Some question force you to employ your sense of logic, ethics, and/or ability to see a topic from all sides. These questions range from the metaphysical (What is the meaning of life?) to the practical (Is a hot dog a sandwich?) to ridiculous scenarios and even questions that might hit home and help you to better know yourself. The new book Questions for Deep Thinkers: 200+ of the Most Challenging Questions You (Probably) Never Thought to Ask by Henry Kraemer and Brandon Marcus contains 250 such questions, with a philosophical and humorous look at both sides of each conundrum. Enjoy this sneak peek at the book.
Social Sciences for Deep Thinkers
Deep thinkers need social sciences to survive. The deeper you climb inside your own head, the harder it becomes to do social things, such as going outside in the daytime, making eye contact with your personal magician, or ordering food without pointing to your open mouth. Luckily, you have this chapter to guide you through the mysteries of social life. You just might uncover the secrets behind human behavior as you ponder the questions found here, such as the benefits of solid food versus baby food and whether or not you should feel awkward when you think about former child stars aging into attractive adults. Open your mind to the sweet science of society and become the best psycho-socio-economist on your block!
Is it more acceptable for a human being to eat a dolphin or for a pig to eat a human?
Point: We have been treating pigs poorly for generations now. We ridicule them constantly. What’s the worst thing you can call someone when he eats too much? A pig! We even put pictures of pigs eating themselves on barbecue billboards! So I say it’s about time a pig gets its revenge. If some pig is crafty enough to find a way to dine on a human rather than the other way around, more power to the pig. Not only is it fair, it’s actually pretty darn impressive.
Counterpoint: Whose team are you on? At the end of the day, it’s us or the beasts. I’m not saying it would be fun to eat a dolphin. They’re smart, love to laugh, and would probably have rubbery meat. But they’re not human! I’ve never understood why so many people side with animals over other people. You can’t shake hands with a dolphin. You can’t ask it to save you a seat at the movies. You can’t take loving family pictures with it at Sears. What, do they think they’re too good for us? It’s high time they learned some respect. And nothing teaches something respect like eating it.
Other Question to Ponder
Suppose your life savings is assembled in a big stack of cash. Which would you rather have watching it: a family of crows or a robot with a tennis racket?
How many friends need to sip from the same container before it’s too gross to drink from?
Would you rather kiss a person who has jelly beans for teeth or a banana for a tongue?
Would it be worse to be a middle schooler who says everything she thinks out loud or an adult who has to listen to middle schoolers’ best insults of her every day until she dies?
Would the New York Stock Exchange be better if every broker on the floor sounded like Kim Kardashian or Ray Romano?
How long after a former child star turns eighteen does it become acceptable to admit being attracted to him?
If a werewolf landed on the moon, would it touch down as a man or a wolf?
When sitting at a movie theater, which armrest is yours?
What’s the most untrustworthy animal?
Would you rather kiss a person with jellybeans for teeth, or a banana for a tongue?
Which invention has caused the most unhappiness: fire, the wheel, or the internet?
Meet the Authors
Henry Kraemer (Portland, OR) is a voting rights activist, community organizer, political prankster, podcast host, and overzealous dog dad. His activism (he helped mastermind the successful campaign for America’s first automatic voter registration law) has been covered by the Nation, NPR, and The Washington Spectator. Meanwhile, his trolling SuperPAC, Americans Against Insecure Billionaires with Tiny Hands, somehow captured the attention of Time, USA TODAY, CBS News, The Atlantic, The Guardian, New York Magazine, and ABC News.
Brandon Marcus (Portland, OR) is a spirited pop culture aficionado whose writing has appeared on several sites including Fandom.com, CHUD.com, NerdBastards.com, and VeryAware.com. He has been soaking in all things movie, TV, and music from a young age. He also spends his time complaining about politics, reading comics, and hopelessly rooting on his Los Angeles Lakers.
Excerpted from Questions for Deep Thinkers: 200+ of the Most Challenging Questions You (Probably) Never Thought to Ask by Henry Kraemer and Brandon Marcus Copyright © 2018 Adams Media, a division of Simon and Schuster. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
This seems to be a great book to have during a drinking game.
1. No. A hot dog without a bun is still a hot dog, and that is not a sandwich.
2. Fire is not an invention. Anyone who's visited Facebook knows the answer is the Internet.
3. James Cromwell. We've been through this.