And the simple answer is, there is no answer, and it all depends on who you're talking you to. KLEIN: Well, the whole idea of what is the meaning of life has been sort of the err question of a lot of metaphysical philosophy. What insight does that give? What philosophical concept does that illustrate? HANSEN: All right, Daniel, I'll go to you. A teacup? I came all the way up here to find the meaning of life and you tell me it's a teacup? The guru shrugs, so maybe it isn't a teacup. Ah, yes, the secret of life, the guru says. Oh, wise guru, the seeker says, I have come to ask you what the secret of life is.

But there's the guru, sitting cross-legged in front of his cave. By the time he reaches the top, he's full of cuts and bruises. It's incredibly steep, and more than once, he slips and falls. CATHCART: A seeker has heard the wisest guru in all of India lives atop India's highest mountain, so the seeker tracks over a hill in Delhi until he reaches the fabled mountain. HANSEN: Okay, we're going to start with another example, and it's in the chapter metaphysics. Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes'): Hi, Liane. DANIEL KLEIN (Co-author, 'Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. THOMAS CATHCART (Co-author, 'Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. And they join us from member station WBUR in Boston. And that's what Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein hope to accomplish with their new book, 'Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. It helps to know a little about Buddhist philosophy to understand the joke, and the joke itself provides a little insight into Buddhist philosophy. The vendor says, change comes from within. The Buddhist pays the vendor and asks for change. A Buddhist walks up to a hotdog stand and says, make me one with everything.

Plato and a platypus jokes