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Article 3560 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: markc@smsc.sony.com (Mark Corscadden)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,sci.philosophy.tech
Subject: Re: MUST Philosopy be a Waste of Time?
Message-ID: <1992Feb6.235813.4188@smsc.sony.com>
Date: 6 Feb 92 23:58:13 GMT
References: <1992Feb04.060419.21963@convex.com> <1992Feb05.011716.8427@norton.com>
Organization: Sony Microsystems Corp, San Jose, CA
Lines: 33

In article <1992Feb05.011716.8427@norton.com> brian@norton.com (Brian Yoder) writes:
>You apparent claim that whether you eat tomorrow is a trivial
>matter while determining what the consequences of red and blue lights over 
>beds containing identical people, what is your standard of importance?

Why is it so hard to understand that some people, including myself,
don't get any pleasure out of thinking about "whether we will eat
tomorrow"?  I think about my job (i.e. how I get my food) to the
degree that I feel is necessary to keep my work running smoothly and
to make sure that I understand management's position and that they're
satisfied, and then I don't think about it any further.  That's because
I don't get any intrinsic pleasure from thinking about work.  I wash
my dirty dishes because I want to reuse them, not because I enjoy it.
I tend to the practical tasks which you seem to believe are the most
important things in life because it's necessary, not because I want to.
How did you come to believe that feeding yourself is the end-all of life?

On the other hand, I spend much free time thinking about red and blue
lights over beds containing identical people and similar things because
I *enjoy* it.  I find it challenging and enlightening to think through
such situations.  I make a large effort to think correctly and clearly
about such things, and take that effort seriously.  That's enough for me
to take the discussion and the results seriously, too.

What are you saying, that something has to be "practical" in order to be
taken seriously or to be worth doing?  Gee Brian, have you ever fucked
with someone using birth control?  If so, exactly what practical results
did the two of you expect to obtain for your efforts?  Gad, lighten up
a little and enjoy life.  Why should it be nothing but work and survival?

Mark Corscadden
markc@smsc.sony.com
work: (408)944-4086


