Obvious

This word, seemingly, needs little explanation. However, after getting past the "obvious" meaning of the word, things become a bit more complicated. Yes, the word does mean self-evident, apparent, readily observed, and numerous other synomyms. They all refer in one way or another to a "surface" or "facade"...something in need of no further investigation or explanation. Yet, the word "obvious" has another meaning and although this meaning is related to the ones above, it also, in fact, involves the negation of these meanings.

The critical meaningconcerns what's under the surface or behind the facade. Thus, obvious also means that which hides, conceals, distorts, and gets in the way of something else. As such, the "obvious" conceals as much, if not more than, as it reveals. Something that is obvious is a concealment of other realities...and must be looked beyond. While everything has a surface...to be sure...surface (or form) is just that and is not equal to substance or content. The surface or appearance...once so obvious...may be concealing other realities which constitute whatever it is being observed or investigated. Sociologist Peter L. Berger called this the1st Wisdom of Sociology...that is, nothing is as it seems to be.

Therefore, the obvious...the apparent "is"...represents only the first step in investigation...it must be debunked...and never taken-for-granted. It never will be in TSS. The art of mistrust, as Berger put it, will be exercised here.