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Topic: what is the subject? (Read 563 times) |
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srn437
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what is the subject?
« on: Sep 30th, 2007, 9:31pm » |
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Who's the bigger fool, the fool or the fool following the fool? Somehow I know that someone will make a joke by calling someone a fool.
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Sir Col
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Re: what is the subject?
« Reply #1 on: Oct 1st, 2007, 12:18am » |
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Is it possible to have gradations of foolery? That is, a fool is a fool. So a fool following a fool is just being a fool. There is no "bigger" fool. If we graded on the number of foolish things they've done, then an older fool would undoubtedly be a "bigger" fool than a younger one, but maybe we could keep things simple and just grade on body mass?
I know that the question you've posted is well known, but I think that it lacks true wit in that it answers itself explicitly. It states that the person following the fool is already a fool without leaving the listener to come to that conclusion. It would be better phrased, "They might be a fool, but who followed them?"
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towr
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Re: what is the subject?
« Reply #2 on: Oct 1st, 2007, 5:52am » |
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If they start off at the same size, and move at constant speed, then the slower moving one is the biggest. (As per Lorentz contraction)
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| « Last Edit: Oct 1st, 2007, 5:53am by towr » |
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rmsgrey
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Re: what is the subject?
« Reply #3 on: Oct 1st, 2007, 11:22am » |
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on Oct 1st, 2007, 5:52am, towr wrote:| If they start off at the same size, and move at constant speed, then the slower moving one is the biggest. (As per Lorentz contraction) |
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But the faster is more massive.
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srn437
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the dark lord rises again....
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Re: what is the subject?
« Reply #4 on: Oct 1st, 2007, 9:08pm » |
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Bigger in terms of the size of their foolishness.
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towr
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Re: what is the subject?
« Reply #5 on: Oct 2nd, 2007, 12:46am » |
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There really isn't a way to tell without knowing their motivation or their foolishness. There can be perfectly valid reasons to follow a fool; you might not even have any reason to assume they are a fool after all.
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Aryabhatta
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Re: what is the subject?
« Reply #6 on: Oct 2nd, 2007, 11:10am » |
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on Oct 2nd, 2007, 12:46am, towr wrote:| There really isn't a way to tell without knowing their motivation or their foolishness. There can be perfectly valid reasons to follow a fool; you might not even have any reason to assume they are a fool after all. |
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True... I know some co-workers (who are no fools) follow around fools in some of the forums they visit, just for the entertainment value. 
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| « Last Edit: Oct 2nd, 2007, 11:10am by Aryabhatta » |
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Grimbal
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Re: what is the subject?
« Reply #7 on: Oct 2nd, 2007, 2:49pm » |
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I don't follow you there. 
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