being married, as she is, to a poet. Were I a lesser man I might well retort that poets are forced to be philosophical, given the sheer weight of ignorant comments we labour under.

So when I mention Tullit’s philosophy, I want you to understand that he is a fully fledged philosopher, supporting himself by teaching. More than that, he has gone one step further, he tries to live a life which is in keeping with his teachings. This, I am afraid, has caused him to be shunned by other, more prosperous philosophers.

Many years ago he propounded his axiom, “We might be the only philosophy text book a person will read.” Given that he taught (like many other philosophers) that the enlightened person lives a modest life, seeking enjoyment in simple things and in serving others, he decided that this is what he would do.

He abandoned his rooms in the university, his wardrobe and his right to dine (somewhat more than adequately for a purely nominal sum) in the senior common room, and moved out onto the street. He lived in a series of discarded barrels, large pottery containers, or even packing cases. He retained one garment, a white sheet which served as loin cloth, kilt or even toga. Well-wishers would occasionally give him other clothes to wear, this benevolence he would share with beggars and others living on the streets.

Continue reading at Tallis Steelyard