Re: Why?

[Matt Ion <mion -at- DIRECT -dot- CA>]

On Mon, 5 Jun 1995 12:22:33 MDT you wrote:

>As far as the story goes, perhaps the correctness of the answer "Why not?"
>depends upon the bias of the philosopher rather than on any inherent
>truthfulness in the response.

Isn't that the whole beauty (or lack thereof) of "philosophy" anyway?  I
suppose another conceivable answer might be "Because I said so." (I've heard
"cogito ergo sum" taken to some pretty extreme extrapolations on existance
beyond one's self :)

However, one academic tale I _know_ isn't mere folklore (and sorry for
straying off-topic here...) is the one in which the teacher strongly
emphasizes, while hading out the tests, that the students READ ALL THE WAY
THROUGH the exam papers before beginning...

Of course, the three or four smartest people in the class were within minutes
sitting back, twiddling their thumbs and grinning at all the other poor saps
sweating blood over some incredibly difficult questions...

The last item on the exam stated, "For full marks, disregard all other
questions."



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