tinyURL address for how long?

D

dorayme

Toby Inkster said:
I think that's a rather useless definition of perfection. Something that
is perfect should be judged perfect by all who perceive it.

Both are circular characterizations [1] as expressed. But Mark's
can be recovered to some respectability:

There may be no better idea of perfection than something
measuring up to something else. This other thing forms the
standard. Perfection in this guise is but qualitative identity.
Thus Bush is closer to perfection in respect to Hitler than
Franklin D. Roosevelt.

But Toby's idea cannot be saved, far too postmodernist relative
for that. Trust me.

[1] using the very term in the explanation that you are
explaining.
 
P

PeterMcC

dorayme wrote in
Toby Inkster said:
I think that's a rather useless definition of perfection. Something
that is perfect should be judged perfect by all who perceive it.

Both are circular characterizations [1] as expressed. But Mark's
can be recovered to some respectability:

There may be no better idea of perfection than something
measuring up to something else. This other thing forms the
standard. Perfection in this guise is but qualitative identity.
Thus Bush is closer to perfection in respect to Hitler than
Franklin D. Roosevelt.

My favourite analogy for perfection is that of the glass bead game in "The
Glass Bead Game" (Hess, H.) which tacitly recognises that analogy is about
as far as one can go in seeking to define an aesthetic for perfection -
certainly as far as the western philosophical tradition is concerned.

A perfect definition of perfection may well be beyond the scope of alt.html
contributors but each to their own strengths - how many Zen Masters have
truly come to terms with the box model as implemented in IE5?
 
J

johnfowles

dorayme said:
What do you expect to happen? God to bellow down from the sky?
actually I EXPECTED A WORD OF WELCOME OR THANKS AS I WAS TRYING TO HELP
YOU, NOT AN IRRELEVANT DIATRIBE LIKE THAT, especially as I am a
confirmed agnostic,
To explain again I pressed "post message" once, nothing happenned so I
pressed it again 2 times obviously and only later did I find that
google was not asleep.I then thought that the decent thing to do was
to explain as I am not a complete newbie to usenet posting, having
started back in 1997.
I do apologise fahsolateedoh for catching you on a day when you
possibly got out of bed on the wrong side
 
P

PeterMcC

johnfowles wrote in
actually I EXPECTED A WORD OF WELCOME OR THANKS AS I WAS TRYING TO
HELP YOU, NOT AN IRRELEVANT DIATRIBE LIKE THAT, especially as I am a
confirmed agnostic,
To explain again I pressed "post message" once, nothing happenned so I
pressed it again 2 times obviously and only later did I find that
google was not asleep.I then thought that the decent thing to do was
to explain as I am not a complete newbie to usenet posting, having
started back in 1997.
I do apologise fahsolateedoh for catching you on a day when you
possibly got out of bed on the wrong side

dorayme, do you want to reconsider that remark about perfection?
 
D

dorayme

johnfowles said:
actually I EXPECTED A WORD OF WELCOME OR THANKS AS I WAS TRYING TO HELP
YOU, NOT AN IRRELEVANT DIATRIBE LIKE THAT, especially as I am a
confirmed agnostic,
To explain again I pressed "post message" once, nothing happenned so I
pressed it again 2 times obviously and only later did I find that
google was not asleep.I then thought that the decent thing to do was
to explain as I am not a complete newbie to usenet posting, having
started back in 1997.
I do apologise fahsolateedoh for catching you on a day when you
possibly got out of bed on the wrong side

What an amazing reaction! Excuse me while I make a little prayer,
In case you don't know, the mark-up for a prayer in usenet is
[/*p-- ... --*/p]

[/*p-- God Almighty, thank you for making it an almost
overwhelming probability that wherever a madman contacts me on
usenet, he is a long way from the Big Brown Dry Land. I will be
good today for sure, O Mighty Creator of the continents and the
big and deep moats - oops, I mean seas - in between. Amen --*/p]
 
D

dorayme

dorayme, do you want to reconsider that remark about perfection?

Peter, yes I do! I want to unreservedly withdraw it and
everything I have ever said or done and I promise to be good
forever and not in any way cause any trouble to anyone or
anything for the rest of my time on Earth.
 
J

johnfowles

dorayme said:
What an amazing reaction! Excuse me while I make a little prayer,
In case you don't know, the mark-up for a prayer in usenet is
[/*p-- ... --*/p]

[/*p-- God Almighty, thank you for making it an almost
overwhelming probability that wherever a madman contacts me on
usenet, he is a long way from the Big Brown Dry Land. I will be
good today for sure, O Mighty Creator of the continents and the
big and deep moats - oops, I mean seas - in between. Amen --*/p]

LOL Sound Of Musicman
I did try to say that I was a confirmed agnostic so your religious
outburst passed way over my head, However I think you might enjoy a
link I found today in a fine piece of religious spam on my main
Newsgroup (alt.music.lightfoot-
which is accessible at:-
http://www.newsgroup.notlong.com)
(when notlong.com is back on line of course) at:-
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.music.lightfoot/browse_frm/thread/e66acec8595e4686/?hl=en#
the link is to:-
http://www.lorenzocrescini.it/right
Enjoy for what it is worth (precious little IMHO)
I have read a few threads here and was delighted to find some
contributions from my good friend and fellow Gordon Lightfoot fan the
erudite Mozillaman Ed Mullen
greetings Edmund
John Fowles
and doraymefahsohlahteedoh thanks for what I took to be an
apology-accepted
P.S. I failed to understand St. Peter's reference above to "perfection"
Oh well you cannot win 'em all!!
 
J

johnfowles

dorayme said:
What an amazing reaction! Excuse me while I make a little prayer,
In case you don't know, the mark-up for a prayer in usenet is
[/*p-- ... --*/p]

[/*p-- God Almighty, thank you for making it an almost
overwhelming probability that wherever a madman contacts me on
usenet, he is a long way from the Big Brown Dry Land. I will be
good today for sure, O Mighty Creator of the continents and the
big and deep moats - oops, I mean seas - in between. Amen --*/p]

LOL Sound Of Musicman
I did try to say that I was a confirmed agnostic so your religious
outburst passed way over my head, However I think you might enjoy a
link I found today in a fine piece of religious spam on my main
Newsgroup (alt.music.lightfoot-
which is accessible at:-
http://www.newsgroup.notlong.com)
(when notlong.com is back on line of course) at:-
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.music.lightfoot/browse_frm/thread/e66acec8595e4686/?hl=en#
the link is to:-
http://www.lorenzocrescini.it/right
Enjoy for what it is worth (precious little IMHO)
I have read a few threads here and was delighted to find some
contributions from my good friend and fellow Gordon Lightfoot fan the
erudite Mozillaman Ed Mullen
greetings Edmund
John Fowles
and doraymefahsohlahteedoh thanks for what I took to be an
apology-accepted
P.S. I failed to understand St. Peter's reference above to "perfection"
Oh well you cannot win 'em all!!
 
P

PeterMcC

johnfowles wrote in
<[email protected]>

P.S. I failed to understand St. Peter's reference above to
"perfection" Oh well you cannot win 'em all!!

On the off-chance that the above "Street Peter" refers to my post:
"perfection" is a reference to an earlier post in this thread in which
dorayme and I had a little light-hearted exchange about the difficulties,
within the western philosophical tradition, of defining perfection.

I suspect that you may be getting the wrong ends of various sticks and
taking offence where none was intended and possibly, probably inadventently,
risking giving offence where none is deserved; however, if I have caused you
any annoyance, please accept my apologies. The sig is genuinely meant.

Here's wishing you the good fortune that, in future, you can win 'em all.
 
J

johnfowles

PeterMcC wrote:
<snip>

"On the off-chance that the above "Street Peter" refers to my post:"

actually in view of the religious tone of the message I was replying to
my "st" was short for "saint' not street and I had scoured all previous
postings to this thread to see where "perfection" came from.
Anyway many thanks for your wishes Peter.
I checked your profile and found that you are a fan of two UK soccer
clubs and of the Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company so you must
be a good sort.
I myself lived most of my life in Sherborne Dorset but am now in New
Jersey.
If you check my profile you can see that I recently started a thread on
alt.music.lightfoot on
"Drop The Dead Donkey"
at:-
http://groups.google.com/group/alt....176ae/9851a0e48b1731c0?hl=en#9851a0e48b1731c0
Previously I had fun with the UK pound sign at:-
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.music.lightfoot/msg/a2dadc0bfb53798b?hl=en&
Now to try to post this one just once (if my browser and google groups
are now talking to each other in a timely fashion that is to prevent me
getting impatient and clicking the send link twice!!
John Fowles
http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/
(Some other fiends already had jf.com AND jf.co.uk back in 2001)
 
P

PeterMcC

johnfowles wrote in
PeterMcC wrote:
<snip>

"On the off-chance that the above "Street Peter" refers to my post:"

actually in view of the religious tone of the message I was replying
to my "st" was short for "saint' not street and I had scoured all
previous postings to this thread to see where "perfection" came from.
Anyway many thanks for your wishes Peter.

You just got off on the wrong foot with dorayme - really an excellent
creature with no edge. The &deity; reference was a bit like saying "What did
you expect, a hammer blow from Thor?" without its being proselytising on
behalf of Valhalla.
I checked your profile and found that you are a fan of two UK soccer
clubs and of the Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company so you
must be a good sort.

And not the only alt.html frequenter who also appears in
alt.autos.alfa-romeo - they know who they are :)
I myself lived most of my life in Sherborne Dorset but am now in New
Jersey.
If you check my profile you can see that I recently started a thread
on alt.music.lightfoot on
"Drop The Dead Donkey"
at:-
http://groups.google.com/group/alt....176ae/9851a0e48b1731c0?hl=en#9851a0e48b1731c0
Previously I had fun with the UK pound sign at:-
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.music.lightfoot/msg/a2dadc0bfb53798b?hl=en&
Now to try to post this one just once (if my browser and google groups
are now talking to each other in a timely fashion that is to prevent
me getting impatient and clicking the send link twice!!
John Fowles
http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/
(Some other fiends already had jf.com AND jf.co.uk back in 2001)

Cool - and I'm off for my first break of more than 7 consecutive days since
1987, sailing off Finistere - so my lack of reply, should the thread go
further, isn't intended as rudeness.

Have fun.
 
M

Mark Parnell

Deciding to do something for the good of humanity, dorayme
[/*p-- God Almighty, thank you for making it an almost
overwhelming probability that wherever a madman contacts me on
usenet, he is a long way from the Big Brown Dry Land.

*waves*

<g>
 
M

Mark Parnell

Deciding to do something for the good of humanity, Toby Inkster
I think that's a rather useless definition of perfection.

It's certainly not very helpful in practise, no.
Something that
is perfect should be judged perfect by all who perceive it.

True. And when you do perceive perfection, you will recognise it as
such. It just might not fit your *current* concept of perfection.

To use your example of this perfect thing that doesn't fit in your box,
you may currently think that to be perfect it has to fit in your box,
but when you actually see it, you will realise that it is perfect,
despite not fitting in your box. As I said before, it's your box (and
your desire that the other thing fit in it) that's not perfect.
 
D

dorayme

Mark Parnell said:
Deciding to do something for the good of humanity, dorayme
[/*p-- God Almighty, thank you for making it an almost
overwhelming probability that wherever a madman contacts me on
usenet, he is a long way from the Big Brown Dry Land.

*waves*

<g>

"waves" was the first thing you ever said to me... Look it up.
Can it be looked up? Are the fine meanderings of alt.html ever
lost totally?

Good for you, cobber.
 
D

dorayme

Mark Parnell said:
Deciding to do something for the good of humanity, Toby Inkster


It's certainly not very helpful in practise, no.

You concede too much really. You were right first time. There are
many things that are judged by reference to something else. There
used to be kept physical things in Paris (I think) that were the
standard for things to measure up to (things like lengths, gms).
Perfection in most things is exactly a measuring up to some
ideal. This idea of a paradigm is the most concrete
commonsensical and actually practical notion there is. Most other
ideas are hoary messes.

Not at all true. It is complete and utter nonsense in fact. Why
on earth would you think this? What is this? The idea that 5000
people can't be wrong about things? Masses of people get masses
of things wrong. half the American people thought that Bush was
the best thing since sliced white bread and were dead wrong.
 
M

Mark Parnell

Deciding to do something for the good of humanity, dorayme
You concede too much really. You were right first time.

Absolutely. I still stand by my statement, but as I said it's not very
useful in practise - it's all very well to say the only way to know
whether something is perfect is to check it against a perfect standard,
but then how do you check that the standard is perfect?
Perfection in most things is exactly a measuring up to some
ideal.

Yes, but not everyone will have the same ideal. So for it to be perfect,
there must be a perfect ideal in the first place. And we end up with the
same circular argument.
Not at all true.

Not in the way Toby meant it. :)

But it is true in that perfection is self-evident. If something is
perfect, then anyone who encounters it will recognise that fact, even if
previously they wouldn't have agreed that the particular properties of
that thing were perfect. If you don't believe it is perfect, then it is
because you haven't perceived (to use Toby's word) it, not because the
thing is not perfect.

When you meet God face to face, you *will* recognise He is perfect (and
just *how* imperfect you are). Until that point you are free to choose
to believe whatever you want. But when you do face Him, you'll have to
face the consequences of that decision.
half the American people thought that Bush was
the best thing since sliced white bread and were dead wrong.

It was slightly less than half of the approximately half of the American
people who actually bothered to vote - not exactly a unanimous decision.
:)
 
D

dorayme

Mark Parnell said:
Deciding to do something for the good of humanity, dorayme


Absolutely. I still stand by my statement, but as I said it's not very
useful in practise - it's all very well to say the only way to know
whether something is perfect is to check it against a perfect standard,
but then how do you check that the standard is perfect?

You have it all confused. You apparently do not understand what
was right about your first idea! If your first idea was right,
the idea of a perfect standard makes no sense except in relation
to a higher still standard. So you should not turn around and use
it to criticise your own former good idea.

Perhaps I need to explain this, not obvious? Whenever a standard
is made, there will be some things that live up to it, some
things that don't and some that it is sometimes hard to say.
Whether things conform or not is a totally different question to
whether the standard is a good one. That question is a question
of what further thing one is to measure the standard by. A
standard can be a rotten or cruel one and yet things can measure
up or not. Why it is rotten or cruel is another matter and can be
seen by holding it up to yet another standard.
 

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