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From: linda@brueer.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.misc
Subject: Re: the trouble with modern man
Message-ID: <508@brueer.ee.brunel.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, 3-Apr-87 10:11:10 EST
Article-I.D.: brueer.508
Posted: Fri Apr  3 10:11:10 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Apr-87 04:07:55 EST
References: <495@mipos3.UUCP> <1065@cartan.Berkeley.EDU> <17988@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: linda@ee.brunel.ac.uk (Linda Birmingham)
Organization: Dept of EE & E, Brunel University, Uxbridge, U.K.
Lines: 112

What an interesting conversation.

In article <17988@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> tedrick@ernie.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Tom Tedrick) writes:

>>>The modern man is now enlightened to the fact that what plato
>>>says is logically inconsistent,
>
Good job there are a lot modern women about :-)

>
>It isn't so easy to come up with valid, worthwhile new ideas that are
>superior to the ideas of past thinkers. After all we have a long 
>history filled with brilliant minds.

Philosophy is all new to me. I'm quite into Eastern Philosophy and
raed somewhere that the ideas of Plato and the Greek philosophers
all stem from the Vedas originally. From the little I know of
Platonism it certainly seems that way. Any comments ?

>
>>>The modern
>>>man has matured from his romantic adolescence, ready to take on the
>>>harsh reality of the universe that we live in.
>
>Sigh. The fallacies are becoming too numerous to refute in detail.

Quite.

>>>The modern homer and
>>>plato are the scientists, engineers musicians, novelists.
>
>Absurd.

Yes. A great philosopher could come from any field but you certainly
could not equate ALL scientists, engineers etc with a great philosopher.

>>>In order for
>>>the modern man to be "educated", it is necessary to refute untruth
>
>Are we to conclude therefore that modern man is not educated?

But one man's truth is another's untruth.
How you see truth (Truth) depends on your philosophy.
It is wrong to say someone is not educated just because he doesn't
share your views.
>
>>>That does not say that
>>>the greek thinkers are not historical curiosities, but let's not make
>>>them anymore than that; even they would find it silly.
>
>To borrow an expression from weemba:
>
>????
Are you sure the original posting shouldn't have been in rec.jokes ?
>
>>I read the above and want to throw up.  Ignorance is one thing, but
>>pride in it?  And then pseudo-logical reasonings to justify ignorance?
>
>Well said.
In the words of the great tennis player:
"He cannot be serious"
>
>>Quite frankly, I find much of Plato, Homer, etc quite relevant to the
>>world around me.  It's because "modern men" don't get educated beyond
>>their petty how-to-make-a-fortune-and-retire-easy desires that so much
>>is wrong with the world today.
>
>Agreed. Modern society resembles a vast con-game where most everyone
>is trying to rip everyone else off in order to get rich.

Isn't it nice that there are some of us about that aren't :-)

>
>Where are the individuals who are both well educated and dedicated
>to social welfare? The few individuals who are dedicated to service
>towards humanity are unfortunately fools for the most part.

Yes. It *IS* very difficult to even consider dedicating your life
to help other people, especially when a lot of our compassion has
been educated out of us.

>
>>Instead of ever learning how to think
>>for themselves, which is what a classical education was supposed to make
>>possible, we get endless gibbering morons who can't make two sentences
>>cohere logically, although they know how to program in C,
>
>Well said.
Here here.
>
>
>Unfortunately, I have minimal aptitude for acquiring new languages
>(such as C, German, Greek, etc.) Could you explain what his game
>was to the ignorant such as myself?

Here here again !

-- 
Linda.

'Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without
losing your temper or your self-confidence.'

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