Last night, around a neighbour's fire pit and after a friendly bar-b-q, a rather rustic yokel put a question to me - one I, as a professional philosopher and theologian, have encountered before. "Why would anyone want to study philosophy?" he lancinated, with more than a little animosity. I deflected his response, not wanting to incite a riot (there were other PhD's around the fire), and after all, he was several drinks in: "Perhaps a person might want to open a bait shop," I joked. "You know, a 'philosophy and bait shop'." Everyone laughed. But not my irritated friend.