Reading Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland It leaves the reader reflecting, searching in its metaphors and similes for answers to questions that have not been spoken. In the case of Roger-Pol Droit’s novel, we meet another Alice, a current one, from the 21st centurywhich inspired by the classic novel that her mother read to her as a child, ends up falling down the rabbit hole, landing in the ‘Land of Ideas’.

An enjoyable and profound read, this novel takes us by the hand to discover the main ideas of the great philosophers of history. But not so that we know his history, but so that we understand how his ideas continue to be applied in the present.. And with that same mission, the author gives us this interview in which we talk about his book and ask ourselves questions about happiness, the common good, philosophy and its main champions, to discover that, as Socrates said, “a life without reflection is not worth living.”

-Is there a secret to happiness? And if so, what would it be?

The secret of happiness is that there is no secret to happiness. If we imagine that the key is mysterious, that somewhere there is a secret that must be discovered, a kind of hidden key, a key to open the door to happiness, then we are wrong. There is no secret, and that is the secret.

It is a very well-kept secret, because it is very simple, because it is very transparent, too much. And, in fact, in my opinion, I agree with Nietzsche on this point, with certain differences, and that is that the secret of happiness is saying yes to life. But as long as we understand that life is not only made of positive things, and that a life without suffering, without challenges, without violence, without anything negative, is obviously a dream.

And saying yes to life is saying yes, of course, to beauty, to joy, to friendship, to love, to orgasm. But it is also saying yes, even if we don’t like it, to suffering, betrayal, violence, hatred, which are part of life. We would all like to decrease the negative and increase the positive. But that dream of eliminating all negativity seems like a mistake to me.

-At the beginning of your novel, we find an Alice that reminds us of Lewis Carroll, who has many questions. Why do human beings need to ask themselves so many questions? Are the questions important?

Questions must be asked because it is our condition. We do not live from programmed instincts.

A spider or a migratory bird does not ask the questions we ask. They are made in a certain way, guided by their genetic code, by their instincts. We, of course, have a genetic code and an animal part. We are mammals, but we are also animals that live modified by language. Transformed by symbolic thought.

And we have enough intelligence and neural equipment to question ourselves about the world, about existence, about the way in which we have to behave. But we don’t have the answers. We have intuitions, convictions, demonstrations, but we do not have absolute certainties.

This is where the need to question ourselves arises. Questioning ourselves about how we differentiate good and evil, how we should live… It is something that is not programmed anywhere. We do not have the definitive instruction book of existence.

–One of those questions that Alicia asks herself is: How can we be useful to society? And I think it is a very important question to ask our readers. How can we be useful to society?

Alice in the land of ideas is a girl of today. She is not a girl like Lewis Carroll’s, from the 19th century. She is a young woman of the 21st century who is afraid of climate warming, the increase in violence, the collapse of biodiversity and who wonders about her own existence and her future. But also about the future of others and of the entire society.

How to be useful? Well, first by reflecting, telling ourselves that the ideas we have in our heads we have to examine them. That is the gesture of philosophy. It is not doing very complex, academic, university, boring things. I think it is vital. And that the idea of ​​being useful to others is first to find, to rediscover the concern of collective life.

It is very good to take care of yourself and your individual life. But we live permanently with others and thanks to them. We must not forget that if we are in the world it is because we are not alone. We are first because we have been generated and educated. And all this leaves the mark of others on us.

When we look into ourselves, when we introspect, when we seek to include ourselves in solitude, we find others. And this is something that is totally essential to understand.

Then, obviously, it is about being as useful as possible through work, reflections, actions and commitments. But I believe that everything first involves becoming aware of our interdependence. Towards our neighbors, friends, etc. And all the rest of the human beings. And more broadly, if we want, to all living beings.

-How can philosophy help us make better decisions in life?

First, considering that philosophy is important to live. That is to say, it is not simply a visit to heritage, like someone who goes to a museum and then goes to visit ancient sculptures, canvases from the 18th century… First you have to understand that there are living things here. That maybe we have to be more sensitive, more accessible. And that’s my job. Not just mine, of course. That of all those who transmit something to the public.

For me, it is not about being interested in history, in the doctrines themselves. It is about understanding what the fundamental gesture of each philosopher is, but also what the process of philosophy as a whole is.

What does it consist of? It consists first of understanding that ideas are essential for our existence. Socrates was the first to say that a life without reflection is not worth living. What does this mean? That, if we do not reflect on what we have in our heads, if we do not take some distance from our own ideas, we are not living a life worth living.

It is a way of saying: «I believe this, I am convinced, but is it true? Where does it come from?» It has come to me through my education, my childhood, my studies, my own time. I live with it, but I have never observed it, I have never questioned it.

And finally that is the only starting gesture of all philosophy. It is always a personal, intimate experience, in which we tell ourselves everything that is in our heads and we question it. This way I can realize that some ideas are mirages, that they do not stand the test, and with them, with those ideas, I make my decisions. I decide about my life, I decide about my relationship with others, about politics, about everything. And if I change my ideas, even a little, I can obviously change my actions and my decisions as well.

-We perhaps live in one of the moments in which it is easier to blur the truth, which complicates the development of critical thinking. How can we cultivate it in the age of fake newsartificial intelligence and social networks?

I think we are, indeed, in a complex time. And Alicia, my heroine, is the first to observe it, of course, and to experience this complexity. He is afraid of a future that we do not understand.

The first difficulty is that we no longer have a clear representation of the future. There is no story. Not long ago we could know what our own existence was going to be, 10 or 20 years from now, even more. Previous generations knew that things changed, but slowly, not at the dizzying speed at which they change today. We don’t know what will become of us in 10 years, let alone the next generation.

Indeed, of the fake newsof the deepfakeof artificial intelligence, which really makes the borders more tenuous between what is illusory and what is real, all of that, raises many questions, and makes it difficult to know how to get out of it, how to behave.

The first thing is that we must not imagine that this is going to stop. And, therefore, we must learn to live with it, but with a form of critical distance. Is what I’m looking at, what I’m seeing, real? Is what they tell me true? And not let this demand fall, because it is increasingly abandoned.

What most of us want today is to know if it interests us or if it bores us. The priority is whether it amuses us, if it outrages us, if it angers us, if it makes us more tender. ..And that is not prohibited, of course, but they are feelings.

So let’s not forget that, of course, we have our feelings, but there is also the shared reality of verifiable truths.

And that is what Alicia discovers on her journey. It does not only discover doctrines or philosophical perspectives. Also discover that the important thing is, with respect to oneself and others, to be in an attitude of reflection, of attention, of not believing everything we are told, of not doing everything that crosses our mind. And that there is a responsibility for each person, and a collective responsibility that must be preserved.

-During her trip, Alice meets different philosophers. And I wanted to ask you a personal question. If you could have taken that journey, which of those philosophers would you have liked to sit down, have a coffee and talk with?

It’s a difficult question. It’s a complicated question because I’ve spent my life having coffee with dead philosophers and living philosophers. Because I have been lucky enough to be able to interview and exchange with most of the great contemporary philosophers. But I have also spent my life as a teacher and as a researcher reading and studying the Greek, Indian, Chinese philosophers and, of course, the great Europeans.

But I’m not going to avoid the question. And it would probably be Nietzsche that I would like to chat with, because he is probably the last of the philosophers. Obviously there are still philosophers and I hope there will be in the future. But with Nietzsche a story that begins in Europe and in the West with Socrates, Plato and, of course, Aristotle closes. It continues throughout the centuries, appears in schools….

That cycle closes with Nietzsche because he finally questions the pillars of philosophy, criticizing the very idea of ​​truth, the very idea of ​​morality, of good, of evil. Criticizing things that seem fundamental to us, such as equality, freedom. And it’s not that I agree with Nietzsche, but it seems to me that he is a philosopher who must be listened to in his power, in his objections. Above all, because it has such depth and such sincerity, that it really questions us with something very strong, very deep.

Some of their solutions seem unbearable to me and should be rejected. But we cannot act as if it did not exist. When one asks, for example, if in our solidarity with others, in our demand for justice and equality, there would not be a kind…