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Topic: Closer and closer (Read 691 times) |
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maryl
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A man is heading towards the middle of the forest. There is no one waiting for him there, and he is in perfect health, but he knows for sure that when he gets there he is going to die.
What's happening?
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BNC
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #1 on: Jul 1st, 2003, 1:58pm » |
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Is he going to suicide?
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How about supercalifragilisticexpialidociouspuzzler [Towr, 2007]
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KicksGenius
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #2 on: Jul 1st, 2003, 2:29pm » |
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I can't help but believe that he may be heading to the middle of this forest in the 'Fall'
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wowbagger
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #3 on: Jul 2nd, 2003, 1:35am » |
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"You're a jerk, <your surname>!"
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towr
wu::riddles Moderator
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #4 on: Jul 2nd, 2003, 2:11am » |
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perhaps he's piloting a crashing airplane, or just falling without a working parachute
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wowbagger
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #5 on: Jul 2nd, 2003, 3:56am » |
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Towr, I don't think he could be sure that he's going to die in your scenarios. Unless he is falling from great height without a parachute, perhaps. However, I don't know how chances are to survive that. And how would he know he's heading towards the middle of the forest?
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| « Last Edit: Jul 2nd, 2003, 3:58am by wowbagger » |
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"You're a jerk, <your surname>!"
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maryl
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 I'm flying
Uh oh!
 It won't open...
 I'm dying...
... 
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towr
wu::riddles Moderator
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #7 on: Jul 2nd, 2003, 11:45am » |
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on Jul 2nd, 2003, 3:56am, wowbagger wrote:| And how would he know he's heading towards the middle of the forest? |
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By looking where he is heading.. As they say, seeying is believing..
(and knowing is approximately justifyably believing)
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zero
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #8 on: Jul 2nd, 2003, 7:13pm » |
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on Jul 2nd, 2003, 8:49am, maryl wrote: I'm flying
Uh oh!
It won't open...
I'm dying...
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heh , I found that quite amusing
well he would know that he's going to the mid dle of the forest if he was high enough so maryl's quote explains it all
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| « Last Edit: Jul 2nd, 2003, 7:14pm by zero » |
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wowbagger
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #9 on: Jul 3rd, 2003, 1:46am » |
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on Jul 2nd, 2003, 11:45am, towr wrote:| (and knowing is approximately justifyably believing) |
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Hm, interesting thought. 
on Jul 2nd, 2003, 7:13pm, zero wrote:| well he would know that he's going to the mid dle of the forest if he was high enough |
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I think the higher he is, the less he can know where he is going to, well, land - let alone whether it's going to be in the middle of the forest. But there's not much to be learned from discussing this point any further, I'd say. 
More or less interesting related facts:
The highest freefall ever survived without a parachute
Free Fallers
It almost seems like landing in a forest actually enhances your chances of survival.
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| « Last Edit: Jul 3rd, 2003, 1:47am by wowbagger » |
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towr
wu::riddles Moderator
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Re: Closer and closer
« Reply #10 on: Jul 3rd, 2003, 2:18am » |
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on Jul 3rd, 2003, 1:46am, wowbagger wrote:
Hm, interesting thought. |
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Well, it's not my own..
It one of the problems you come across in epistemic logic (logic about knowledge). What is knowing?
If you know something it has to be true, else it is just a belief.
But if you believe you have won the lottery, and you also have, but there is no way you could have allready found out, most people are hard pressed to say you 'know'. So the belief has to be justified as well.
Of course in real life most people say they 'know' when they're just pretty sure, or even when they just hope to be right.
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