this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2023
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karcatgirl-vantas:

the default way for things to taste is good. we know this because "tasty" means something tastes good. conversely, from the words "smelly" and "noisy" we can conclude that the default way for things to smell and sound is bad. interestingly there are no corresponding adjectives for the senses of sight and touch. the inescapable conclusion is that the most ordinary object possible is invisible and intangible, produces a hideous cacophony, smells terrible, but tastes delicious. and yet this description matches no object or phenomenon known to science or human experience. so what the fuck

skluug:

this is what ancient greek philosophy is like

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

This is very much "I am 14 and this is deep" territory.

Adjectives describe. By using them, we are emphasising a quality of a given thing. That does not make it the "default state" (a problematic concept) of that object, even if it is a desirable quality.

The "default state" of food is that it is edible, ie. that it can be eaten, as food is defined as that which is edible.

there are no corresponding adjectives for the senses of sight and touch

Visible. Tactile.

Noisy

Even by OPs logic, "noise" is not one of the senses. Audible is the correct word here.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_universals

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

The punchline is the comment about how the OP is like Green philosophy.

You're picking apart the setup, not the punchline, and therefore being "that guy" who ruins the joke.

Stop it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Why can the replier in the screenshot poke fun at the nonsensical nature of the first post but not us in the comments?

How does that ruin the joke for you?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

It's not a joke, it is indeed true that a lot of early Greek philosopy featured that style of logic, which you would know if you'd ever paid attention in school or actually read a book.

Eg. Diogenes refuting Plato's definition of a man.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Random internet commenter status: owned!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You really suck ar covering up your pre-pubescent insecurities!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

In your philosophical knowledge, is there a need for a iam14andthisisdeep community? I pretty much think that the sum of a determined number of children make up of a real adult.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Exactly, and on top of that this only works in English and only in dialects where these words are used that way.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah I'm not sure how they concluded "there's a word for this therefore it describes a default object"

Man that car was speedy! Therefore the default speed is fast.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That really is more or less how Greek philosophy worked.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The joke reply is great but the initial post not so much

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The initial post was also a joke. The greatness will be relative.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What's supposed to be funny about it? Plain stupidity isn't humour.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think of you and immediately get bored

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I don't think about you at all.

You still obviously have no idea what this post is about.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The default touch verb is bad, because nobody has ever used the word "touchy" to mean something good.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And "sightly" isn't as common as "unsightly", so the default sight verb is bad.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Smells bad, something you do not want to hear, do not want to touch and do not want to see. But tastes good. Don't anyone say it's shit or ill slap you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

thats referencing either the phrase "touch a nerve" or the person in question touches things/people too much, it doesn't factor into this discussion where it's describing properties of an object rather than personality traits

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But there are words for those two thing, even if they're not used commonly.

Sightly is something that is pleasant to the eye. Sure, it's inverse "unsightly" is more commonly used today, but it is still a word.

While not mainly used to refer to the sense anymore, Touchy can refer to a body part that is acutely sensitive or irritable.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

A loud, irritable, bad-smelling thing, that is nonetheless beautiful and delicious.

A firework.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

My thesis brings all the boys to the forum.

And they're like, "This makes us a quorum."

Damn right, this makes us a quorum.

I could teach them but I might just bore 'em.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

When you say someone is a real looker, it means they're attractive, so I'd say the default state for sight is appealing.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Very sightly

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Good point. Also, there's touchy feely so the most ordinary thing seems to be a loud, stinking and attractive creep with strawberry lipstick or something. 🤔

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'd say it's those attributes that most compel us to notice that sense than the default for that sense. If something is smelly or noisy, you are often unable to avoid or ignore it, it takes over your senses. If something is tasty you are compelled to take more of it to placate your senses. A "looker" is something you can't take your eyes off of. Whereas "touchy" is somebody that reactive, they are forced to notice and react to you.

Therefore the most sensually compelling object is something that smells strongly, is loud, tastes good, looks good, and reacts when you touch it.

Conversely, I believe "ordinary" is something you are not compelled to notice. So it would be the exact opposite. Smells nice, is quiet, tastes bad, looks neutral, and does not react to touch.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Therefore the most sensually compelling object is something that smells strongly, is loud, tastes good, looks good, and reacts when you touch it.

So a person?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

A well groomed, attractive person, with good hygiene.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Screaming invisible cheese?

A gas being forced through a pipe that's smelly yet sweet-tasting?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Evaporated durian juice

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Farts must be delicious 🤤

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

OP out here acting like no one's ever tongue-punched a fart-box.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The person is not wrong about Greek Philosophy. Have been reading some of Plato’s works and he does have a bit of an absolutist way of presenting things that sometimes fails to address the nuance. The things that he is right about though transcend time and are eerily relevant to our current circumstances, so his thoughts on him an nature tend towards accurate. On this example, Plato would probably script Socrates explaining to Glaucon, and indeed does, that vision is tied to brightness and darkness and that somewhere in the middle is where you’d want to be because brightness is brought by the sun, which is hot, but you can be tool dark and cold in a cave. He’s then be ADHD and explain that the cave is a metaphor for our knowledge and since light lets us read, we lack much knowledge when being in the dark. Glaucon would then quip that people can still talk in a dark cave and that their voice might even be echoed and Socrates would probably say that without the warmth from light, the soul won’t listen to the loudest voice. It goes something like that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It does match one phenomenon. Survival. Noise is important for listening for predators, smell let's you know if potential food is rotted and our sense of taste helps us distinguish between calorie dense food (sweet), salts and micronutrients (salty), acidic foods (sour), poisons (bitter) and protein (umami).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Survival

Why did I read that in Agent Smith's voice?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Fuzzy and pretty...default object I propose is within the fungi family of life.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

At least in British English calling someone "a looker" has positive implications. Dunno if that applies to Americans.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Why do we park on a driveway and drive on parkway?!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

“Ugly” and “Coarse” looking at this guy like… you think we’re a joke?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Bro forgot disgusting