Bad Guideline: Philosophy Forums

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Bad Guideline

heimdall
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Posted 08/15/08 - 01:24 AM: Subject: Bad Guideline	#1
You're looking to share your ultimate grand philosophical solution to life, the universe and everything with the poor peons who lack your brainpower. This is a bad guideline, if taken literally. (And how else am I to take it?) It would have prevented Kant, Leibniz, Descartes, etc., from posting their grand philosophical solutions had the internet been around at the time. Since I have a grand philosophical solution, I feel the pain.

Paul
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Posted 08/15/08 - 04:03 PM:	#2
You aren't Kant. It's far, far more likely that you're just insane. If you are Kant-quality, show me a list of your publications or where you've taught or at the very least your PhD and I'll grant you an exemption for being a qualified likely-genius. It would have prevented Kant, Leibniz, Descartes, etc., from posting their grand philosophical solutions had the internet been around at the time. Somehow, I highly doubt they'd have wanted to post here. Socrates is the only philosopher who would, and that's just to heckle you for thinking you have grand solutions.

heimdall
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Posted 08/16/08 - 06:23 AM:	#3
Paul wrote: You aren't Kant. It's far, far more likely that you're just insane. If you are Kant-quality, show me a list of your publications or where you've taught or at the very least your PhD and I'll grant you an exemption for being a qualified likely-genius. It would have prevented Kant, Leibniz, Descartes, etc., from posting their grand philosophical solutions had the internet been around at the time. Somehow, I highly doubt they'd have wanted to post here. Socrates is the only philosopher who would, and that's just to heckle you for thinking you have grand solutions. It's far more likely I'm simply wrong than that I'm insane, as I think you will agree, if you reflect a moment. It's odd that you expect people to put in more than 30 seconds before they post, but if someone puts in years of effort and thinks he has a grand solution to some philosophical problem, you don't want to hear from them. What is it you fear? That someone is just going to post a lot of illucid prose? Then ban that. That they are going to become abusive? Then ban that. But if I give views, supported by reasons, presented coherently, and respond reasonably to criticisms, why would you want to ban me or what I want to post? So what if I think I have a grand solution and you think that there's only one chance in a million that I do? If you're right, you or someone here will point out the flaw and we will all go away the wiser.

Paul
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Posted 08/16/08 - 05:28 PM:	#4
Thinking you know everything and are amazingly deep is a common symptom of mental illness. We get at least a dozen such self-declared super-geniuses every month. If you have a solution to some particular problem, great, do share. If you have the solution to everything, you're insane because there is no answer to life, the universe, and everything (except 42).

heimdall
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Posted 08/16/08 - 08:18 PM:	#5
hyena in petticoat wrote: Thinking you know everything and are amazingly deep is a common symptom of mental illness. We get at least a dozen such self-declared super-geniuses every month. If you have a solution to some particular problem, great, do share. If you have the solution to everything, you're insane because there is no answer to life, the universe, and everything (except 42). Philosophers have often been concerned with questions regarding the purpose of life, the ultimate constituents of everything, the nature of the universe, etc. And, they are constantly coming up with their grand solutions. Google "what is philosophy" some time and look at some of the answers. Read Nietzsche's famous description of what this world is to him. What was Kant's opinion of his accomplishments in a Critique of Pure Reason? I will tell you; they were pretty high. Isn't what you really care about reason, civility, and coherence? And not whether the writer has a high opinion of himself or a grand solution? I sympathize with your desire to keep out crackpots, but, in my experience, crackpots are rarely civil, reasonable, or coherent and could easily be kept out on those grounds.

Pete
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Posted 08/16/08 - 11:56 PM:	#6
I'm intrigued. I'd like to see this thing. Why not follow Hyena's advice and start with an application of the grand solution to just one of the problems you hope it solves?

heimdall
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Posted 08/17/08 - 07:19 AM:	#7
Pete wrote: I'm intrigued. I'd like to see this thing. Why not follow Hyena's advice and start with an application of the grand solution to just one of the problems you hope it solves? My plan is somewhat similar, especially as I fear I am beating a dead horse.

Kwalish Kid
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Posted 08/17/08 - 07:26 AM:	#8
heimdall wrote: It's far more likely I'm simply wrong than that I'm insane, as I think you will agree, if you reflect a moment. On reflection, I still suspect some form of mental illness.
"Scientific truth is always paradox, if judged by everyday experience, which catches only the delusive nature of things." - KM, V, P and P "A fishnet is made up of a lot more holes than strings, but you can't therefore argue that the net doesn't exist. Just ask the fish." - Jeffrey Kluger "…Love of God and compassion and empathy leads you to a very glorious place, and science leads you to killing people." -Ben Stein [This is included for the irony.]

heimdall
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Posted 08/17/08 - 11:48 AM:	#9
Kwalish Kid wrote: On reflection, I still suspect some form of mental illness. It's probably your own. :-)

Kelby
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Posted 08/17/08 - 02:33 PM:	#10
Can you get on with blessing us with your absolute wisdom already...
Embodied Cognition: http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/embodcog.htm#H2

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