Philosophy Tutorial Pt. 01

This is a fictional story. But uses real philosophical insights and real Newport (Wales) landmarks.

I am Julie, Welsh, 24, married to and Englishman, Steve who is 26. We have been, married for nearly 3 years. He moved to Wales because I can not bear to move from the Land Of My Fathers. All my folks live here and moving away would have been a wrench. I am bi-lingual, knowing both Welsh and English.

Housing is cheaper here than in London and we have a nice, large house with a garden half way up the hill from the town to Newport Cathedral and the beautiful Belle Vue Park beyond that.

Walking in that park enlivens my soul. It is an undiscovered treasure. It was the first planned park in Wales and arguably the best Welsh park. We got married in the Cathedral and had our wedding photographs taken in Belle Vue park.

As I looked into Steve's eyes for the photos I had never been happier. The man I loved had come to the land that I loved to marry me. We had lived in sin for over a year and so I had no fears about the physical side of marriage.

The others joked about "It being legal now". But it was much more than establishing a new legal status.

I had declared before my folks and his and our friends that I would honour Steve. I honestly meant that. I earnestly hoped that I would still honour him "until death do us part". This was more than "not being unfaithful" to him. This was me accepting a positive duty to do whatever I could to help him.

Our friends and families promised us their support. I had no fears about my family turning against my husband, even though some Welsh people are racist towards the English. They liked Steve and he tried to learn Welsh, though his pronunciation is somewhat comical. His folks call me "his Welsh princess", which is very flattering.

I am now a first year philosophy student at Newport University. Most of the students are younger than me. I am tactlessly described as a "mature" student.

THE ASSIGNMENT

The Philosophy assignment had been "What would Nietzschean transcendence mean for me"

In brief, Nietzschean transcendence meant every person needs to create their own values. Nietzsche did this by having a 3some with Salome and Ree (2 other artists and free thinkers). They hoped to form an Artistic Commune, similar to the Hippy movement free love communes but a century before the Flower Power generation.

We had to write an essay (max 500 words) and prepare for a tutorial.

Each tutorial means you have to explain and then discuss (and if necessary defend) your essay.

JULIE'S EXPLANATION

I said "I recalled the 3some and the 2 pictures we have of Salome, Ree and Nietzsche together.

The clothed photo has Salome with a whip and Ree and Nietzsche bound to her. It showed, to those in the know, that Salome ruled the 3some roost. We know that both Ree and Nietzsche had proposed marriage to her but she had turned them both down.

It was also interesting that Salome had a platonic marriage so sex wasn't a big thing for her until the 3some.

THE NUDE PHOTO

In the nude photo of the 3 of them, her preference for Ree is evident. Nietzsche, though well endowed, is a mere watcher as Ree plays with Salome's right nipple. In return Salome looks up at Ree ignoring the great philosopher.

I liked the idea of being Salome. Of being in control of men. I thought of my husband standing there as someone played with my nipple. That was my state of mind before the Professor set the module essay.

ENTER ZARATHUSTRA

When I thought about the assessment I thought about the Zarathustra element. You know how Zarathustra was the man who introduced the concept of good and evil.

ANCIENT SEXUALITIES

Well, I wondered about sexuality before Zarathustra. So I did a quick and dirty internet scan on Ancient Sexualities.

An 1861 book claimed that in the beginning human sexuality was chaotic and promiscuous.

This "aphroditic" stage was then replaced by a matriarchal "demeteric" stage, which resulted from the mother being the only reliable way of establishing descendants.

So I thought of a society that was predominantly aphroditic and becoming demetric.

I thought of a dominant woman controlling aphroditic, promiscuous men. Not just Salome controlling 2 men. But a demeteric woman controlling a house load of promiscuous, aphroditic men.

By a house I envisaged the larger temporary for winter structures that we know from research at Durrington Walls in Wiltshire They held 20 people in one house.

RELOCATING THE ACTION

Finally I thought of how that would play out with me having a husband. And in our lounge. And in Steve and my bedroom."

Chris asked "Are you happily married? Its just that you placed him like the naked Nietzsche. That indicates at least an uncertainty about being married to Steve."

Jane said to Chris "Are you hoping to be Ree?"

Chris didn't reply. I took that to mean that Chris did want me sexually. He was a mere 20 year old and good looking. I was pleased to think of him wanting me, a "mature" student.

And, truth to tell, if I wasn't married, I wouldn't kick Chris out of my bed.

I turned to Chris and said "Yes I am happily married, but no man is perfect. After all Steve isn't even Welsh. But he and I are a good fit. He supports my University study financially, out of his own pocket. I am NOT looking for anyone else."

THE FULL TRUTH

This was a half truth. I have a male student friend, James. He loves me and I love him. It is a struggle remaining faithful. James and I have never held hands or kissed but I want him to fuck my brains out. I masturbate thinking of James, taking off his Rugby gear, seeing his cock for the first time, wanting it up my well travelled cunt canal, seeing James's cock grow to its fullest and hardest. Knowing that James needs to fuck me as badly as I need him.

I sometimes climax thinking of James thrusting to orgasm inside of me while it is only Steve. I can not believe that I think of my husband as "only Steve". That is vastly different to the woman who looked lovingly into her husband's eyes. The words "only Steve" had changed their meaning from "marital fidelity to Steve" to "marital inferiority of Steve".

I am straying into analytic philosophy. Few people are interested in the nature of language and the relationship with language users and the world. But I take some consolation that James and I are "only good friends".

QUE SERA, SERA

I don't know what will happen about my infatuation with James, but its 50 - 50 that he will bed me before our degree courses finish. As he is the University rugby captain he has kudos. Wales has a proud history in playing the sport with the oddly shaped ball. He could bed many women, and not just University students. But he hasn't shown any interest in doing so.

It boosts my pride knowing that I am the one he favours. He is not just any man, he has the capacity to wear the famous red jersey with the 3 white feathers logo and "WRU" underneath. A man capable, if good fortune prevails, to lead us to lots of victories over England.

Sometimes I wish I had met James and never met Steve. I am not proud of thinking this way, but it is only human nature to day dream.

NOT A THERAPY SESSION

Then Chris said "I was wondering since everyone knows how close you are to the Rugby captain."

I thought "Oh shit. Everyone knows" and started speaking in Welsh, which I sometimes do when I am under pressure. Luckily the Professor recognised this as a sign that the questions had got too personal. It was funny that I thought first in English but responded verbally in my native Welsh.

Did I instinctively recognise that most of the Newport University students don't understand their own native language. If so, by speaking in Welsh I was protecting myself.

The philosophy Professor stepped in "This isn't a therapy class where Julie has to bare her soul. She has told you that she is happily married. Her relationship with James is none of our present concern."

I thought "So even the lecturers know about it."

The Professor continued "What Pauline has done is a wonderful thought experiment. And I remind everyone that things said in this tutorial are entirely confidential. And breaching confidentiality is a serious breach of University rules."

"KEEP YOUR NOSES OUT!" IN STOIC TERMS

The Professor then went back into philosophic mode.

He said "And anyway, Stoic wisdom says that we choose to be friendly with someone because they add value to our life. Who are we to judge whether or not one person should or should not be friendly with another person? Why should Pauline live an inauthentic life just to please us? It is for any person to judge whether they are on the path to "eudaimonia" or a well-lived life."

He turned to me and said "Now, Pauline please tell us how it played out."

HOW IT PLAYED OUT

Even though the Professor had reminded us of the need for confidentiality, I thought it best to remind people that this just an outplaying of my initial premises.

I said "I played with the idea of a promiscuous, pre-Zarathrustran society, where anything goes, to one ruled by women. Stage 2 was that woman is magically transported to our male dominated society. Stage 3 was that she was married to my husband. The conclusions are what may change the predominantly monogamous values of our society."

PLATO

The Professor said "A device used in Plato's Republic. He considers the natures of existing regimes and then proposes Kallipolis as a Utopian city-state ruled by a class of philosopher-kings."

He smiled (possibly because he thought of philosopher kings ruling) and said "Of course Plato had a wider brief than I set for your short essay."

BATTLE OF THE SEXES

Jane said "So the fictional dominant woman would meet the modern day dominant man. A modern day battle of the sexes."

I said "Well not really. My husband isn't the kind of dominant that could try to rule a really dominant woman. The woman is an alpha plus, because she has the power to with hold reproduction or to grant it. Don't forget she is a demeteric woman controlling a house load of promiscuous, aphroditic men.

So, to the demeteric woman my husband would be an alpha minus. The other males are all betas, doing whatever the woman wishes them to do. They do so in the hope of reproducing from the woman, but not the expectation."

Jane said "Like Billie Jean King easily beating Bobby Riggs 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3?"

I was impressed that a tennis match played so long ago still meant so much to Jane. But then tennis isn't a big thing in Wales.

THE WELSH SOUL

Our heart and soul (sporting wise) is in Rugby and (culturally) singing beautiful choral music in festivals, church, chapel the street and (most wonderfully) en masse before and during rugby matches. There is nothing more special than a full crowd singing the Welsh National "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (The Land Of My Fathers) in harmony before a Wales v England rugby match.

TWO OLD JOKES

In the excellent film "Zulu" there is a scene where the Brits are surrounded by Zulu warriors. The Welsh soldiers sing "Men of Harlech" to boost morale. Eventually the warriors beat their shields to acknowledge the Brits bravery.

In the joke they sing "Men of Harlech stop your dreaming Can't you see the spear points gleaming?" and a flood of spears shower over the defences killing many soldiers.

Despite this they continue singing "Men of Harlech stand ye steady It will never be said That for the battle we were not ready". Another flood of spears kills more soldiers.

They continue singing "Men of Harlech onto glory This will ever be our story". Another salvo of spears kills more soldiers.

An English soldier shouts "For God's sake sing something they like."

SONG VARIANTS

Rugby has a lot of smutty Rugby Songs. These change the words of popular tunes to ribald and excessively smutty ones like Balls to your partner, arse against the wall, if you never get fucked on a Saturday night, you'll never fucked at all."

This musical sub category includes the 2 most famous "The Good Ship Venus" and "I don't want to join the Army".

Others "The Bastard King of England" (with the lyric "his terrible tool fell down to his knees"), Daisy (with the lyric "you'd look sweet between the sheets with me 6 inches into you"), The Lobster Song ("never let your bollocks dangle in the dust"),

THE LONGEST RUGBY SONG

Wee Willy Wanky (set to the tune of Scotland The Brave) has the longest string of characters engaging in simultaneous sex acts in any song.

It builds line by line (like the 12 days of Christmas) and ends

Up jumped a Gordon with a massive hard un,

He looked at Mary Cocker who had one enormous knocker.

She showed it to the ghilly with a 14 foot willy,

who waved at McGregor, the dirty little beggar,

Who buggered Willy Wanky who was wanking in his hanky

At the sight of Stocky Jockie and his fine upstanding doggy

Who shagged a sassy lassie with her black, hairy assie

Singing tra la tra la tra la etc"

WALTZING MATILDA

My husband's favourite is Waltzing Matilda. It starts "Once a jolly swagman caught a dose of Gonorrhoea, under a shade of a syphilis tree"

It ends with

"and he sang as he rammed his chopper up her fuckabox,

you'll come a waltzing Matilda with me".

MEN OF HARLECH

There is a variant and mildly racist version of Men Of Harlech which has lyrics, involving an anatomically difficult thing involving drinking celebrations and rugby balls and English arses.

But I digress. In Part 2 I will detail the way that Nietzsche affected the heroine.