“Believe me, income has dropped by twenty percent and prices have gone up by twenty percent, that’s a total of forty percent!”
—Robert Musil, The Man Without Qualities II 729
(Vintage Paperback ed. 1995)
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Tragedy of Math Ignorance
Among Literary People
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
May I presume to offer a few contrary opinions?
"Were the events in the Bible fictitious -- not just the miracles, but those involving kings and empires? MOSTLY YES"
Disagree:
Depends what you mean by "events" [other than "miracles."]
While I'm sure most stories have been embellished and spun, rather like tales coming out of the camps of a United States president or two I could name, I think the basic bones of many of the stories are correct. Yeah, there was a first (and second) temple. Yeah, however they got there, there were most certainly Jewish slaves in Egypt at one time. Yeah, whether he was divine or just another young Jewish rabble rouser, there was a Jesus Christ who lived about 32 years, tried to upset the setup, and got crucified for his troubles. And so on.
As for the creation of the world in 7 days, burning bushes, parting seas and other "miraculous" occurrences, I'm fond of saying that I believe every word in the Bible is literally true – in a symbolic or metaphorical way. I mean, so okay, the earth was nohow made in seven days. But maybe seven million centuries? Maybe seven eons? Maybe seven grossly extended hiccups?
_____
"Has the state of the environment improved in the last 50 years? MIXED; SOME YES, SOME NO"
What? Given what's going on with industrial development in China and India? Given the rapid acceleration of global warming? Given that despite the U.S. slowdown in the rate of pollution, most especially in Buce's neck of the woods, our overall contribution of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere right here in the U.S. is increasing? You call this mixed? Fah!
_____
"Do men have an innate tendency to rape? PROBABLY YES"
All men? Maybe in some other culture, pal. Nothing is less fun than having sex with a corpse - or a partner who might as well be one. Rapists are of one of several highly specialized anti-social mindsets. (See below)
____
"Would the incidence of rape go down if prostitution were legalized? PROBABLY NOT"
No no, definitely not. Prostitution is for easy, or wildly erotic, or embarassing, or extramarital sex. Or for cheap sex - say compared to the cost of maintaining an apartment for a mistress. Rape is a whole 'nuther category, having to do mostly with either sadism, anger/hatred at/of women, or a near-feral upbringing.
_____
"Is homosexuality the symptom of an infectious disease? NO"
Does any educated person really ask that question?
_____
"Would it be consistent with our moral principles to give parents the option of euthanizing newborns with birth defects that would consign them to a life of pain and disability? NO"
This is such a hypothetical question that I'd like to offer a hypothetical few equally hypothetical questions as an answer:
Suppose the pain is physical, severe to the extent that it is unrelievable torture, and would be decried by liberals if only the US Army would do it to captured prisoners with the approval of Dick Cheney? And suppose, with a quick and painless injection, the child could be euthanized before it had much consciousness of self? Why do you want the child to live? So it can do nothing in life but suffer?
_____
"Have religions killed a greater proportion of people than Nazism? SORRY, TOO SIMPLISTIC"
Nope, not too simplistic. Too fuzzy. Proportion of what, compared to what? And where do you get your numbers from concerning the numbers of people killed by religions?
_____
"Is the average intelligence of Western nations declining because duller people are having more children than smarter people? YES"
Oh please! What is "intelligence?" What is "dull? "What connection does heredity have to intelligence, whatever intelligence is? This question is unanswerable.
_____
"Would unwanted children be better off if there were a market in adoption rights, with babies going to the highest bidder? MAYBE; AGAIN, I’D PROCEED INCREMENTALLY HERE FOR MORE INFO"
Better off how? Economically? Or emotionally? Any idea how many fabulously wealthy adults have children who are emotional train wrecks?
_____
"Would lives be saved if we instituted a free market in organs for transplantation? DITTO"
I think you're asking whether "more" lives would be saved? Possibly, but at what cost to morality? Do I have more of a right to live than an elementary schoolteacher because I advertised soap and cigarettes for a living and therefore made more money? Don't answer that!
_____
"Should people have the right to clone themselves, or enhance the genetic traits of their children? DITTO"
Royalty have been doing pretty much that for years, through inbreeding. It tends to water down the breeding stock, despite intentions to the contrary.
A more significant question might be:
Given the increasing crowding on our planet, and the impact on manyh natural resources from air to water to iron ore, should people be permitted to breed without inhibition. Or should governments, via economic coercion or other relatively humane means, limit the birth rate?
Yours crankily,
The News York Crank
Post a Comment