From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!ispd-newsserver!psinntp!norton!brian Tue Feb 11 15:26:18 EST 1992
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>From: brian@norton.com (Brian Yoder)
Subject: Re: MUST Philosopy be a Waste of Time?
Message-ID: <1992Feb10.194056.14002@norton.com>
Organization: Symantec / Peter Norton
References: <1992Feb6.235813.4188@smsc.sony.com>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1992 19:40:56 GMT

markc@smsc.sony.com (Mark Corscadden) writes:
> 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"?  

So, you are saying that your "standard of importance" is "pleasure".  In
other words, that which brings me pleasure is the most important thing.

> 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.

Again, the important is that which brings pleasure.  Incredible.

> 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?

I certainly didn't say that washing dishes is the most important thing in the 
world.  What I said was that things that related to the reality of living
your life were the most important things.  Why do you feel as though your job
is a chore which deserves the minimum possible
application of your mind?  Do you think that is a good attitude?  Is it in your
best interest to do this?

> 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.

So you really think how much pleasure thinking a thought brings you (pleasure
in a "Gee I solved this puzzle!" sense) is the measure of how serious or
important the result is?  Perhaps you could explain how you came to such an 
amazing conclusion.

> 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?

A premise of yours seems to be that I am somehow opposed to pleasure and/or
games (I am definitely not).  Another seems to be that all practical matters
are necessarily physical (as opposed to freindships, mates, etc.) and that these
are boring and unpleasant matters.  I disagree with all of these.  I think 
pleasure is great and games are wonderful (but not in a brain surgeon at the
operating table or a philosopher determining what truth is).  I think that 
"practical" matters include both material well-being and mental well-being
and that providing these is a challenging and worthy use of one's mind.

It sounds like you have been reading too much Schopenhauer.

--Brian


-- 
-- Brian K. Yoder (brian@norton.com) - Q: What do you get when you cross     --
-- Peter Norton Computing Group      -    Apple & IBM?                       --
-- Symantec Corporation              - A: IBM.                               --
--


