Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Time for a poll
One of the blog’s earlier templates had built-in polls. Whine! I liked that. Only got to use it once, I think, but I had great plans. Then that template went crashy.
On to the poll. I preface this by saying I have a low tolerance for frustration. I should be enjoying the job search, right? But I wish it were over and done with. So I’m curious. Do you think
(A) The universe is a random place and your fate is whatever you make of it;
(B) A benign Higher Being has some great plan for me, and until the right job comes along, the rest of my potential employers are gonna thumb their noses at me;
or
(C) A wicked Higher Being is having a good ol’ time swinging me around by my, um, ankles.
Feel free to come up with a (D).
D.
I’m gonna have to go with A. Or D, except it’s late and I can’t think of anything funny. It’s all one big acid trip, maybe?
(D) I think the Universe is a self-organizing, self-existing system. This makes it not quite random. I think the intrinsic requirement for self-existence is similar the the minimum requirements for consciousness, which makes the Universe seem conscious at times, and which perhaps makes our brains well suited to model its behavior. (I also think the multiverse interpretation is close to being right, but that the universes are not completely distinct. I think the possible parallel realities have to compete for energy, so that one qickly becomes dominant but the others never completely disappear.)
I also find that whenever my life seems ruined, it usually improves instead. I suppose that evolution has favored those who worry about everything, so we tend to feel like the worst has already happened when in fact most of it will blow over.
Finally, I can’t take philosophers very seriously, until they begin to adopt a more modern logic. The logic of Wittgenstein, and even of Russell & Whitehead, explicitly disqualifies itself from dealing with questions of self existence, as a way to avoid paradox. The rules must be relaxed a bit, to allow paradox and self reference, as these are fundamental to the equations of physics (in the form of complex variables), and therefore must be fundamental to the nature of existence.
In other words, instead of searching for Truth, we should be looking for where truth “lies”. (That’s a philosophy joke. I made it up myself. heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh)
I just have a question, is Keith olberman Gay, or does just hate anything that is right in this world, and he seems to support every thing that is wrong in the country. just a question, nothing more, he Just seems to be a little on the “light side” when it comes to smarts.
Umm.
Chris: yeah, me too.
Dave: huh? (And that’s why I never took philosophy in college.) Welcome to B&W.
Bud: well hmmm let’s see he has a girlfriend in her 20s, so unless she’s his beard, I’d say he’s not Teh Gay, or did you mean “Gay” in the sense of “Oh just the most horriblest thing in the world I can imagine,” in which case your logic is internally consistent. Also, if you’re going to be critical of someone’s “smarts,” you might try proofing your comments first.
hahaha.
Laughing at Bud.
Hahaha.
(D) the universe is going to torment you with commenters like BUD until you get a fricken job!
For polls, you could install WP-Polls from here.
I’m going with A. I am hugely envious of those who believe it’s B. I have a few friends who know that G-d has a plan for them and so that in the end it’ll all work out. Much less angst that way.
I installed WP Polls and created a poll. Not too hard.
A, B, C & D. Old Chinese proverb. Here’s a version of it found on the web:
“There is a Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills and when the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?” A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”
Then, when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
Some weeks later, the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg, they let him off. Now was that good luck or bad luck?
Who knows?
Everything that seems on the surface to be an evil may be a good in disguise. And everything that seems good on the surface may really be an evil. So we are wise when we leave it to God to decide what is good fortune and what misfortune, and thank him that all things turn out for good with those who love him.”
Thanks, folks. I think the “God has a plan” faction has a problem when it comes to fatal diseases. Especially children with fatal diseases. Yeah, yeah, we all gotta die, but the idea that killing kids is somehow God’s plan . . . sheesh. And that’s when the Job-reading “we cannot know God’s mind” faction chimes in.
Golly, most of these folks seem to know gods mind on most other subjects. It only ever seems to be an answer to anything that makes god look like a right evil prat.
D. of course, because I am the Solipsist and you all exist as creations of my unconcious mind for my amusement. When I go, you all go.
Microsoar: exactly.
Lyvvie: I exist for your amusement? Does that mean I get to watch?