Reply to: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - A reprise

[DimPrawn]

sasguru hath spoken. Here endeth the lesson.

[sasguru]

what he is saying is that gravity is real to you - thats the way you are trained to think
witch doctors are real to African tribesmen - thats the way they are trained to think
ghosts are real to Indian villagers - thats the way they are trained to think


in the context of the way the brain works, what is actually true, in the sense of laws of phyics, doesnt matter.

Are those beliefs equivalent in effective value? Clearly not, since using the theory of gravity man has gone to the moon (even though philosophers and other nutters will claim that is a figment of your imaginative perception).
Beliefs in witch doctors and ghosts are products of a backward culture.
And if you don't agree, you can't judge suicide bombers - after all its just the way they are trained to think



Gave up on ZAMM by the way - not bad in places but like I said not a book that will stand the test of time. Gone back to Montaigne's essays - now that's proper philosophy, not mere pot noodling

[OwlHoot]

... 'the maths of maths' - that doesnt make sense

I guess Category Theory is the nearest thing.

[TheFaQQer]

The ale probably helps - Immanuel Kant was a real pissant, apparently. Linky.

Proper song about philosophers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQycQ8DABvc

There's an echo in here....

[ratewhore]

I read ZAMM when I was a spotty youth (and a biker...)

Me too. I threw it across the room because it was toss. Then I jumped on my motorbike and went for a ride in the real world.

Much better!!!

[threaded]

I read ZAMM when I was a spotty youth (and a biker...)

I did throw it across the computer room one evening in frustration (the only time Ihave done this) but it did have some interesting ideas, and introduced me to the minds of the mentally ill and BMW riders...

On a BMW motorcycle you don't have to keep re-jetting the carburettors every time you go up and down a bit of a hill. That's what I'd call 'quality'.

[cojak]

I read ZAMM when I was a spotty youth (and a biker...)

I did throw it across the computer room one evening in frustration (the only time Ihave done this) but it did have some interesting ideas, and introduced me to the minds of the mentally ill and BMW riders...

[Scary]

'the science of science' - that doesnt make sense
'the maths of maths' - that doesnt make sense
'the logic of logic' - that doesnt make sense

but
'the philosophy of philosophy' - yep, i would buy that book

Sounds interesting, I'd probably buy that one.

[cojak]

I gave Mr C Sophie's World - that was a good starter book on the history of philosophy.

[OwlHoot]

If you want a decent philosophy book, i.e. science with a bit of philosophy rather than the other way round, try "The Life of the Cosmos" by Lee Smolin.

[EternalOptimist]

I've been reading "The Voyage Of The Beagle" by a Mr Charles Darwin down at the local library, and it's quite interesting. A good read. You get an insight into how people thought in the day, their ethics and how advanced the thinking on many matters other than evolution. He seems accurate in many of his hypotheses too. For example describing the Earth's crust as floating and being moved from underneath and how coral atolls might be formed by the land sinking and coral growing upwards. He also said New Zealanders are cannibals.

It's incredible to imagine that a lot of the things we now consider to be 'common sense' and obvious , will one day be the objects of ridicule

a blooming good reason never to be 'too' sure about anything

[TimberWolf]

I've been reading "The Voyage Of The Beagle" by a Mr Charles Darwin down at the local library, and it's quite interesting. A good read. You get an insight into how people thought in the day, their ethics and how advanced the thinking on many matters other than evolution. He seems accurate in many of his hypotheses too. For example describing the Earth's crust as floating and being moved from underneath and how coral atolls might be formed by the land sinking and coral growing upwards. He also said New Zealanders are cannibals.

[EternalOptimist]

The ale probably helps - Immanuel Kant was a real pissant, apparently. Linky.

you have made an old man very happy

[TheFaQQer]

I have just had a strange thought, possibly the ale.

The ale probably helps - Immanuel Kant was a real pissant, apparently. Linky.

[RichardCranium]

Gentlemen, please.

I must point out that the minimum standard these days for book reviews includes Mariella Frostrup's husky tones.

If you are to continue this discourse, I suggest and request you intersperse your arguments with links to soft porn in one-per-day, Toolpusher-style, to maintain a proper Radio 4 standard of subliminal lustiness.

Thank you for your attention, you may now continue.