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

Today is Q for the Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. As all hootooers know, the answer is 42! But you may also remember that Deep Thought told the philosphers they didn't understand the answer because they didn't understand the question. So he invented the computer more powerful than any other - to find the question to the ulitmate answer.

I studied philosophy, along with English and I think most philosophers are better at framing their questions. I wondered how much philosophy I remembered after many years.

I do remember that many of the great philosophers are concerned with epistemology - the study of how we know anything about the world. Plato compared the nature of our knowledge of the world to the state of prisoners who were kept in a cave, while servants walked behind them carrying objects. All the prisoners could see was the shadows of the objects on the wall in front of them. Plato thought there was an Ideal world, where Ideas of objects existed in a pure form. This is difficult enough when the Ideas are of horses or tables, but causes even more problems when the Ideas concern abstracts like Justice or Goodness.

Much later, the French philosopher Descartes asked himself what he knew about the world with any certainty and came up with the famous conclusion Cogito ergo sum - I think, therefore I am. But he went from this conclusion to deciding that God exists too, which is less self-evident.

So how useful did I find my smattering of philosophy? I suppose its chief use is encouraging students to ask questions, instead of blindly accepting what they are told. So if you asked a philosopher "How important is philosophy?" he would probably reply "It depends what you mean by philosophy." I would like to corner a representative of UKIP and ask "What do you mean by independence?"

But, as Deep Thought pointed out, philosophers can discuss questions for a very long time, without coming to any firm conclusion. Meanwhile, its probably not much use to ask the question about Life, the Universe and Everything. It's probably better to ask "What can I do today that is constructive, creative or useful? "

The only thing I remember from my philosophy class is typing papers on the uni computers (Macs) and saving them. "Replace 'The Nature of Reality'? Yes/No"

I would caution people against taking Plato's idea of ideal models. Where do our conceptions of these ideals come from? From our own minds. So, what w3e're doing is making up ideal standards based on something hypothetical. if you're a solipsist, you believe that you are the only entity that is real. Everyone else is an illusion, so of course *you* are the ideal against which everyone else must be judged and found wanting.

I give Plato credit for starting the discussion going. He unfortunately did not have the chance to discuss these things with later philosophers, for he died too soon or they were born too late.

I did a bunch of philosophy back in the day, and it really was such fun. Totally pointless of course; while two philosophers argue about the nature of being, the rest of us are demolishing the buffet and drinking all the free booze.

The ultimate question is; do you care about why or would you rather party with the cool guys in the corner.

Answers on a postcard, no prizes, it's just for fun.

Deb

Too deep for me, anyone for a

I'm loving this philosophical discussion. Great insights, love the postings. They're making me chuckle over my morning coffee.

I had a brush with philosophy at uni. Loved it. Always felt it was like maths with words and I am much better with words than numbers. But getting the words right *is* important. What is independence indeed.

OK, I'll lay on a philosophical party, with and and you can discuss whether the stuff is real.

Splendid! Thanks mvp.

You see, the thing about cake is.... (stares at cake).. am I experiencing this piece of cake the same way you are? Can I communicate to you how I am experiencing this piece of cake, or are we all essentially alone in our worlds of sensory experience. And ...

(piece of cake flies through the air) splat.

Come back, where's the party gone?

The problem of whether this cake
is real, a delusion, or fake
can be argued for ages
by various sages
but someone will end with a bellyache!

" am I experiencing this piece of cake the same way you are?" [Cactuscafe]

I think that most people would experience it much the same way. The exceptions would be people with impaired taste buds -- especially the ones that detect sweetness -- or congested noses, because much of what we regard as taste are really smell.

It is said that people in advanced stages of Alzheimers have olfactory distortions: a lot of things stink to them. These poor souls might think cake stinks to high heaven.

I have this about music. My husband is tone deaf and can't hear the beat. I would understand if he didn;t really like music. But in fact he is very into it, at least, very into it filtered through hi fi equipment. He can hear things in the difference between one piece of equipment that I can't, despite my 'superior' musical sense. Therefore, I am forced to conclude that we are essentially experiencing the music we are both hearing, at the same time and via the same medium very differently.

This freaks me out, especially when it comes to the question of cake.

... between one piece of equipment and another... Perview, perview, perview.

That's an interesting point.

Good morning, various sages. .

I'm enjoying mvp's philosophy party!

Hmm, yes, that is interesting, Solnushka, about the music. I think about a lot about sensory worlds, I'm very fascinated by the diversity of experience. In fact, more like astounded!




At what point in the party can I discuss the philosphical concept of The Void?

The point in the party where I am to be a-voided. haha.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Void_(philosophy)

Actually, I don't understand a word of this , but I do think about nothingness being inseparable from somethingness, and the other way round. And I know that somethingness isn't a word, , and there's no word for nothingness, not even Void.

I'm into the Tao, though, and the emptiness that the Buddhists speak of, but I think I might a-void nihilism and existentialism.

Perhaps the is-ness of all things has its roots in the transience of all things.

And, you know what? I think I might shuddup and a-void myself for the rest of the day.