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Prometheus
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09 Sep 2005, 9:37 am

I no longer seek happiness in knowledge. The more I know, the more I become depressed, because there are so few who do know. Why search for being happy? It is only a tempory feeling, and there are things far more sastifying and pernament for me. I seek an understanding of the universe, not mere happiness. Sure, this does make me somewhat happy at times, but I could get just as happy by using drugs, which would activate the same limbic system that is activated by "intelluctual" knowledge.


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techstepgenr8tion
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09 Sep 2005, 10:39 am

I should probably say something as well - as far as Neant's specific 'for instance' example I really wouldn't draw a character judgement on those girls in particular. Usually enough girls who even seem that way, when you get to know em outside of work or school, still have their degree of depth but they just aren't as into talking about it socially. What I've more or less taken my replies out on is how society's being led in the direction, in general, that he was implying in the first post.


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NeantHumain
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09 Sep 2005, 12:12 pm

Sophist wrote:
Not to be bringing up old issues just for the sake of randomness, but, Neant, didn't you criticize me for making similar remarks JUST a couple weeks ago about "popular" women???

So you are righteous only when it suits you, eh?

And about classical music, the only reason you think people who like it are snobs is because YOU don't like it. If you hated Red Hot Chili Peppers and loved Mozart, you would think people who listen to RHCP or other music like it are the "swine" you have this thread focused on.

The word "hypocrite" comes to mind...

Heh, actually, it was a joke. I'm not passionate about classical music; but I don't dislike it, either. I dislike most country and rap music, but I don't hate it all. It is true that one of those girls gave a somewhat ignorant response, but I was completely kidding about thinking they were going to make fools of themselves at any moment.

Actually, I have been talking to a girl who belongs to a sorority in one of my French classes, and it's been going pretty good so far at last. Doubtless I'll somehow mess it up, though. These girls in my ethics class aren't rude or anything, but I really don't know them well enough to measure their intelligence (as if I'd go around doing such a thing as my boss in the summer of 2004 did in the first place).



Sophist
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11 Sep 2005, 1:08 am

Hmmm... So you don't mean anything you say... :?

Why say it?


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DrizzleMan
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11 Sep 2005, 7:59 am

Ah, one of the age old questions. Like - why 42? It isn't even prime.

Although writers say things that they don't really 'mean'; do they have a reason?



Knasher
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11 Sep 2005, 12:12 pm

In my opinion the search for knowledge will probely never bring you happiness. I spend alot of time studing the dynamics of society (its a hobby so I dont really know what Im talking about). But I have always felt that people are controlled by two forces, your own wishes and those of society around you.
People have a prebuilt in yearning for knowledge, this is why we can never gain happiness from knowledge. Because invariably the more we learn the more apparient it becomes how little we really know, and the more we specilise in one area to learn all we can about it, the more potential we have to give up to learn things about other areas. And maybe you could acheive personal happiness if you were to just give up the persuit of knowledge. But we humans are more than just one, as a group we feel the need to learn. So that our children can become one step closer to acheive perfect knowledge and finally be free of the urge to know more.
I don't really belive that as a singular person a human is much better than an animal, it is our society that allows us to do what we can do. Because of the people who never gave up the persuit of knowledge that we are where we are today. The may have never been happy but thing of all the avoid sorrow because of the discovery of a cure to polo, or any of the other diseases we have avoided. In the end maybe we arnt meant to be happy as an indvidual, but as a society. And maybe some people feel the need to learn more than others, or maybe some people just havn't discovered (or maybe never will) whatever it is that they are predisposed to learn about, for me its computers. I consider myself one of the lucky ones for having discovered my area, a hundred years ago I wouldn't have have been so lucky. And maybe a hundred years from now the soriety girls you consider to be so stupid will discover their roles.
--The greatest fool is the one that thinks he knows everything.



NeantHumain
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11 Sep 2005, 2:54 pm

Sophist wrote:
Hmmm... So you don't mean anything you say... :?

Hardly true. I sometimes mean what I say and sometimes don't. In this case, one of my drives was to vent about an ethical philosophy that ranks so-called intellectual pastimes above more sensual pursuits.



Sophist
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11 Sep 2005, 3:31 pm

NeantHumain wrote:
Sophist wrote:
Hmmm... So you don't mean anything you say... :?

Hardly true. I sometimes mean what I say and sometimes don't. In this case, one of my drives was to vent about an ethical philosophy that ranks so-called intellectual pastimes above more sensual pursuits.


Oh. So you just wanted to show off.


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NeantHumain
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11 Sep 2005, 3:38 pm

Sophist wrote:
Oh. So you just wanted to show off.

No, it's my habit to say the opposite of what I believe or bend things ad absurdum for humorous effect. I don't consider it showing off. Showing off implies a sense of satisfaction from being in the spotlight, doesn't it? I get no such satisfaction.



Prometheus
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11 Sep 2005, 3:40 pm

/me cocks eyebrows


I know I do get sastisfaction from that!


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DrizzleMan
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11 Sep 2005, 3:47 pm

If you get no satisfaction from it, why do you do it? What do you get satisfaction from? Having people misinterpret your thread and argue heatedly?


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NeantHumain
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11 Sep 2005, 5:37 pm

DrizzleMan wrote:
If you get no satisfaction from it, why do you do it? What do you get satisfaction from? Having people misinterpret your thread and argue heatedly?

No, I guess I get satisfaction from the act of expressing myself. I don't think I really take into account the reactions I get; maybe I do, though, subconsciously.