In a dialogue, the name of a character may be expected to give something of the flavor of his or her contribution. So what is to be made of my ‘C’ and ‘S’? S will not be smug or stultiloquent, surely. Scrupulous? Perhaps. Sophisticated? No doubt, but remember that the epithet need not be complimentary (or the attribute complementary). Skeptical? So it would appear, but concerning what? Might his researches have serendipitous results? We shall have to wait and see. And C? Is she conservative or countercultural, Catholic or (what is not after all so far distant) Calvinist? Does she aspire to captivate as she conjures up objections to S's arguments? More than a counterpoint or counterpoise, perhaps Cleanthea is her proper name. I incline, however, toward the more humble collaborator, and I hope that S is listening; for there may be larger realities to deal with here than can easily be captured by any of our divisions or names.

Sitting across the aisle from each other in a university lecture theater, with no one else present, C and S at last strike up a conversation. Before long, a question is uncovered concerning which our two philosophers are not agreed, and, in good philosophical style, they proceed to settle the issue through reasoned debate.