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We're all just fucking philosophers

Started by NotPublished, January 10, 2010, 04:42:42 AM

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NotPublished

We're all just fucking philosophers.

Me being Greek, and living with a very traditional step-father, I have to endure the "The Greeks made x thing before y did" ... and one day, I was involved in a discussion about time-travel...

I never cringed soo hard before, not because I don't think its possible but because I don't particularly care. But his arguement wasn't about time-travel itself but rather who made the concept itself first ..

So it led me to wonder - what the hell is this business about who claimed what first? Does it really matter? If you could go back in time and find out that it wasn't the Greeks who invented knowledge but the Chinese would this cause an uproar and the modern world as we know it will be obliterated?

Are people that self-concieted that it matters baddly who did what in the past? He was also discussing that they claimed to use a Big Computer and they discovered that Greeks were the first to make Pyramids .. oh right while I'm at it, Greeks were the first to make a computer. At that point I switched off and starting humming Lady Gaga. Oh it may and very well be true - and I could be in the wrong here, but this is just something I do not really want to know or dare I say - care about

But I'm leading off the point here - what is all this confuffle and pride of the heritage, everyones trying soo hard to squeeze some sort of ownership out of it. Is it just to make themselves feel pride? I mean Eris bless them ... but does it matter soo baddly who made a concept about 1000 years ago and its in effect now? Of course for the sake of history, that would be part of it - but whats with the pride thing? Is it dangerous?

But yes, I suppose this can't be said for all things in life.. I hope I did have a point in here somewhere, and it wasn't just a totally random ramble .... Aww its like a personal diary here
In Soviet Russia, sins died for Jesus.

Epimetheus

It's interesting in a historical sense, but it shouldn't change our present-day behavior. I haven't experienced the same kind of doing-something-first arrogance (USA - nation without an ancient history*), so I guess what you've written has less import with me personally. but I suppose everyone experiences some nationalistic arrogance in whatever country they live in. It's stupid, we all know this. All us cool people anyway. :)


*Disclaimer: I'm talking about the nation called the United States of America, officially formed in 1776. Obviously not talking about the natives, whom modern USA-ans don't typically associate with (as sad as that may be).
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Quote from: NotPublished on January 10, 2010, 04:42:42 AM
We're all just fucking philosophers.

I'm not.  If I was fucking a philosopher, I'd know suspect it.
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NotPublished

Quote from: Epimetheus on January 10, 2010, 05:07:53 AM
It's interesting in a historical sense, but it shouldn't change our present-day behavior. I haven't experienced the same kind of doing-something-first arrogance (USA - nation without an ancient history*), so I guess what you've written has less import with me personally. but I suppose everyone experiences some nationalistic arrogance in whatever country they live in. It's stupid, we all know this. All us cool people anyway. :)


*Disclaimer: I'm talking about the nation called the United States of America, officially formed in 1776. Obviously not talking about the natives, whom modern USA-ans don't typically associate with (as sad as that may be).

If you ever do meet someone like that - run them down with a Lawn Mower on my behalf pelase :)

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 10, 2010, 03:44:07 PM
Quote from: NotPublished on January 10, 2010, 04:42:42 AM
We're all just fucking philosophers.

I'm not.  If I was fucking a philosopher, I'd know suspect it.

:lulz: :lulz: haha thanks I needed that
In Soviet Russia, sins died for Jesus.

cavehamster

It's like an offshoot of the 'our team is better' meme so many people are part of.

I guess maybe it makes you feel better about yourself if you associate yourself with 'winners', for some reason.  I wonder how that works.

Bebek Sincap Ratatosk

It's tribal identification.

People who share 'reality grids'/'reality tunnels'/'bricks in their BiP' tend to stick together. Nationality and national pride are just a part of that. For some Greeks, their history is a big part of the grid that they perceive through... for those people, if something broke that part of their grid, they would likely ignore it, or modify their perceptions so they still saw their tribe in the same manner.

Also, I would guess that he was talking about the The Antikytheria Mechanism as the first computer. There's some discusssion as to it legitimately being considered as a Computer, rather than a complex machine. Generally a computer needs a way to deal with "If/Then" (even the early WWII 'Computers' had some basic logic gates. The Antikytheria Mechanism, however, is still a bit of a mystery... it appears to have been a great tool for nautical astronomy... but there's not a clear indication that it had any variable capabilities... if it was ONLY static, then it probably shouldn't be called a 'computer'. Of course, thats only if you're using a grid that defines 'computer' as I stated.

- I don't see race. I just see cars going around in a circle.

"Back in my day, crazy meant something. Now everyone is crazy" - Charlie Manson

Cain

As others have said, its tribal identitification.

Also the Greeks of today are not descended from the Ancient Greeks of the past, just as most Ancient Egyptians were not Arabs or Celts the precursors of the British.  So it comes off as actually more ignorant, most times.

Bebek Sincap Ratatosk

Quote from: Cain on January 11, 2010, 04:23:59 PM
As others have said, its tribal identitification.

Also the Greeks of today are not descended from the Ancient Greeks of the past, just as most Ancient Egyptians were not Arabs or Celts the precursors of the British.  So it comes off as actually more ignorant, most times.

:lulz:
QFT!
- I don't see race. I just see cars going around in a circle.

"Back in my day, crazy meant something. Now everyone is crazy" - Charlie Manson

NotPublished

In Soviet Russia, sins died for Jesus.