The Barstool Experiment

[Wolfpoet]

funny, 'enlightenment by self-sacrifice and accepting fate (for the masses)' is the title of the book Dick Cheney's going to release as soon as he leaves office.

He wouldn't know what self-sacrifice if it bit his cock off.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

that's why he's the perfect person to write about it.

[St John the Blasphemist]

Just in case you haven't seen it--the barstool experiment carried out (thanks for the pointer, Lysergic).

This X-ray image shows the leg of a chair embedded into the eye socket of a Melbourne teenager who miraculously survived a random attack outside a city nightclub earlier this year.

Full story with x-ray pics here.

St John the Blasphemist
Saint of (more) Chair Legs

[saint aini]

Used the Barstool Experiment on jesus freaks yesterday... The results were as desired: they gave up on the causality arguement they were trying to push.

I need to rework Panzer AG's "Filth God" into the third person for them next time.

[LMNO]

Once upon a time, two Serious Minded people were in their local pub, having a few pints, and talking about the nature of Universe.

Bill pointed out that most of what we consider ,Äúmatter,Äù is made up of empty space.  ,ÄúThe distance between a nucleus, its electrons, and the nearest adjacent atom is comparatively large; why, that barstool over there shouldn't even be considered a solid!,Äù

Joe responded, ,Äúbut wait,Ķ As far as we can actually prove, that barstool might simply be a hallucination, for we're not actually seeing the barstool, we're processing electric signals in our heads generated by our optic nerves.  And all they are doing is claiming certain wavelengths of light have bounced off an object.  But what if the nerves are misfiring, which we all know happen quite often?  So, we can,Äôt really say whether or not the barstool even exists!,Äù

Just then, a man approached them and said, ,ÄúI couldn,Äôt help but overhear you two talking.  If I may, I have an experiment for you.  Purely in the interest of a Deeper Understanding of the Universe.,Äù

He then proceeded to pick up the barstool and pummel both Bill and Joe squarely about the head and torso, because they were so obviously pretentious assholes who deserved a beatdown.

Thus, they were enlightened.

So, what does this metaphor mean?

First off, it does not mean the use of violence against stupid, or willfully ignorant people.

What it does mean is not to forget the idea of pragmatism in any sort of philosophical discussion that deals with the way we interact with the universe.

Our imaginations can hold a lot of ideas, and we can build upon these ideas immensely.  We can even do this if the initial ideas are complete bullshit.

The barstool is a metaphor for telling you that your grand castle in the sky that you build after sleepless nights and too much LSD is, in fact, completely worthless.


I would suggest another metaphor be created that represents the ,Äúwhack to the head,Äù of the willfully ignorant or stupid.

I suggest ,Äúclawhammer.,Äù

[P3nT4gR4m]

Barstool story is perfect!

I've loved that one since I first saw it. Who the hell wrote that anyroad?

[LMNO]

It was Cain's idea, but I wrote the above quoted version.

[P3nT4gR4m]

I've actually gotten IRL Lulz with that tale - the scientist and the philosopher gag

[Payne]

This was one of the first things I read in here. I'm always reminded of one of the pub regulars  who insists on telling me that "glass is technically a liquid", usually at a rate of once every couple days.

[Triple Zero]

I would suggest another metaphor be created that represents the “whack to the head” of the willfully ignorant or stupid.

I suggest “clawhammer.”

ah so that's what you meant with clawhammer in the other thread?

mind that i was then really (trying to) use the barstool-metaphore in the "pragmatism yay" kind of fashion, not for simply bashing the ignorant.

sometimes the barstool is useful for both, but never for just bashing the stupid.

[LMNO]

Yeah, I still have to write a parable of the Clawhammer.

[Jenne]

HA!   

I'm glad you're going to do that.

[Triple Zero]

i was reading Terry Pratchett's Thief of Time last night, and came across this quote. it's a very different story than the barstool experiment, but i think it somehow covers the same sentiments:

  'The poet Hoha once dreamed he was a butterfly, and then he awoke and said, "Am I a man who dreamed he was a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming he is a man?" ', said Lobsang, trying to join in.
  'Really?', said Susan briskly. 'And which was he?'
  'What? Well . . . who knows?'
  'How did he write his poems?' said Susan.
  'With a brush, of course.'
  'He didn't flap around making information-rich patterns in the air or laying eggs on cabbage leaves?'
  'No-one ever mentioned it.'
  'Then he was probably a man.' said Susan.

[LMNO]

 


Indeed.

[Cain]

Still the most Discordian book done by him so far. 

I have to email him with thanks and my suggestion for an Errata based storyline (Errata being the Discworld's Eris).