An engineer, a psychologist, and a theologian were hunting in the wilderness of northern Canada. Suddenly, the temperature dropped and a furious snowstorm was upon them. They came across an isolated cabin, far removed from any town. The hunters had heard that the locals in the area were quite hospitable, so they knocked on the door to ask for shelter from the storm.
No one answered their knocks, but they discovered the cabin was not locked, so they entered. It was a simple place; two rooms with a minimum of furniture and household equipment. Nothing was too unusual about the cabin, except the stove. It was a large cast iron pot-bellied stove. What was strange about it was its location. It was suspended in midair by wires attached to the ceiling beams.
"Fascinating," said the psychologist. "It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has elevated this stove so that he can curl up under it to sleep and vicariously experience a return to the womb."
"Nonsense," sputtered the engineer. "The man is practicing the laws of thermodynamics. By elevating his stove, he has discovered a way to distribute heat more evenly throughout the cabin."
"With all due respect," interrupted the soft-spoken theologian, "I’m sure that hanging his stove from the ceiling has religious meaning. Fire lifted up has been a religious symbol for centuries."
The three argued their respective views for several hours without resolving the issue. When the trapper finally returned and they had explained their plight and thanked him properly, they asked him why he had hung his heavy pot-bellied stove from the ceiling.
His answer was succinct. "Had plenty of wire; not much stove pipe."