Self-Annihilating Sentences

jclimacus said:
"Don't look for truth; there is no truth."
--spoken by one of my undergraduate Literature professors at a California public university

(by the way, he's now head of the department)

That could have been the intro to Political Ponerology! :O
 
clerck de bonk said:
jclimacus said:
"Don't look for truth; there is no truth."
--spoken by one of my undergraduate Literature professors at a California public university

(by the way, he's now head of the department)

That could have been the intro to Political Ponerology! :O

Yes, this professor has done a lot of damage over the years. Self-annihilating statement aside, I don't think its ever occured to him the scope of the immensity of the contradiction he stands in as a professor of Literature, to hold this kind of epistemological position of the nature of Truth, or examined the contradictions of his metaphysical, nihilistic presuppositions. Here's another of his sayings, though not a self-annihilator, "We select the [literature department]curriculum with a focus on current critical theory [over actual literature] classes in order to make you [the students] marketable." Completely de-humanizing, and this coming from someone professing to represent the humanities :mad: It still disgusts me.
 
jclimacus said:
--- "We select the [literature department]curriculum with a focus on current critical theory [over actual literature] classes in order to make you [the students] marketable." Completely de-humanizing, and this coming from someone professing to represent the humanities :mad: It still disgusts me.
It should! :shock:
 
jclimacus said:
clerck de bonk said:
jclimacus said:
"Don't look for truth; there is no truth."
--spoken by one of my undergraduate Literature professors at a California public university

(by the way, he's now head of the department)

That could have been the intro to Political Ponerology! :O

Yes, this professor has done a lot of damage over the years. Self-annihilating statement aside, I don't think its ever occured to him the scope of the immensity of the contradiction he stands in as a professor of Literature, to hold this kind of epistemological position of the nature of Truth, or examined the contradictions of his metaphysical, nihilistic presuppositions. Here's another of his sayings, though not a self-annihilator, "We select the [literature department]curriculum with a focus on current critical theory [over actual literature] classes in order to make you [the students] marketable." Completely de-humanizing, and this coming from someone professing to represent the humanities :mad: It still disgusts me.

Sounds like this professor is in a self-annihilating psychological position. Setting himself up for ridicule in such a manner, he probably dominates his students while being totally dependent on their ignorance (or at best, their 'goodness') in order to maintain a semblance of self-esteem. :rolleyes:
 
The problem is that people are easily impressed by nonsense. Take any statement and twist it in an incomprehensible way and people will think it is profound.
 
Buddy said:
jclimacus said:
clerck de bonk said:
jclimacus said:
"Don't look for truth; there is no truth."
--spoken by one of my undergraduate Literature professors at a California public university

(by the way, he's now head of the department)

That could have been the intro to Political Ponerology! :O

Yes, this professor has done a lot of damage over the years. Self-annihilating statement aside, I don't think its ever occured to him the scope of the immensity of the contradiction he stands in as a professor of Literature, to hold this kind of epistemological position of the nature of Truth, or examined the contradictions of his metaphysical, nihilistic presuppositions. Here's another of his sayings, though not a self-annihilator, "We select the [literature department]curriculum with a focus on current critical theory [over actual literature] classes in order to make you [the students] marketable." Completely de-humanizing, and this coming from someone professing to represent the humanities :mad: It still disgusts me.

Sounds like this professor is in a self-annihilating psychological position. Setting himself up for ridicule in such a manner, he probably dominates his students while being totally dependent on their ignorance (or at best, their 'goodness') in order to maintain a semblance of self-esteem. :rolleyes:

I think in this case, and I suspect that this is widespread (because he was FAR from being the only idiot in my educational experience), that other students, though by far a small minority, caught on to the absurdity and consequences of such statements, but didn't object. These, I think, just wanted two things, a good grade and a speedy progress to graduation. They were willing to go along to get along (within a ponerized system). At the time, I asked myself, what's the difference between those that see, but accept without objecting, and the majority who are sound asleep, who no doubt took it down in their notes without batting an eye? :scared: I couldn't see a difference, and I still can't. You wear a mask long enough, and eventually, it becomes your reality.
 
jclimacus said:
At the time, I asked myself, what's the difference between those that see, but accept without objecting, and the majority who are sound asleep, who no doubt took it down in their notes without batting an eye? :scared: I couldn't see a difference, and I still can't.

Good question and I think there's a risk assessment that is occasionally done by some people in certain contexts due to previous 'aversion' therapy or for other reasons.

Here is where the (so-called) attentional defect of 'distractibility' can be both advantage and disadvantage for a student, OSIT. Imagine a classroom full of students, intent on taking notes during a professor's lecture. At some point in the lecture, the lesson veers off any recognizable track of sensibility. After a moment or two of hearing gibberish unrelated to the main point, thesis or theme of the presentation, the student looks up from his notes, looks around at others and notices most of the others are still intently taking notes without missing a beat.

What is one reaction for the 'distractible' student unaware of a ponerization process yet feeling what may be its effects? A bit of pain in the head, a reflex action of wanting to put your hands over your ears to block out all further words, an intense frustration with being one of only a few people who are reacting like this and a strong desire to leave the room for some fresh air?

I've had this type of reaction and have read stories of others with similar situations and reactions. Part of the problem with the vulnerable students seems to be not knowing how much concentration the material is worth. If I focus so much that I lose my peripheral awareness (and thus lose 'distractibility), then I lose some ability to loop something said back to previous statements in order to catch where the b.s. starts, though I may not catch everything--including my own. :)

Some people seem to be in a state of full concentration for no particular reason. So much so that they don't easily catch that a statement like "there is no such thing as truth" is complete b.s. without having to prove it. Sure the grammar and logic structure of the statement is correct, but so what?

Sometimes objection might be withheld as a trade-off to get the h*ll out of that class, that subject, that grade, that group or whatever, as fast as possible in order to get into a calmer state.
 
I like when I compare two things, and someone tells me, "Aww, that's the same difference."
 
I love this stuff. One of my favorites: "Every now and again". I use it but...

Think about it. It denotes "sometimes". But it's perpectual cycle of infinity! Every now, and then repeated, again!
 
lewis_86 said:
I love this stuff. One of my favorites: "Every now and again". I use it but...

Think about it. It denotes "sometimes". But it's perpectual cycle of infinity! Every now, and then repeated, again!

I've never heard it said that way. What I have always heard is, "Every now and then."
 
Nienna said:
lewis_86 said:
I love this stuff. One of my favorites: "Every now and again". I use it but...

Think about it. It denotes "sometimes". But it's perpectual cycle of infinity! Every now, and then repeated, again!

I've never heard it said that way. What I have always heard is, "Every now and then."

I've heard it both ways, but I just noticed the humor in contrasting "every now" with a "then". :)
 
:)
Know what I think?
I think thinking is overrated!
 

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