Darwin 200 Options

[Brainiac]

In anticipation of celebrations around the world for Darwin's 200th Birthday (Feb 12), and this year is also 150 years since the publication of On The Origin of Species, the BBC has published a special feature in its Focus magazine.

"Charles Darwin effectively rewrote the history of not only Man, but every living thing on the planet. This special section looks at the legacy of the man whose ideas changed everything."

Read the Digimag here. (Requires 'Flash' player)

Contains articles by esteemed scientists such as Carl Zimmer, PZ Myers, Richard Dawkins, and Steve Jones, as well as other 'feature' articles.

[evakurvan]

Nietzsche, the philosopher you recently have been reading and quoting on this forum, thought darwin's thinking was so ultra lame he used him and some other examples like john stuart mill (the utilitarianism guy) as the ultimate spotlights of why British people are no race of thinkers lol.

[Gerard]

Nietzsche, the philosopher you recently have been reading and quoting on this forum, thought darwin's thinking was so ultra lame he used him and some other examples like john stuart mill (the utilitarianism guy) as the ultimate spotlights of why British people are no race of thinkers lol.

But being an atheist, Nietzsche went much further then Darwin and he would have liked Richard Dawkins and Daniel C. Dennett.

[evakurvan]

it is my opinion Nietzsche was a bipolar beast of a man on a manic spree when writing a lot of his material and the main reason he said 'god is dead' is because in German, it is "Gott ist tot" and that rhymes and he was doing word clanging in his excitable delirium tremendousness - also no other philosopher in history to ever publish used more exclamation !!!!points!!!!! in his writing than Nietzsche (a wannabe dancer using words to get his kicks out), and deliberate hyperbole and provocative declarations and arrogations as a device to scream to subtler points that way. So i don't really think Nietzsche meant "god is dead' in the narrow atheist way like dawkins and how other simplistic atheists may want to appropriate that to use him for.

[evakurvan]

The direct quote he uses for Darwin is "mediocre mind" and for John Stuart Mill "blockhead" lol.

Sorry I am distracting from this Darwin appreciation thread with my tabloid-level quotes, I don't find darwin compelling.

[Gerard]

it is my opinion nietzche was on a bipolar beast of a man on a manic spree when writing a lot of his material and the main reason he said 'god is dead' is because in German, it is "Gott ist tot" and that rhymes and he was doing word clanging in his excitable deliriums - also no other philosopher in history to ever publish used more exclamation !!!!points!!!!! in his writing than Nietzsche (a wannabe dancer using words to get his kicks out), and deliberate hyperbole and provocative declarations to scream to subtler points that way. So i don't really think Nietzsche meant "god is dead' in the narrow atheist way like dawkins and how other simplistic atheists may want to appropriate that to use him for.

Perhaps not in the narrow way of D & D, because FN was a moralist, (although he called himself 'amoral') but he accepted the most controversial ideas of Darwin, that man had evolved from the apes through a process of chance and necessity.

And only in the Zarathustra did he use quite a lot of exclamation marks. Besides "Gott ist tot" does not rhyme and his deliriums only started when the syphilis kicked in.

True, he was a wannabe musician and composer, he did write some trite salon pieces for piano. But Wagner liked them and said " You have to become a composer or get married."

[evakurvan]

I heard Nietzsche's sucky music and he reminds me of what Leonard Cohen says in a song "a prima ballerina who cannot dance to anything." But no wonder Wagner liked it,

he did write some trite salon pieces for piano. But Wagner liked them and said " You have to become a composer or get married."

the king of grandiose trite-pomp and lol what kind of thing is that for him to say.

Nietzsche nevertheless holds the title of histrionic princess of philosophy for exclamation point count, if only concentrated in Zarathustra, critics crowning him that way and contrasting it with how in real life he was a rather reserved man compared to his vitriolic writing style and exhortations to WRITE IN BLOOD!

and in that way also reminds me of people who go irate in writing on the internet but are silent in real life.

[Dhyana]

And only in the Zarathustra did he use quite a lot of exclamation marks. Besides "Gott ist tot" does not rhyme and his deliriums only started when the syphilis kicked in.

True, he was a wannabe musician and composer, he did write some trite salon pieces for piano. But Wagner liked them and said " You have to become a composer or get married."

[babu]

the king of grandiose trite-pomp and lol what kind of thing is that for him to say.

Nietzsche nevertheless holds the title of histrionic princess of philosophy for exclamation point count, if only concentrated in Zarathustra, critics crowning him that way and contrasting it with how in real life he was a rather reserved man compared to his vitriolic writing style and exhortations to WRITE IN BLOOD!

and in that way also reminds me of people who go irate in writing on the internet but are silent in real life.

what we see in others is actually what is within ourselves and so this is what evakurvan is actually saying:


"i am the the king of grandiose trite-pomp and lol what kind of thing is that for me to say.

i nevertheless holds the title of histrionic princess of philosophy for exclamation point count, if only concentrated in my online avatar, critics crowning me that way and contrasting it with how in real life she was a rather reserved woman compared to her vitriolic writing style and exhortations to WRITE IN BLOOD!

and in that way also reminds me of myselves who go irate in writing on the internet but are silent in real life."

[Dhyana]

Hi Babu, that's what crossed my mind as well while reading... but I wasn't as courageous as you, who will now probably get the flak!

[Gerard]

But no wonder Wagner liked it,

the king of grandiose trite-pomp.

Yes, Wagner is rather overblown. As Rossini put it: “Mr. Wagner has beautiful moments but bad quarters of an hour.”
And a guy who likes pink, silken underwear can't be all bad.

And as to

Nietzsche nevertheless holds the title of histrionic princess of philosophy for exclamation point count

you might be right if you consider Nietzsche to be a philosopher, I always saw him as a great, and very rajasic, humorist or satirist.

[evakurvan]

Humourist or satirist is what I was trying to get at when I said Nietzsche uses hyperbole as a device to communicate subtler points. I think even SP, or at least his form conveys that sometimes but it is not an obvious kind of humour if you even want to call it that. "There are no lesbians in india," is a good one. Rather than lament his homophobia there I lament and pity all the white people who are only getting to hear such a funny line for the first time, maybe too late in life to get that golden nugget of humour stuck up the larynx for hours of choke-chuckles.

I did not know Wagner wears pink silk underwear but I am just happy someone else dovetails talk like this by blurting out the one tabloid bizarroid fact. I sabotage myself doing this with thinkers I like all the time but it is an added perk to see it derail off topic like this in a darwin appreciation thread.


Dhyana you do need more courage I have been thinking that ever since you erased your blog post praising me for praising animal killing!!!!!!!!

Babu what I said about Wagner is one consensus opinion so I was not thinking anyone would relate that to me there, but the second part is so obvious they would, which is why I posed it on purpose just to have the excuse to answer back, 'and if you think I am one of those people vitriol in words and quiet in reality, why don't you say that live and I will show you how unliteral WRITE WITH BLOOD is.

It is the perfect time of the month for that too.

[ePiTau]

Besides "Gott ist tot" does not rhyme

Thank you for pointing this out, Softbrain.
Claiming something rhymes just because two similar vowels occur in one line betrays poor judgement or confirms the progress of Kali Yuga .

[Dhyana]

Dhyana you do need more courage I have been thinking that ever since you erased your blog post praising me for praising animal killing!!!!!!!!

I remember writing a blog entry about it. I am much less sure if I remember erasing it later! Wouldn't rule it out though. It was long ago, I have tried to look up my old GR blog but it seems to have been phased out. You are right about courage!

[evakurvan]

I don't know German so I did not know that - but I don't think it has to discount what I was saying about Nietzsche's God is Dead; to purposefully mispronounce in order to get near-rhymes to rhyme, to get you to say a word in different ways or for other reasons to word juggle famously done in poetry.

Unfortunately the only example coming to mind now is not from Shakespeare but from a pop band which makes fun of the group Rush, which I was only looking at yesterday because someone posted Rush here the Logical Song.

Or sometimes the word left well-prounounced so the unrhyme rhymes in undercurrent effect, i.e. CROOKED RHYME.

Which is funny because it has nothing to do with GV but reminds you of CROOKED SPEECH lol.

[evakurvan]

Okay Correction it is not Rush who sings The Logical Song but I just checked it is Supertramp. I was sure it was Rush that singer looked to me like Geddy Lee but what do you want all this 70s FM Radio Rock blends into one soup pile. Another group to confuse with these is YES.

[babu]

Babu what I said about Wagner is one consensus opinion so I was not thinking anyone would relate that to me there, but the second part is so obvious they would, which is why I posed it on purpose just to have the excuse to answer back, 'and if you think I am one of those people vitriol in words and quiet in reality, why don't you say that live and I will show you how unliteral WRITE WITH BLOOD is.

It is the perfect time of the month for that too.

you are my hero

[evakurvan]

I knew me mentioning "white people" would get your attn...
But No Babu you are my hero and at your proud American awards ceremony it is going to be playing this song right as you step up to collect your Grammy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f_HsjpSVaI

[evakurvan]

P.S. Dhyana I only point that out to shock you again with my memory of your posts but you are not giving me shocked/happy emoticons for it anymore.

[babu]

i used hero meaning an overstuffed sandwich with vinegar