Thumb as Tool

Lisa and I have been experiencing thumb problems recently. We’ve worked our way through various medical practitioners, beginning with a chiropractor, then an orthopedist, and finally a physical therapist specializing in hands. The orthopedist gave me a diagnosis of arthritis, and this only after he kept characterizing my pain and its location in one place and I kept characterizing it in another. He ordered an x-ray and that settled the matter. According to him, it was weird all right, but I did have arthritis. And then to save face, I think, he diagnosed me with a case of trigger finger too. Trigger finger involves the tendons in the base of the thumb becoming swollen, which can causes a painful clicking further up the thumb. Lisa, on the other hand, was given an ill fitting plastic splint for Gamekeeper’s thumb. Each of us was unsatisfied with the diagnoses and with the lack of explanation and methods for alleviating the pain, other than taking Naproxen by prescription. We eagerly awaited our appointments with the physical therapist.

But we were disappointed with what we learned from the hand therapist. Lisa’s assignment is to stop hyperextending her fingers—something she has done since, oh, birth. To me, the therapist’s refrain was "Your thumb is not a tool. Do not use your thumb as a tool." This has introduced a whole new dimension to my being in the world. Everything I do—from getting a bowl out from the cupboard to clicking my mechanical pencil to advance the lead to opening a door—throws me into a panic. "Am I using my thumb as a tool here??"

Humans often reduce the distinction between ourselves and other animals to the thumb. We often then go on to say that our use of tools distinguishes us as well. These two definitions collapse together, and we see ourselves as unique and superior because we use our thumbs as tools. Does this mean that I am devolving if I can no longer use my thumb as a tool?

It seems to me that the thumb is exactly a tool; it is always used as a means to an end. And this is where Kant makes a guest appearance in my thinking. Kant’s second formulation of the Categorical Imperative states that people should treat others always as an end in themselves and never merely as a means. The fundamental issue is the respect for the autonomy (that’s autonomy, not anatomy) and dignity of the other person. At first I fixated on the means/end relationship. What would it mean for me to treat my thumb not as a means? Would this mean treating it as an end, and what would that involve? Or is there another alternative that is neither a means nor an end?

After puzzling about these questions, I realized that I was focusing on the wrong concept. It really is a matter of respect. One can have respect for something as a means but also recognize that it is not an end in itself. With regard to my thumb, respect for it involves recognizing its limitations. So for example, no longer will I use my thumb to pry and push things when other implements are available for doing so. Recognizing the limitations of something is one way to show respect for it. This is what philosophers do; we mark the limits of language and knowledge, for example. This, apparently, is how I will be leaving my thumbprint on philosophy.