Ode to a hacking Cough
Wow. I finally have time to check up on my blog when I realize that it has been far too long since I last posted. I was going to write some commentary about how I got around to writing those two positional statements but then I got caught up with twenty-one credit hours worth of work and suddenly the rest of my life just kind of fell by the wayside. In response to this unfair and biased treatment that it feels I have been giving it, my body all of sudden decided to stop working and get sick. Thus, I now have enough time on a friday afternoon to update, between hacking coughs, my blog.Life is different when you are sick. Einstein showed how time is relative to the position and velocity of the observer, and though what I am experiencing is the slowing of psychological time, it is a nice confirmation of his physics. I can sit here for minutes and feel like time has the same consistency as molasses or honey. Going to class, like I did yesterday, makes the time go by faster but it seems to worsen whatever condition I have- a headache starts pounding, the coughing gets hoarser, and the sneezing becomes more frequent. Being sick is all about the realization of limited choice- I can go to class and be sick, but not have to make up what I miss, or I can stay, feel better and be behind by a quarter fortnight.
A little while ago, I postulated a new idea for the definition of freedom. Since there are obviously things that we are not 'free' to do in any situation (such as be two places at once, or fly by flapping our arms) we should look at freedom as the ability to make a choice between the options we have before us. Such a definition leads to an odd conundrum: a man in prison has more freedom than I do, because his options are limited enough that he has an easy chance of making his choice, whereas I have so many options that I am often stuck in making decisions. Think of going to a restaurant and seeing 50 things on the menu that you like. Now go to a different restaurant that has only 10 of the same things- where would you be more free in making a choice?
All this sounded good to me when I thought it up, a few months ago, but being sick and having only my intellect to keep me company (nice conversationalist, but he gets kind of repetitive) I was going over my old arguments and this one stuck out for me because while being sick directly and physically limits me from making some choices, the fact is that I am still free to keep those choices in mind and feel distraught for not choosing them. Being sick should have kept me from statistics and English this morning, but it didn't; though I shouldn't (by my definition) have been free to see the options I couldn't take, I still tried to do those things that I was not free to do. This could only lead to negative consequences. I still think I'm right in using that definition of freedom- only problems come up because people can see beyond the freedom they have and attempt to do things that they are not free to do.
Yeah. Being sick sucks. I hope you guys are doing well!
posted by Emmett @ 13:33
4 Comments:
Ick, I'm sorry you're sick, Emmett. It royally whomps. Your intellect doesn't seem to suffer from it, though. When I'm sick I get really loopy and start doing ridiculous things, but you sit down and theorize about life. Wish I could do that under normal circumstances. Hey, wanna write up some notes on Anthropological theory and the Sappir-Worf hypothesis while you're at it.
Well, the Sappir-Worf hypothesis has come under some criticism because they say that language affects the way we view the world while most anthropologists take the opposite for granted, but I have to admire the way they took a look at the evidence and came up with a very plausible explanation for it, no matter what heat they took.
As to their theory, it is likely that neither they nor the mainstream linguists are absolutely correct, simply because of the nature of language. Jonathon Swift, in the 18th century, wrote about how, even should we aquire the perfect language, new experiences would require us to create new words- but what system would those new words be based on, except for the language that we are adding them too? Both natural and synthetic explanations are not enough- our environment influences our language while our language influences how we see our environment.
There is a problem here; if language affects how I see the world, to what extent is what I percieve do to linguistic determinism? How much does language actually control? And does it even matter- to what extent does the chemical makeup of my mind control my thoughts, to what extent does the emptiness of my stomach control my hunger?
Well, you asked.
To the extent of 49.6%. o_O
I really hope you get better quickly, Emmett! Being sick is no fun. Well, it is a sort of fun. But not when there's no time to be sick.
It's so interesting what it does to the mind, though....
Anyway, get better! Now! Or else the universe will freeze over!
I don't think the universe will freeze over anytime soon, Paul.
Thanks for that take on the Sappir-Worf hypothesis. We had our little discussion today, and I felt really dumb, because some of the kids in there have already done their fieldwork, and I didn't feel it would be prudent for me to say "Well, anthropologists should do this and this because of such and such" to them. So I took notes, was attentive, and kept my mouth shut. Unfortunately, that also means I've lost a few points in that class...
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