Martin Dudaniec and Kevin Solway’s translation of Otto Weininger: Collected Aphorisms, Notebook and Letters to a Friend is now available for free from their website. A while back I had to pay five dollars or so to download it, so I’m glad to see the authors have now switched to accepting donations. If you feel particularly appreciative you can donate here. They are also now offering a translation of Weininger’s Sex and Character as a PDF. The writing is lively and provocative and you will have much to agree or disagree with. For example, here are a few selections:
Society
10
Jan 05
Youth is a paradox
I’m fascinated by the fashion trends of the younger generation. I think many young people actually lack a sense of irony, which makes it possible for them to wear tight blue jeans, converse hi-tops, and tight vintage t-shirts as a sincere fashion statement. Irony requires context and I don’t think you can have that context without experience. Yet fashion is so mutable because it develops best in a world without context or reference, where everything is novel. Everything old becomes new again.
I enjoy observing the way people dress and how they speak. You can judge a book by its cover. Clothing says a lot about your desired group identity and what you want other people to think about you. I don’t buy into the argument that how a person decides to dress has nothing to do with what other people think about them. If this were the case, people would wear really socially unacceptable costumes. Even if you dress to reflect your own purely unique personal taste or aesthetic you signal group affiliation, cultural attitudes, and personal politics. Anyway, one thing I’ve noticed is the prevalence among hipsters of keychains worn on the belt loop. This is, of course, the direct result of wearing skin-tight blue jeans.
07
Jan 05
Knowledge as taxidermy
I saw this at Kottke.org and it seemed a question worth answering. Edge: World Question Center asks What Do You Believe Is True Even Though You Cannot Prove It?
I read several of the answers from the panel and the pervasive self-importance annoyed me. These are some of our ‘greatest minds’? I kept thinking the same thing: that most people use knowledge to reduce reality to something they can grasp. Scientists amass knowledge and develop systematic theories of the universe. Religious-minded individuals submit their desire for truth to a heavenly authority rendering their reality comprehensible. It says a lot about humanity, this desire to know. Does it represent a fear of mystery or powerlessness, a need to control experience? Why is it always so important to know? What do animals think when they look at the sky, or when they die?
If I was to answer the question, “What Do You Believe Is True Even Though You Cannot Prove It?”, I would answer that I believe there is no way of knowing. That the ‘truth’ of wherever/whatever/whoever/whenever we are will always remain out of reach. Is that such a bad thing? Can knowledge blind your understanding?
30
Nov 04
I like lists and bullets
I haven’t been inspired to write long entries and I find little notes to be more helpful lately.
- Soundtrack for today:
- Pantera – This Love You have to love caveman lyrics like: “You keep this love, fist, scar, break”
- Notorious B.I.G – Hypnotize It just came on the radio. Nice sampling.
- Christmas wishlist:
- XM MyFi
- Treadmill (I have a spare tire that needs puncturing especially if I even think about going to my 10 year high school reunion.)
- Books by or about Otto Weininger. I’ve always been perversely fascinated with history’s heretics.
- Provocative William Blake quotations:
- Active Evil is better than Passive Good.
- Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.
- The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion.
08
Nov 04
Propaganda claims
Eventually, the Iraqis will eject the Americans from their country. The fact is, they live there and we don’t, so victory will eventually be theirs. Until then, it’s just a stalemate. I think it’s ironic when the Americans make claims against the other side’s propaganda since there has never been a more media-aware American military intervention. I found the following passage revealing:
One key reason to take Fallujah hospital early was likely to control information: The facility was the main source of Iraqi death tolls during the first U.S. siege of Fallujah in April, and U.S. commanders accused doctors there of exaggerating numbers.
The U.S military said Monday that insurgents had been in control of Fallujah General Hospital — located on the west bank of the Euphrates — and were “forcing the doctors there to release propaganda and false information.”
The media has lauded the ‘capture’ of the Fallujah hospital as a win for the Iraqis fighting “shoulder to shoulder” with the Americans, specifically this refers to Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion. The Americans use the brown-skins to put an “Iraqi face” on the assault on Fallujah. Who are the 36th Commando Battalion?
“The 36th was originally known as the ‘political battalion,'”
he said. That’s because it was formed from the militias of five major
political groups in Iraq: Iyad Alwai’s Iraq National Accord (INA), Ahmed Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress (INC), the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), which backs Ayatollah Ali Sistani, and the two main Kurdish groups, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). About 110 soldiers were originally culled from each group.
This group isn’t representative of Iraq. They are splinter groups who have an interest in gaining more power in Iraq. When you have 10,000 American soldiers and a few hundred Iraqi mercenaries leading the assault, it’s clear who’s in charge. More importantly, it’s clear that the Americans do not have the support of the Iraqi people on the ground.
22
Oct 04
I voted today
I voted today and the whole thing pissed me off. The only sense of certainty I possessed was in voting against the commuter rail business. I’m typically unsupportive of any kind of large public expenditure, and especially so if it mainly benefits people in Leander. A train from Leander to downtown Austin seems idiotic.
I’m also very tired of people trying to convince me of their various points of view. I now realize how completely obnoxious I must have been back in 2000 when I tried to convert as many people as possible to my own viewpoint, completely convinced I had it all figured out. In day to day matters of politics and religion, I try to keep most of my opinions to myself. If I’ve changed in any way in the past four years, it’s in the sense that I really don’t trust certainty or the opinions of anyone else, even close friends or family. I take in everything that people say and do, then I make up my own mind. If a person’s mind can be changed by one debate or argument, or if they can be swayed by one impassioned appeal for their support, I find that suspicious. It’s the opposite of close-mindedness.
19
Oct 04
Selections from the Hagakure:
This is a nice passage:
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“To hate injustice and stand on righteousness is a difficult thing. Furthermore, to think that being righteous is the best one can do and to do one’s utmost to be righteous will, on the contrary, brig many mistakes. The Way is in a higher place then righteousness. This is very difficult to discover, but it is the highest wisdom. When seen from this standpoint, things like righteousness are rather shallow. If one does not understand this on his own, it cannot be known. There is a method of getting to this Way, however, even if one cannot discover it by himself. This is found in consultation with others. Even a person who has not attained this Way sees others front the side. It is like the saying from the game of go: “He who sees from the side has eight eyes.” The saying, “Thought by thought we see our own mistakes,” also means that the highest Way is in discussion with others. Listening to the old stories and reading books are for the purpose of sloughing off one’s own discrimination and attaching oneself to that of the ancients.”
16
Oct 04
Now for something a little out of the ordinary
I was reading the Austin Chronicle this afternoon while having lunch at Burger Tex and there was an item in News of the Weird about a German device which admonishes men who urinate standing up.
The WC ghost, a £6 voice-alarm, reprimands men for standing at the lavatory pan. It is triggered when the seat is lifted. The battery-operated devices are attached to the seats and deliver stern warnings to those who attempt to stand and urinate (known as “Stehpinkeln”).
It goes on to say that “that a slang word for “wimp” (sitzpinkler) is, literally, a man who sits to urinate.” This idea has come up in conversation a few times throughout my life and it is surprising to discover that a number of men urinate while sitting. The numbers seem to be around one in seven to one in four. We seem to take it for granted that men just do it standing up. I assumed this was one of the conveniences of being born a male. In other words, unless you’re there for other business why sit when you can stand? As a boy, free-standing urination becomes one of your earliest amusements. I could provide many anecdotal experiences but you’ll have to trust me on this one. There are many questions on the subject and in doing a little research there seems to be a fair amount of discussion on the issue. The most interesting thing I discovered is that many muslim men are taught to urinate while sitting. Here are a couple of things I’d like to know from men who urinate while sitting:
- Does your father or do other men in your family sit to urinate?
- Were you potty trained to urinate while sitting?
- If you decided to sit later in life, what were your reasons?
From what I have gathered from researching, the sitting argument seems to go as follows:
- It is more sanitary since you do not have as much splashing. Many women who support the sit-down seem annoyed with the cleanup.
- It makes less noise than standing.
- It is more comfortable than standing.
- You can always leave the seat down, especially good for the female members of the household.
On face value, these are good arguments although a tad neurotic. My notion is that you should use whichever mode you like the most and are the most comfortable with. Here is a rebuttal of these arguments, also a result of some small amount of research:
- Urine is not that unsanitary. “In the first fifteen minutes after leaving the body, urine is absolutely sterile for the producer’s own body. Only after this period do the germs begin their work.” Most bacteria and viruses are filtered out by the body. While potentially containing toxins leeched from the body like undigested alcohol or even arsenic, it is relatively safe to drink. As for being easier to clean up, there are two points. Either practice a better aim, or women need to be less concerned with their men sitting and more concerned with their men pitching in to do their share of the chores.
- On the subject of sitting being more quiet than standing, well, I think that’s plainly neurotic. Urination is necessary to every one of the six billion people on earth. Where’s the shame? If you’re pee-shy you could always toss a wad of TP in the bowl before wind up.
- “Sitting is more comfortable than standing.” I can accept this argument. Fair enough. However, it seems easier to undo your fly than to drop trou. That’s just my opinion.
- Leaving the seat down. Again, men AND women can handle the toilet seat. I’ve never understood why this has become the primary responsibility of men, not that I mind. It doesn’t take the strength of Hercules to put it in either position. I’m more than willing to put the seat back down, as a courtesy, however this is a simple task for either party in question. Do women really back into the toilet without looking? What if there were a snake in the toilet or something crazy?
I’d like to hear what people think. Little discussions like this are so interesting.
References and related:
12
Oct 04
Je suis malade complètement malade
I have the flu, lagrippe, influenza. No one calls it the grippe anymore, which got me to thinking about other diseases that now go by different names.
- Mormal = Gangrene
- Morphew = Scurvy blisters on the body
- Ague = Any intermittent fever characterised by periods of chills, fevers and sweats.
- Bad blood = Syphilis
- Croup = Any obstructive condition of the larynx or trachea, characterised by a hoarse, barking cough and difficult breathing. It occurs chiefly in infants and children. Laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat.
- Dropsy = Abnormal swelling of the body or part of the body due to the build-up of clear watery fluid. Edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease.
- Pleurisy = Inflammation of the pleura, the membranous sac lining the chest cavity. Symptoms are chills, fever, dry cough, and pain in the affected side. Any pain in the chest area with each breath.
- St Vitus Dance = Chorea. Ceaseless occurrence of rapid complex jerking movements performed involuntary.
- Trench mouth = Painful ulcers found along gum line, Caused by poor nutrition and poor hygiene.
I feel better already.