A pre-socratic argument for the modern times

I have a stack of bowls. They are same shaped bowl, by the same manufacturer. I also have a stack of spoons. Also all by the same manufacturer. For practical purposes the bowls and spoons are indistinguishable from each other. None of the bowls or spoons have chips or scratches, blemishes or are dirty.

How do I decide which bowl and which spoon to eat with? Breakfast is upon me and if I don't make a decision I will starve to death. Since the bowls and spoons are identical I cannot pick the one that is preferable to the rest.

I posit that the pre-socratics never existed, because if they did, they would not be able to discern which utensil to use for breakfast and would be dead. Discuss.

They did not eat breakfast but lunch instead.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

They did not eat breakfast but lunch instead.

---

The same thing happens at lunch except now you have a stack of plates.

You are eaten by a grue.

If you think about it, if they were actually citizens of the city and not a slave, then chances are they did not make their own food or set their own meals. So it was picked for them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan

If you think about it, if they were actually citizens of the city and not a slave, then chances are they did not make their own food or set their own meals. So it was picked for them.

---

The slave checks the stack of plates/bowls/spoons/forks/sticks. Each are indistinguishable from the other. The slave knows that the wrong choice will end in exile or death and then exile. She must discern the best plate from the stack of indistinguishable plates. Failure is not an option.


ps: I can keep this up all day.

If the bowls and spoons are stacked. All alike, minus the defects caused by the mass creation of the objects, which would mean really the best method would just to be to pick which ever one is on top.

Pick the first stacked bowl and pick the first spoon in the stack or line.

Why? See Ockham's razor. All things being equal, it's best to chose the simplest path.

PG, throw them all out, and get chop sticks and an ivory Chinese bowl. What kind of asian are you?!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rye

PG, throw them all out, and get chop sticks and an ivory Chinese bowl. What kind of asian are you?!

---

Don't do it rye! Now he'll just substitute plates and bowls for "Ivory Chinese Bowls" and Forks and spoons for "Chop Sticks" :eek:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rye

PG, throw them all out, and get chop sticks and an ivory Chinese bowl. What kind of asian are you?!

---

Don't do it rye! Now he'll just substitute plates and bowls for "Ivory Chinese Bowls" and Forks and spoons for "Chop Sticks" :eek:

---

Too late.

I have a pile of chopsticks in a random mess. They are not sorted by pairs. All of the chopsticks are the same and indiscernible from each other. Being a perfectly rational person, how do you know which chopstick goes with the other? They do not have markings or drawings on them like most of the ones in my house do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pureghetto

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rye

PG, throw them all out, and get chop sticks and an ivory Chinese bowl. What kind of asian are you?!

---

Don't do it rye! Now he'll just substitute plates and bowls for "Ivory Chinese Bowls" and Forks and spoons for "Chop Sticks" :eek:

---

Too late.

I have a pile of chopsticks in a random mess. They are not sorted by pairs. All of the chopsticks are the same and indiscernible from each other. Being a perfectly rational person, how do you know which chopstick goes with the other? They do not have markings or drawings on them like most of the ones in my house do.

---

ARGH.

Do I atleast get a cookie for calling Ockham's Razor on this? =[

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pureghetto

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rye

PG, throw them all out, and get chop sticks and an ivory Chinese bowl. What kind of asian are you?!

---

Don't do it rye! Now he'll just substitute plates and bowls for "Ivory Chinese Bowls" and Forks and spoons for "Chop Sticks" :eek:

---

Too late.

I have a pile of chopsticks in a random mess. They are not sorted by pairs. All of the chopsticks are the same and indiscernible from each other. Being a perfectly rational person, how do you know which chopstick goes with the other? They do not have markings or drawings on them like most of the ones in my house do.

---

ARGH.

Do I atleast get a cookie for calling Ockham's Razor on this? =[

---

*snip* I change my mind.

No you don't. No cookie for you

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pureghetto

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rye

PG, throw them all out, and get chop sticks and an ivory Chinese bowl. What kind of asian are you?!

---

Don't do it rye! Now he'll just substitute plates and bowls for "Ivory Chinese Bowls" and Forks and spoons for "Chop Sticks" :eek:

---

Too late.

I have a pile of chopsticks in a random mess. They are not sorted by pairs. All of the chopsticks are the same and indiscernible from each other. Being a perfectly rational person, how do you know which chopstick goes with the other? They do not have markings or drawings on them like most of the ones in my house do.

---

Would it not be irrational to think that one chopstick goes better with the other if they all look the same? Also, if they all look the same and they were paired at random, how would a person know if they did not match properly or were not the right ones? How would they discern the indiscernible?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pureghetto

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pureghetto

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rye

PG, throw them all out, and get chop sticks and an ivory Chinese bowl. What kind of asian are you?!

---

Don't do it rye! Now he'll just substitute plates and bowls for "Ivory Chinese Bowls" and Forks and spoons for "Chop Sticks" :eek:

---

Too late.

I have a pile of chopsticks in a random mess. They are not sorted by pairs. All of the chopsticks are the same and indiscernible from each other. Being a perfectly rational person, how do you know which chopstick goes with the other? They do not have markings or drawings on them like most of the ones in my house do.

---

ARGH.

Do I atleast get a cookie for calling Ockham's Razor on this? =[

---

*snip* I change my mind.

No you don't. No cookie for you

---

Can I atleast eat a cookie with you while we watch people question something that is truly simple? *holds up cookies*

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pureghetto

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pureghetto

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avarice-ness

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rye

PG, throw them all out, and get chop sticks and an ivory Chinese bowl. What kind of asian are you?!

---

Don't do it rye! Now he'll just substitute plates and bowls for "Ivory Chinese Bowls" and Forks and spoons for "Chop Sticks" :eek:

---

Too late.

I have a pile of chopsticks in a random mess. They are not sorted by pairs. All of the chopsticks are the same and indiscernible from each other. Being a perfectly rational person, how do you know which chopstick goes with the other? They do not have markings or drawings on them like most of the ones in my house do.

---

ARGH.

Do I atleast get a cookie for calling Ockham's Razor on this? =[

---

*snip* I change my mind.

No you don't. No cookie for you

---

Can I atleast eat a cookie with you while we watch people question something that is truly simple? *holds up cookies*

---

*takes cookie*
*lick*

here

You die.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fire_of_avalon

You die.

---

Before you can decide on what to do, you are eaten by a grue. You die.

What is this from? Pre-socratic? Citizens of the city? Slaves? What city? Wha?!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vyk

What is this from? Pre-socratic? Citizens of the city? Slaves? What city? Wha?!

---

It's from a book about dilemmas. The dilemma is that a purely rational person could never make a choice when there's no distinct, rational choice to be made.

I mentioned the pre-socratics because they were very wont to do things like this, at least in my stereotypical, fictional interpretation of them.

Sounds more like one of those questions that only exists to help you clairify things within yourself

Sound of one hand clapping?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vyk

Sounds more like one of those questions that only exists to help you clairify things within yourself

Sound of one hand clapping?

---

Koan are fun. "What is the does your face look like before your mother and father was born?" Fun stuff that makes more sense when you get the whole philosophy behind it, assuming the whole emptiness thing makes any sense to you. Then again, actually fully understanding a koan and having an intellectual understanding are two different things

They're stacked...wouldn't you just pick the one on top?

o.o

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jessweeee♪

They're stacked...wouldn't you just pick the one on top?

o.o

---

That's what a normal person would think.

Personally, I would pick the one in the middle because to me it'd seem to be the "cleanest" of all the bowls. If there wasn't a middle bowl, I'd basically pick one inbetween the top one and the bottom one, if there's only two, then the bottom. xD; But that's just my OCD speaking.

you eat whichever one is closest to you. if they are arranged in a locus around you, you use whichever one you are looking at right now. c'mon peegies, this was easy!

There is always a rational choice. If there isn't one option rationally preferable then the rational choice is to pick whichever since it will not make a difference.

Socrates was such a twat.

I'd just pick any. It's not exactly a dilemma. A plate's a plate.

None of you are rational beings. Disgusting. Anaximenes of Miletus must be doing headspins in his grave.

Anaximenes of Miletus was a sick mothersmurfer. And he was nothing if not irrational. :greenie:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rantzien

Anaximenes of Miletus was a sick mothersmurfer. And he was nothing if not irrational. :greenie:

---

I know xD

You could use paper plates and plastic cutlery instead, even though there not great for the environment XD