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

By which source have you decided you're an existentialist? Kierkegaard, Dostoyvsky, Nietzsche are the older ones what about Sartre, or Camus?

Or is it just fashionable to call oneself an existentialist?

Being between is something I know about I am a middle child so I started out between. I am currently between jobs, now there's something that's not so good to be between, kinda like a rock and a hard place. Mostly though I am constantly mediating other people, between forces that are not under my control yet needing to make peace.

What books have you read how about "Notes from underground" there's a good one for you. Currently in university class on existentialism, so I am currently well read on the above authors.

More so Satre, for me

I'm afraid I haven't read very many books on philosophy, never having been pushed in the direction of any good ones

I just love philosophy... Maybe one of these days I'll get to sit a class

Kierkegaard is the earliest and the most optimistic of the bunch, they hadn't even invented the term existentialist when he was writing.


The writings of Dostoyevsky are first person naratives in the style of the existentialists. Notes from Underground is the text I've read. In many respect it describes me but it is Russian and there is a note of the typical depressed Russian filling it.

Alienation seems to be one of the toughest characteristic that we share. An un utterable abyss between myself and the rest of the world.

I actively discourage people from reading Nietzsche, his ego is unchecked and he has real "father" problems.

I have not read Sartre, just know about him, but I have a problem with the French so I'm unlikely to read either him or Camus, oh well.

Philosophy is such a bore (yawn) do you have anything more exciting to chat about?? I'm all ears ( not really but it sounds good). If you've read my page then you know all there is to know about me, any questions??

Dostoyevsky sounds like a name to look out for...

Anywho, you certainly seem like a man of the world... I've always wanted to go hanggliding.. don't know that I'm brave enough

Hang gliding is so much like flying as a bird does. It is exhilerating beyond description. I just wish that I owned the equipment myself and I had more time to do it.

Sounds like great fun, anyway...

Have you seen this new thing where you get put into a large plastic ball and basically get rolled down a hill<?>

Sounds painfull where have you seen such craziness?

Speaking of craziness, there is a Televsion program here that is called the Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. In it Japanese teams compete on a Japanese televsion program, and there is English dialog placed over the action, which totally abuses the people that participates. Most of the contestants get covered with mud or fall from heights or do other stupid human tricks. It seems that they enjoy it but who knows with the Japanese.

Rolling down a hill in a ball would only be a mild thing compared with what goes on in this program, the original Japanes program is called Takiishi's csatle or some such name.

I laugh but with regrets for the pain they endure.

http://www.time.com/time/2003/inventions/invjacket.html
Want wings?
The guy ends up looking a bit like the Buzz Lightyear.

Hi I saw your title on the stats page and was intruiged.
Thought I'd go ahead and leave this offering since you have moved on to another topic.

Hi Abbi! *waves*
Neat jacket...
Did someone say Stats page<?>

I've heard of those Japanese game shows... seem a bit sadistic to me.. We hve something vaguely similar here where fo each question a contestant gets wrong they have to mutilate a part of the prize they will win...

The ball thing actually looks quite funny... I guess it'd make you know what it feels to be a hamster

I juggle many conversations at anyone time, although I have been known to take a day or so off. I am a multi-dimensional being with 26 known dimensions to answer each and every one would take more than 24 hours in a day.

That jacket seems like a person could get a good buzz from it.

I noticed though that it is only a prototype.

I'm from the American Pacific Northwest, but I am an Anglophile from the get go. I will be seeing the Mikado this weekend.(In case you dont know about the Mikado it is a Gilbert and Sullivan "operetta" from the Victorian era very funny, very British)

From what I've seen and heard the people who participate actually enjoy themselves.

Japan is a very homogeneous population. Unlike either the USA or Britain. So they just dont have to worry about such social things as we do. I remember a year in Los Angeles when the cultural fair had entries from 150 different cultural groups. In such a diverse field it is difficult to know for sure just where you stand with a person, the facial movements can be different, the "personal space" will be different and so much of what a person takes for granted can or will be different.

In Japan, there is very little personal space, for instance a crowded island, expensive land, pushers in the subways to push people onto the trains during commuter hours (without complaints). A very conformist country. Which frees them up socially to experience a gameshow that would humiliate one of us, they just dont get the humiliation its fun. ( barring injuries of course)

*turns the light in the forum back on*

Anyone still here......?
Sorry about the erm, lack of response, but I've only really just come back from not really being around

Where were we?