Lighter Fare IV
Apologies to Dan. This was too funny not to pass on to those who aren’t already on wordpress. I’m not technically “white” but I did know the truth of this for nine of my best(?) years. Enjoy.
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Manyul Im is Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He has a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His philosophical specialization is early Chinese philosophy. He is interested in the broad spectrum of Asian philosophy more generally, as well as ancient Greek philosophy and the history of Western philosophy and ethical theory.
Contact: mim@fairfield.edu
“I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written on it.” –William Faulkner
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Oh dear.
I think that’s a very funny skit and I often sent it to people. I think of using it in teaching about the pitfalls of argumentation. In posting it I meant my to echo points in Manyul’s posting and, as a deep subtext, apologize for running through too many sandboxes. Since posting it I’ve been hounded by fantasies of how my intentions might be misread. Nothing from the subcontinent has ever seemed to me to be a tuna sandwich.
I would like to request my #1 / link above be removed. It can suggest many things I do not mean. I apologize for my carelessness, and I would ask that this apology remain here for a while.
Bill, no need to apologize. It was apt and I enjoyed it. I take “Lighter Fare” quite seriously. The youtube skit fit the bill exactly; thanks for the explanation.
Come to think of it, Bill, the video sketch reminds me quite a lot of the “Happiness of Fish” (魚之樂) passage in Zhuangzi:
莊子與惠子游於濠梁之上。莊子曰：「鯈魚出游從容，是魚之樂也。」惠子曰：「子非魚，安知魚之樂？」莊子曰：「子非我，安知我不知魚之樂？」 惠子曰：「我非子，固不知子矣；子固非魚也，子之不知魚之樂，全矣。」莊子曰：「請循其本。子曰『汝安知魚樂』云者，既已知吾知之而問我。 我知之濠上也。」
Zhuangzi and Huizi wandered to a bridge over the Hao River. Zhuangzi said, “See how the small fish meander to and fro. This is the happiness of the fish.” Huizi replied “You are not a fish; whence do you know the happiness of the fish?” “You are not I,” retorted Zhuangzi, “Whence do you know my not knowing the happiness of the fish?” “I am not you,” conceded Huizi, “so I certainly do not know what you know. But you are certainly not a fish, so your not knowing the happiness of the fish is settled.” “Let’s return to the original question” suggested Zhuangzi. “You asked me whence I know the happiness of the fish. That shows that you already knew what I knew when you asked me. I know it from my vantage over the Hao.”