h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

RMan. So it would appear that even Oscar could be a bit of an idiot at times!

toxx

Now Toxx; I won't hear a word against Blessed Oscar of Merrion Square. Besides he described himself (with every justification) as greatly over-educated.

That's your prerogative, RMan. I guess I'm kinda over-educated myself. Not that I've any inclination to complain about it.

toxx

I'm not over- educated yet. Soon, though.

Two more from Oscar:

"The... dislike of Realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass."

"The... dislike of Romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass."

Roadie. I suspect that something on antirealism will help you on the way to becoming over-educated: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:ZdKKLU6NI54J:www.lucs.lu.se/spinning/categories/decision/Herrmann/Herrmann.pdf+antirealism&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

toxx

Hi chaps,

Having missed the last couple of days, I was concerned to see that this thread was drifting off towards GFoF, and that you, Toxx, were back on your kalam soap-box.

One of the joys of this thread has been that we have loads of quotes, more or less philosophical in content ( let's keep the definition of philosophy as wide as possible ) interspersed with bursts of enjoyable argument/discussion of philosophical views. Let's not be too doctrinaire about the purpose of the thread, as rigidity ( in the wrong context ) kills.

So here's another from our divine Oscar, whose witty inversion of popular clichees has weather the passing of the years with its humour scintillatingly intact. Which is rare with humour.( Think how unfunny most of Shakespeare's comedies now seem.) Indeed, the philosophy of humour is a topic of great potential.


" Ignorance, Mr. Worthing, is like a rare fruit. Touch it, and the bloom is lost..."

The joy of Shakespeare is in the performance.

"Activity is the only reality" -- Novalis

"To be is to be the value of a variable." - Quine.

"For every continuous symmetry of the laws of physics, there must exist a conservation law. For every conservation law, there must exist a continuous symmetry."

Noether.

"Our job is simply to be just. That is, we have only to identify and solve the injustices of philosophy, without setting up new parties and creeds." -- Wittgenstein

Please type in your name and a Philosophical Phrase to join.

Name: Hussassan
Phrase: Without evil, there can be no good.

I hope that one hasn't been said before...

Welcome Hussassan -- that's a good one, you could use it to prove that evil is good!

Yeah, Eddie Murphy used similar logic in the movie Vampire in Brooklyn. Ooh, just thought of a new one:

Once you discover what the phrase 'Meaning of Life' actually means, you will find your answer.

"If you think your are beaten, your are,
If you think you dare not, you don't;
If you think you'd like to win, but you can't,
It's almost certain you won't;

If you think you'll lose, you've lost,
For out in the world you''ll find;
Success begins with a person's will,
It's all in the State of mind.

For many a race is lost,
Ere many a race is run;
And many a coward fails,
Even before the work's begun.

Think big and your deeds will grow,
Think small and you'll fall behind.
Think that you can and you will,
It's all in the State of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise;
You've got to be sure of yourselfe before,
You can ever win the prize.

Life's battle doesn't always go,
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later, the ones who win,
Are the ones who think they can."

*this is probably more poetry than philosophy, but i just wanted to share it with you.*

(P.S. does anyone know who it is by?)

http://www.hummelmotorsports.com/beatan.htm has a short version of the poem, ascribed to someone called "Arthur Unknown" -- no sorry, that's "author".

It looks Kiplingesque, with a few moderninsms to rule that out.

"As legends of kings
are remembered as great
And the Truth of their lives
fades with the past
So the idea of love
once held in one
Will fade in greatness
as time moves on.
Sometimes,
an image or an idea
Will manifest itself as
the incarnation of hope
And the embodiment of love,
This is why heroes are sought
And lovers looked for anew."

Couldn't resist the poetic strain.

State of mind is difficult to consciously alter. So you have to think about altering - but, as the poem says, if you don't believe that you can alter your outlook, you can't.

I once had a conversation with a well-known singer who said he wanted to change his life but was hindered by the fact that the effort was so boring. Someone protested that boring wasn't the word, but he said, yes, it was like looking through a pile of newspapers for one particular ad you need to find; boring.

I sympathised with him; his present condition is that after decades of fame people approach him constantly with schemes to make money out of him. They don't seem to hear no, and bother him endlessly.

Let us relish our obscurity.

Fame is striving for years to be pointed out in the street then ducking down side alleys with sunglasses so you won't be recognized.