So I've been in a philosophical mood these last couple of days. Contemplating the big questions so to speak. I could say that this is due to our move abroad, but I should mention that my nightstand is currently occupied with "Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates", by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. Now there's a title you won't come across by browsing for a whodunnit. The book contains humoristic explanations of philosopical ideas on the subjects of life, death and the afterlife using lots of jokes. I've been interested in philosophy since I followed a course on it in my junior year at university. I must admit it's difficult to grasp the philosophical ideas of Wittgenstein and the likes when it's about 11 pm, but I'm hanging in there. And last week I had an aha-erlebnis. Bear with me.
This Wittgenstein dude said that eternal life belongs to those who live in the present. That is, if eternity is defined as timelessness rather than infinite temporal duration.
1.
Now - as in the present - is always. Cause it's now...and it's now....and it's now. Get it? Eternity means timelessness, because this is how Wittgenstein defined it. But if you define it different, the whole idea goes down the drain.
2.
Math-me started working on this (yes, I do have one, it's just wrong most of the time)
X = Y eternity = timelessness
Z = Y now = timelessness
therefore X = Y eternity = now
Correct? Yes, but here comes the catch, we're talking about qualities not entities, right? So it should go something like this:
X has quality Y
Z has quality Y
therefore X = Y? That is not what I've learned in philosophy 101
So not only is it semantics, it's flakey math in my frame of mind. But then again, who am I (yes one of the Big Questions).The book is lots of fun though. Consider this joke: "When it's eternity here, it's still early morning on the West Coast." :-) So if that is the truth, as long as we live here, we'll be (pr)eternity. Or is that just geography? Now there's a thought for y'all.
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