Pope redux

Alexander Pope said, “Whatever is, is right” (An Essay on Man) If whatever is, is right, then whatever was, was right. But might be wrong now. Except if it still is, it has to be right. But if it changed, it was right and now is right differently. Which means right changed. Which means that yesterday’s right could be today’s wrong. But we know that just as many wrongs don’t make a right, many rights don’t make a wrong. In any case: if whatever is, is right, you don’t need to worry about what’s wrong because nothing’s wrong. But if “whatever is, is right” is wrong, then that could explain why things very often seem like they’re wrong. It could even be true that whatever is is wrong, and then we’re in a real mess. Hey, we are in a real mess. Which means Pope was wrong. But we know a Pope can never be wrong. So forget what I just said.