Posted by giveawayboy on May 15, 2002 at 08:21:00:
In Reply to: Identity vs. Philosophy posted by Bob - The Alien on May 14, 2002 at 15:37:19:
Bill: It's kind of interesting to watch.
Bob, the Alien: Its also kind of interesting to see your reaction.
Bill: Thanks dear!
Bob, the Alien: I think that the separation of identity from philosophy is a very valuable tool. It forces you to evaluate the thoughts presented on their own ground, with no interference or bias from a author-based context.
Do you disagree?
Bill: Yes, although admittedly, it is very frustrating.
Bob, the Alien: Just a couple questions to contemplate:
Is a thought invalidated because you did not know who wrote it?
Bill: Certainly not!
Bob, the Alien: Do you give more or less credibility to concepts based on their author?
Bill: I'm not a total purist, so I would guess that knowing the author does affect how I understand what is being said. I'm not as much of an expert of living in the void as you seem to be.
Bob, the Alien: A good example of things to consider:
How would you feel if you learned that I was:
a) Sherman Alexie
b) jonvon
c) a 13-year old netsurfer who just found this board
d) I really am Bob - The Alien.
Bill: Well, if I thought you were Sherman, I'd hope that you weren't pissed at anything that I said about you or Evan. And I'm really glad that you mentioned Sherman Bob, since then I realize that someone is reading those posts that seem to exist in some sort of ghost town of their own. If I knew you were Jonvon I would be suprised that you didn't use many of Jonvon's normal verbage and have his quirky oddness. If I found out you were a 13 year-old netsurfer then I would not be suprised. There would be many of you. If I found out that you were actually Bob, the Alien, then the my reaction would not be too different than it is right now. Now, if I found out that you were a certain Joe, or a certain Mr. G, or a certain Todd, or a certain Jay Kumar from Bangalor, then things might be very different. So, supposing you to be none of these I venture to post this.
Yours, my dear boy, Bill
P.S. Speaking of aliens, I have narrowed down the species inhabiting the palm trees in front of my house. They are either Canary-winged Parakeets or Monk Parakeets. Sorry, the latin names are not accessible, although I do have them, but I don't think they are more official in latin. They seem to be quite unaffected by what I call them. They are however, quite proficient at making chambered nests in the treetops of certain palms, for which they seem to have profound affection. Their song is like magic!