Week: May 10-16, 2009 Question 3

Week: May 10-16, 2009 Question 3

So what is good and evil on a whole?

Ah, here we reach the end of the philosophical debate that has ranged for centuries probably even millennia. Just as we reach the end of this debate we reach the end of what i have to say for quite a while. It has been amusing putting up philosophical questions and answering them myself but I'm afraid that i must seek out some better questions for the future. And without further ado, here's my answer.

Good and evil, right and wrong has always been a thorn in my side for a long time. I never believed in the existence of either one. Hell i don't even believe in shades of gray because then i admit to believing in some form of good or evil, which i don't. Everything we define as good and evil stems from one thing (and no it's not our belief structure), Perception. Perception is different for every person and so is the idea of good and evil. Some people perceive murder under religious circumstances to be right while others say it's wrong. The act being defined as right or wrong depends obviously on the person, possibly the laws of their area of the world and whatever religious beliefs they hold. I may say something is sick and twisted but to someone else it's pleasant and normal, all based on the persons perception of the thing in question. So in the end i believe that no such thing as good or evil exists, they are merely labels for us to put on something to force our opinions on others.

As an added note on forcing opinions or perceptions on others i would like everyone to realize for a moment that we all do it. By writing this one could say i am trying to convert or force my perceptions or beliefs on others. Fortunately for all of us that isn't the case with me. I merely want people to try and think about something from a different perspective. Before i get people hating me and telling me that they or their country doesn't do this i want you to take a moment and try to look at what your saying or what is being said. You just might find that all of is done to convert people to an opinion or belief, when it goes a little too far then you are forcing it on someone.

Well that's it for me for a while, leave feedback, criticism or comments in the comment section.

Thought for the day: Sometimes seeing another side of an argument will not change your mind or opinion but it will let you get a glimpse of understanding as to why they are arguing.

Week: May 10-16, 2009 Question 2

Week: May 10-16, 2009 Question 2

Well we shall continue our week of exploring the greatest question to haunt man with the opposite of our last question.

What defines something as good?

Ah if Evil is a word that means intensely bad, then good is quite the opposite. Although good is actually a very versatile word. Depending on the context it can be a neutral adjective.

"How was your day?"
"Good"

Or when combined with sarcasm it can mean bad

"I accidentally downloaded his file on the computer and now it won't start up. is that bad?"
"No, that's a good thing that your computer can't start up."

Or even better we can use it to define someones intentions or their moral compass.

"Brett is one of the good guys."

Now we return to what is good and how do we define it?

Well the question of good is up for grabs for anyone that feels like expressing an opinion on it. It can be quite a useful word but when used as an adjective to define a person in some way it becomes something that has strayed into the eternal gray area for meanings. Another fun thing to think about when using the word good is that it is one of the few words that has multiple opposites that mean the same thing. Good and Evil, Good and Bad. So how would i define the word good? Simply put, i wouldn't. The word Good for me doesn't have much of a meaning for the little that i use it for. There are plenty of other words i can use to describe my day (which is where the word good often comes up), i particularly like fine. If Evil is an overused meaningless word then Good goes right up in that category with it. Good has so many meanings depending on context that it's become worthless for my vocabulary, but I of course will still use it from time to time because i don't always pay attention to what i say.

Well stay tuned for Friday's finale of this week where i put down my final thoughts on the battle of Good vs Evil.

Thought for the day: Is Goodly even a word? It sounds stupid and usually that's a clear signal as to what's not a word. Goodliness?

Week: May 10-16, 2009 Question 1

Week: May 10-16, 2009 Question 1

Well this week instead of 3 different questions i will be exploring 3 parts to one question. I have decided to ponder a question that has plagued man for thousands of years, and of course voice my opinions and come up with no answer just like everyone before me.

What is Evil?

Ah this age old question of right and wrong, good and evil. Most people would tell you that evil doesn't exist at all. That whole argument of black and white vs shades of gray thing. Even when i was a kid i maintained a stance on this that even the idea of shades of gray was unacceptable, i believed that the words good and evil were worthless. It never stopped me from using them just for the power that has been attached to them but ultimately worthless. I turned to Dictionary.com for this definition of evil

e⋅vil /ˈivəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ee-vuhl]

–adjective

1.	morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.

2.	harmful; injurious: evil laws.

3.	characterized or accompanied by misfortune or suffering; unfortunate; disastrous: to be fallen on evil days.

4.	due to actual or imputed bad conduct or character: an evil reputation.

5.	marked by anger, irritability, irascibility, etc.: He is known for his evil disposition.

–noun

6.	that which is evil; evil quality, intention, or conduct: to choose the lesser of two evils.

7.	the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin.

8.	the wicked or immoral part of someone or something: The evil in his nature has destroyed the good.

9.	harm; mischief; misfortune: to wish one evil.

10.	anything causing injury or harm: Tobacco is considered by some to be an evil.

11.	a harmful aspect, effect, or consequence: the evils of alcohol.

12.	a disease, as king's evil.

–adverb

13.	in an evil manner; badly; ill: It went evil with him.

—Idiom

14.	the evil one, the devil; Satan.

I don't think i've ever seen so many definitions to one word. So as i was saying, i believe the word evil is worthless and meaningless. Evil is something we have defined over the years as something that is bad. To me there are plenty of words for something being bad, but when you use evil you tend to send the message that this action or person is so bad that they are beyond help. There are plenty of people that are beyond help in many different ways but to be so bad that you can't possibly be good? Evil like a lot of other words used to rarely be used because it had such a strong meaning, but alas it has joined with other words like "Epic" as something that has been tossed around so much that the power of the word has diminished to the point that it could be applied to anything. Unlike Epic though the word Evil has still retained most of it's power over the years despite numerous uses. If someone in a high position such as a president or leader uses the word evil people respond with the same thought that whatever they are talking about is so terrible that you shouldn't question it. It is also a word that pops in religion quite a bit, probably because of the words power.

Tomorrow i will examine the opposite to the word evil, Good.

Thought for the day: It might just be impossible for me to worship anyone at this point, i think i've broken every commandment and rule in history. Does such a thing make me beyond redemption? Or worse yet, Evil?

Week: May 3-9 2009, Question 3

Week: May 3-9 2009, Question 3

What makes a sport EXTREME?

Ah the wonderful world of extreme sports, people love this stuff and for a while it had a huge popularity. But what makes any sport extreme? In my opinion the extreme stands for Extreme Stupidity. Basically in order to make a sport extreme you have to do something so stupid that no one else would dare try it. Some like to live life on the edge and do extreme things, they like the adrenaline flow and rush that comes from doing something dangerous. We have taken Extreme to a new level though that now is heading right into the territory of stupidity. We can make driving "Extreme" by doing it in rainy weather with almost no visibility. This leads me to another question that i hope to tackle next week. Why do we value stupidity more than intelligence?

But back to Extreme Idiocy. There are dangerous sports out there and most of them carry a risk of some kind. I respect athletes that do sports that are especially dangerous and i think they can be cool people at times. But what i don't respect are the people that decide slap some rockets onto a canoe and go for "Extreme Canoeing". Perhaps the Darwin awards were started because of these idiots. Oh well i guess i'll go eat a sandwich, It'll be "Extreme" because i'm using a live animal for the meat. Good luck to all sports people out there and please please please don't be idiots for no good reason. You can be idiots, just have a reason for it.

Thought for the day: I want to know when their coming out with "Extreme Boardgames" like full contact chess and checking in checkers.

Week: May 3-9 2009, Question 2

Week: May 3-9 2009, Question 2

Do we enjoy the idea or thought more than the actual feeling?

I came upon this question when thinking about freedom. We enjoy the idea and thought of being free and having freedom but we don't really enjoy it when we have absolute freedom. So with all of the things we enjoy the most, do we enjoy the actual feeling or just the idea of it. I'll use the freedom example again. If i was given the choice between following someone elses direction and being able to deviate from it in the name of freedom or being absolutely free and just blazing my own path somewhere. Personally i'm unsure of which i would enjoy more. Some would immediately go straight for blazing there own path because that's what they like, but most of us would find the decision hard if we knew how hard carving your own path is. So what's your choice, Total freedom or the idea of total freedom.

Thought for the day: They say nothing is free. Well my thoughts are free for anyone willing to listen.

Week: May 3 - 9 2009, Question 1

Why do you wander?

Ahh the wanderer's soul, nothing can compare to the simple minded pleasure of walking around with no destination in mind. Is this question philosophical like my others? It is if you feel like making it philosophical, but for me it's just a simple enjoyment of walking around with no clear destination in mind. When i would walk through the woodland behind my house i at first called it exploring, but when i knew every inch of it then there was nothing to explore. Then i found that since i had a path to walk on i simply called it walking. Then tonight i decided to deviate from the usual paths and just start walking in a direction and see where it took me. It was incredibly fun and i think everyone should experience it at some point. When thinking back on the terms we use for traveling i found that wandering seemed to be the only word for what i did. Traveling implies that you have a destination in mind, Walking/running/jogging implies that that's all you're doing, Exploring can only be used if you have never been in the territory your moving through, hiking i always feel makes it seem like your going uphill.

So do you wander and where do you wander?

Thought for the day: Crud i ran out of thoughts for the day, check back next time.

Week: April/May 26-2 2009 Question 3

Week: April/May 26-2 2009 Question 3

What's in a name?

Names are something we use every day, of course i'm talking
about names we call people or animals. Everything from nicknames
to codenames. When i was growing up i used to think about my
name from time to time, trying to figure out if my name had any
hidden meaning that would help me at some point in life. When i
finally looked up both my first and last names, i was sorely
dissapointed. Both my first and last names i concluded were
merely just tags. Names can carry weight as some would tell you,
but to me it's merely just some way for someone to identify me.
The name itself has no grand meaning and even though there has
been some great people that have shared my first name, it still
doesn't mean anything. So if the name is just a tag, then why do
we constantly try to use names as a means of power? Creating a
name for yourself, Dropping names at parties, invoking a
creatures true name. We constantly attach some kind of value and
power to names, especially last names. The last name or family
name is supposed to represent your family in all of their
history, but how many people have a family name that you can use
as a powerful tool? First names seem to be the tag and last
names seem to be the power word. All throughout history we have
regarded names highly, but for what? To some the name is just a
jumble of letters or characters. To others it is a thing of
pride and a tool for opening doors. To me it's something on the
edge of my mind that i think about when i get bored. So, does
your name mean anything to you?

Thought for the day: I still don't think my name is right, maybe
i'll find a better name for myself that means conquerer of nations.

Week: April/May 26-2 2009 Question 2

Week: April/May 26-2 2009 Question 2

What makes us individuals?

This question was put into my mind when i watched the movie "Dark City", which is very strange and very interesting at the same time.

So, what makes us individuals? By us i mean of course humans and any other intelligent species. Dark city presented the idea that our memories are what make us individuals. This seems logical yes? Well it is and it isn't. The funny thing about memories are that there is no way to prove that some of those memories really happened and as we grow older we tend to lose memories, does this mean our identities go with them? We are told from very early on that we are unique and that's essentially what makes us individuals. I never really questioned this line of thought until recently after watching dark city. What exactly is unique about me? Not much about my appearance, black hair, brown eyes, hell even my skin tone isn't exactly uncommon. There are lot's of people that share these same features, height and weight of course are shared by many. I'm not exactly on the cutting edge of technology or innovation so it can't be my thought process. My thoughts themselves could be what make me unique, but then again if you look hard enough you will see that lot's of people have the same thought as you. To most the uniqueness or individualism of a person is a combination of all of the above. Thoughts, memories, appearance and all of the other things we do. I suppose this is true to an extent, but what of identical twins? Hell they even share the same DNA, the blueprint of what makes us unique! As i look back at this thought and wonder what makes a person unique i come to a simple conclusion. What makes us unique is not our appearance, ideas or ideals. No, what makes us unique is the way we come to those thoughts and what we do with them, my thought process seems random at times but every thought is connected to something even if it doesn't seem that way.

Thought for the day: Seeking a "unique" perspective is really just asking that guy in the office you have deemed the "Quiet oddball".

Week: April/May 26-2 2009, Question 1

Week: April/May 26-2 2009, Question 1

Why do we practically worship celebrities?

Even if you're not at the rabid fan or stalker level this question can still be answered by you. Why do we look at celebrities as if they are some kind of incredible deity? It could be the money, the fame, the power or having the ability to travel all over the world if you felt like it. Now a celebrity can be from many different professions, but for today we will focus on the biggest of them all, TV and movie stars. We envy TV and movie stars because they have a lot of the things we don't. In that they have more money than we do so that leads to most of the other things we don't have. To me i guess celebrity worship is beyond me, i do like certain actors and actresses but usually not for their money or talent. It's pretty much just for the character they played, to make even the most mundane character memorable is an impressive skill that belongs to both the script writer and the actor. So why do people worship celebrities? Well it's because we think that they have all of the things we don't, unless you're one of those few people that believe that love and family are the only important things in life. Want to have a taste at the celebrity lifestyle? Then put on the most flashy weird clothes you can find and walk down the street one day, i guarantee you will turn a few heads just like the celebrities do.

Thought for the day: If a celebrity has a geeky hobby does that make them any less of a "cool" person?

Week: April 19-25 2009, Question 3

Week: April 19-25 2009, Question 3

What defines a book as literature?

For this kind of question i usually turn to the definition of the word but that provided little help as it means different things in different languages. In the english language the definition is basically "anything that is written." Well that's fantastic, then the shopping list i just created is technically a work of literature. But what defines a BOOK as literature was the question. I took to the internet to find out if there was an actual list of requirements for a book to be or become literature. And lo and behold i found nothing. In a bookstore you might see the shelf that has the genre of "Literature", this is precisely why i posted this question. I work in a small town bookstore and we have one of those shelves. Looking through it the only commonality i found amongst all of the books was that they were "old". Online there are a number of humorous responses to what defines literature including one person that said. "a Literature book is defined by how many professors force you to read it." Another response that is probably closer to the truth came from my mother when i asked her. "I think Literature books are books that have stood the test of time and are still as good or relevant as they were when they first came out." Well by that definition then "The Lord of the Rings" should be shelved in there but i've never seen that happen. One of these days i'm going to try and find a committee somewhere that deals with what books become literature.

So what's your take on this? What defines a book as literature?

Thought for the day: If I read a shocking passage in a book and die from a heart attack moments later, then can that book be considered the murder weapon?

Week: April 19-25 2009, Question 2

Week: April 19-25 2009, Question 2

What does the number grade on the school test really mean?

So what does that number grade you got on the school test really mean? To me, nothing. The number is supposed to be a percentile of the amount of questions you got right on the test. This would lead us to the conclusion that the test score can only go up to 100% right? Wrong, due to bonus questions and other odd extra credit things on the test you can get higher than 100%. If this doesn't make sense to you don't worry, you're not alone. The other odd thing is that on some tests you can actually get every question right and still not achieve 100%, how is this possible? I had a math teacher once that would take off points if you didn't show your "work" or the process from which you got the answer. To some that number is a measure of your intelligence in the subject. This also can be considered false when your teacher decides that participation in class adds to your final grade in the class. Now what participation has to do with your intelligence in the class i don't know.

So do those numbers accurately represent your intelligence in the class? or are they just ways of saying good job your smart? Let's hear your thoughts on this question.

Thought for the day: If my IQ is 640 on one test and 900 on another do i split the difference or add them together?

Week: April 19-25 2009, Question 1

Week: April 19-25 2009, Question 1

What do you believe in?

This question is not necessarily a religious one as you might think from looking at it. A set of beliefs can be for anything, for example you might believe that there are thousands of planets in the universe. This is a belief, for those of you that do take this religiously then by all means just tell me what you believe in.

As for me, i believe in Chaos. Alright, now i have to stop and clarify before this gets taken the wrong way. My belief in chaos is not surrounding war, death, conflict or strife. Chaos to me is anything that happens randomly. So since i believe in chaos i believe in things being random and also believe in things like luck, randomness.

My belief in chaos could probably be attributed to something but i just don't know what it is. I like things being unpredictable and random at times. Chaos surrounds us constantly, some people would say that there is no such thing as something being entirely random but i say there is. We still believe in things happening randomly usually this happens when we can't explain something. So for me i choose to believe in things like luck and chaos because i want such a thing to exist that you cannot bend to your will with enough effort. I constantly search for some way to measure the chaos around me or the luck of the event that just occurred but have found nothing conclusive yet.

Thought for the day: Everything that we believe in stemmed from one belief that we all still believe in. We believe that we exist.

Welcome to the library

Welcome to the library at the end of time. This library has every single piece of information in existance from the past, present and future. You have 3 questions that you may ask and I the caretaker will direct you to the books that contain the answers to your 3 questions. If you ask more than 3 questions or touch any of the other books then you will stay here forever. Once your 3 questions have been answered then you may leave. You may ask one question and save the others for later, or two questions and save the last one. However there is no guarantee that you will be able to find this library again. It is indeed a miracle that you stumbled upon this place.

Welcome to the library at the end of time where i will be posting 3 questions per week. I will relay my answer to these questions and explain my reasoning. You may leave your answers to the question in the comments section. If you have a question you would like me to consider and post then by all means email me or leave the question in the comments section.