Guest guest Posted December 28, 2003 Report Share Posted December 28, 2003 My view > Hey there... > > I must say, this is a highly analytical group. Maybe a little too > analytical, lol. Really? I didn't notice. I'm so used to being analytical, or at least anal, that I failed to notice the unusually intellectual flavor of this group. I'll have to remember this the next time my mom calls me " Catholic. " > The bottom line is we are all human beings, > and we are all equal to each other. That depends on what you mean by equal. Surely, I'm not mathematically equal to you. I can't walk into your bank, state that I am equal to you and therefore interchanable with you, and walk out with your money. The only way you can say that two human beings with disparate talents, skills, attributes, lives, etc. are " equal " is if you use some very abstract notion of equality. It's like the Aristotelian concept of " essence, " where nothing exists in relationship with anything else, yet everything exists in relationship with God. Perspective involves messuring things against other things. The only constant in the universe, though, would be the speed of light. I think there is something to be said for not comparing one's individual self against a homogenized abstract idea, such as " the average man " or " NT's " or some other fiction-of-averages. (Of course, one can compare oneself against a concrete homogenized idea, such as the " 50th Percentile " ). But, there is a keen difference between abolishing the abstract idea and saying that everyone is equal to this idea. This also gets into the very concept of personhood. Obviously, I'm not equal to my cat. Not only do we not have equal rights, but my cat is smarter, more agile, and cuter than I will ever be. My cat can walk around naked and nobody thinks anything of it, and my cat can purr, which is something that I will never be able to do - only emulate poorly. Are cats equal to humans, and if not, why not? As soon as you find something unequal between something and something else, you can start applying that to people. Hell, even if you make it something as narrowly defining as the number of chromosomes, you've just (potentially) excluded people with Down's Syndrome from personhood. For centuries, the West has been paying lip-service to the concept of equality, and it's gotten us almost nowhere. The concept of diversity, and strength through diversity, seems to have a much better status, as far as results are going. ____________________ " I'm easily confused. It's part of my boyish charm. " -- Kaiden Fox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2003 Report Share Posted December 28, 2003 > For centuries, the West has been paying lip-service to the concept of > equality, and it's gotten us almost nowhere. The concept of > diversity, and strength through diversity, seems to have a much > better status, as far as results are going. A favorite quote of mine: " Alike and equal are not the same thing at all. " -Meg Murry (And she's right -- 2/4 and 1/2 are not alike, but they're equal in a more fundamental way.) I don't think there's anything wrong whatsoever about acknowledging differences (where they occur), similarities (where they occur), and equality (which isn't the same as similarity). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2003 Report Share Posted December 28, 2003 > A favorite quote of mine: " Alike and equal are not the same thing at > all. " -Meg Murry > > (And she's right -- 2/4 and 1/2 are not alike, but they're equal in a > more fundamental way.) > > I don't think there's anything wrong whatsoever about acknowledging > differences (where they occur), similarities (where they occur), and > equality (which isn't the same as similarity). > > I like that; a short and simple response! Some of the long-winded overly philosophical posts in this forum put me to sleep. All I can say is " been there, done that " , lol. Later, -Claw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2003 Report Share Posted December 28, 2003 > I like that; a short and simple response! Some of the long-winded > overly philosophical posts in this forum put me to sleep. All I can > say is " been there, done that " , lol. > > Later, > -Claw Yes! Death to thinking! Death to philosophy! It breeds deadly weakness and utter discontent! What we need is a new, primal, atavistic SURGE of pure emotion, pithy statements, and glorious demogougory! Ah, be still my beating heart... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2003 Report Share Posted December 29, 2003 > " I'm easily confused. It's part of my boyish charm. " > -- Kaiden Fox " I'm easily charmed. Its part of my girlish confusion. " --Kim Tucker ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2003 Report Share Posted December 29, 2003 Hmmm, I wonder if I *could* charm you. My standard method was an affectation of rakishness modified by my Aspergerian inability to dissimulate it. If you watch British comedy, think " Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh " a.k.a. " the Black Adder. " Unfortunately, this set an oppositional tone most of the time, which was then tempered by my incredible vulnerability, which was then tempered by my being utterly annoying and immature. Through some twist of fortune, my current relationship went through a co-mentoring stage before it could turn into uxoriousness. I find my best friendships are based on mutual desires to learn and explore, so it is good that I have a very good friend as a partner, rather than my usual uxorious fawning. Of course, I still enjoy saying, " I can charm the pants off of anyone in a skirt. " Trust me, it's humor, not sexism. Re: My view > > > " I'm easily confused. It's part of my boyish charm. " > > -- Kaiden Fox > " I'm easily charmed. Its part of my girlish confusion. " > --Kim Tucker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 > I doubt it, I was punning you. No offense. And I just don't wear skirts, > although I understand you aren't being literal. > > > K I hope you understand " I can charm the pants off of anything in a skirt " is a play on language, meant to create an amusing, nonsensical mental picture. Seduction is one of my cyclical perseverations. Currently, it's on the low-end, but I am reading Greene's book " The Art of Seduction " at the rate of about a page a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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