my word processor says the antonym of philosophical is "realistic"

(c) Rembrandt (1632), 'The Philosopher in Meditation'

Bertrand Russell once referred to Kant as the greatest catastrophe in the history of philosophy. C. D. Broad commented that this position surely belonged to Hegel. Russell and Broad were wrong, because this title undoubtedly belongs to Martin Heidegger.

- Paul Edwards,
two citations needed.



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In eighteenth-century Europe, as in modern times, passports — quite literally documents which allowed the bearer to 'pass through a port' — had to be carried on most long-distance journeys... For identification purposes they contained a detailed description of the bearer. 'It is commanded to safely and freely let pass: Jacques Cazanua Italian thirty-two years old, five foot ten and a half inches tall or Thereabouts Face long, plain Swarthy. Heavy long nose. Large mouth. Brown, highly intelligent eyes.'"

- Judith Summers

People's passports used to have descriptions of them instead of pictures! Casanova's one could be made better though, something like: Irascible of brow, his heavily intelligent brown eye fills one's apprehension, and his cheek tapers down to a full, high chin.
Here, Arts students! Jobs! (Verbal portraiture.)

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EPISTEMIC VIRTUES IN STATISTICS
(which help in drawing neat lines through large clouds -
which is to say, "producing knowledge")

1. "Unbiased" - (N/A) - Having great expectations.


2. "Consistent" - The more there is, the more I am.


3. "Free" (v) - Having lots of things to talk about relative to the complexity of the grammar.


4. "Significant" - (t, F, P) - Having the right to say I am not nothing.


5. "Efficient" - (N/A) - I do the best I'm able.


6. "Sufficient" - (N/A) - You're all that I need to get by.


7. "Unskewed" (γ) - Keeping an even keel in different waters.


8. "Goodness" (R^2) - What stones do you leave unturned, my child?

Maths is very human, isn't it though? These are virtues in everything we do.


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Everyone thinks their taste is eclectic.



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Epigram to an essay on Russell's Paradox that I'll never write:

I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT
WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER."
- Groucho Marx


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Some literature prof (or Cultural Theory bod) must have done the legwork on a theory of monster movies. They're so great at expressing our nastiest fears, endlessly workable as satire, and have been doing it throughout history. From primal fear, to fear of science; to fear of sex; fear of Jews; or the trauma of nuclear genocide; fear of the anger of Gaia; fear of Communism; fear of McCarthyism; fear of atavism; physical insecurity; epistemic uncertainty...

Additions to dark symbols in very recent years (mostly single lumpen Ideas than anything elemental):

• Species (1995) - fear of modern women?


• Cloverfield (2008) - terrorism


• The Happening (2008) - fear of idiopathy, of things not making any sense


• The Host (2006) - pollution


• District 9 (2009) - apartheid.


• and now, "Monsters"...which does immigration through a tentacled lens...yeah.

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Worms do not posses any sense of hearing. They took not the least notice of the shrill of a metal whistle which was repeatedly sounded near them. Nor did they hear the deepest and loudest tones of a bassoon. They were indifferent to shouts if care was taken that the breath did not strike them. When placed on a table near a piano which was played as loudly as possible they remained perfectly quiet.
- Darwin

Good christ, science used to be fun.

EDIT: My mate Johnny says it still is, and he's made a fractal exclamation to prove it:
https://github.com/elginer/exclamation/blob/master/surprise.gif

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Is it any wonder he lost it in later life? Is it any wonder he pissed on nun's heads?
- James, possibly confusing Benjamin Britten for Little Richard


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