Frivolity

I

: So, Im planning on starting a collection.

N: Oh, what kind of collection?

: A collection collection.

Word is a concept.

Concept is a word.

What if,

instead of down,

gravity pulled us sideways?

things : stuff :: the discrete : the continuous

Its best not to accuse someone of being disagreeable or defensive or bad at handling

criticism; hell feel as if hes been trapped in a no-win situation.

If someone accuses you of being disagreeable or defensive or bad at handling criticism,

the best way to demonstrate that hes mistaken is to tell him that perhaps hes correct.

grey + shininess = silver

I understand that, at intersections, youre supposed to yield to cars on the right-hand side.

But who has the right of way when four cars, traveling in four different directions, all

arrive at a four-way stop at exactly the same time?

N: Whats one of your favorite words?

: Ive always liked bow.

N: Why?

: Because you know exactly which word it is, since I said it aloud, but the reader doesnt.

If everyone died simultaneously,

no one would know that it happened.

muffins : cupcakes :: bagels : donuts

Metaphors are similes with confidence,

is an example of a metametaphor,

which is a metaphor about metaphors.

Having the sentence,

This object is equipped with a theft-deterrent system,

visible on an object

equips the object with a theft-deterrent system,

rendering the sentence true.

N: Did you know that the gravitational pull of a black hole is so strong that even light

cannot escape?

: Yes, and Ive always found that very interesting! In fact, Ive heard it theorized that

the pull is so strong that even ones soul cannot escape.

N: Hmm What does that even mean?

: It means that if you were to have the misfortune of dying from falling into black hole,

then you wouldnt even be able to go to the afterlife.

Something that Ive always found to be elegant is the progression from bronze to sliver to gold.

Its a simple, colorful, tangible analogy in which precious metals correspond to ordered categories.

In some cases, a category transcended by bronze is included,

and it is titled iron.

In some cases, a category that transcends gold is included,

and it is titled platinum.

In some cases, a category that transcends platinum is included,

and it is titled diamond.

I never make statements about myself.

N: Youre very modest.

: I know.

This sentence has seven words in it.

This sentence has thirty-seven letters in it.

X: You see, those who are unenlightened often refer to black as a color. In reality, black

is the absence of color.

Y: What? Youre not only mistaken, youre as mistaken as one can possibly be! The

absence of color is white.

X: White? What would possibly make you think that?

Y: It can easily be demonstrated with a rainbow of colored paints. The more colors of

paint one combines, the closer to black the mixture becomes. Black consists of all colors.

Therefore, the absence of color is white.

X: Ah, it is you who is not only mistaken, but as mistaken as one could possibly be! If I

remember correctly, it was Sir Isaac Newton who discovered that white light can be

broken into all of the colors of the rainbow. It is white that consists of all colors.

Therefore, the absence of color is black.

: Gentlemen, dont fret! Color happens to be one of my areas of expertise. And my

years of research in this field have allowed me to develop a revolutionary theory the

solution to this ancient conundrum. As it turns out, the absence of color is neither black

nor white, but that which is exactly halfway in between the absence of color is grey.

X and Y gasp.

Y: Thats incredible! I never wouldve guessed it!

X: Youre a genius!

: Yes, yes. Im well aware.

yawns.

Y: , are you not in awe of this pearl of wisdom?

: Actually, I believe there is a better answer.

: Oh, really? Would you be so kind as to inform us?

: Well, perhaps Im mistaken, but it seems quite clear what we ought to construe as

the absence of color is clear.

II

X: Im in need of advice. Sadly, Ive been betrayed by someone Id thought was a close

friend and

: Ah, say no more; I understand completely. You see, in a situation such as this, it

would be a mistake to attempt to wrong this person back in the same way that he

wronged you.

X: Yes, I agree!

: The truth is: the best revenge is living well.

X: Oh, no! Im afraid youve misunderstood. I didnt come for advice on how to achieve

the best revenge. In fact, I wish to do the opposite; I would like to know what the moral

high road is so that I may take it.

: Ah, I see. In that case, you must be sure not to live well.

the word, word

the noun, noun

N: Ive heard it said that only the wisest and the most foolish of men never change.

: Thats reminiscent of how 1x = 1 and 0x = 0.

for x > 0

One of my hobbies is thinking of hobbies for myself.

Its a metahobby.

Another of my hobbies is using the prefix meta.

N: What would you say it is thats so wonderful about e and ?

: Umm Its as if weve discovered these two instances in which God found Himself

with no option other than to select a small, positive real number at random.

An Allegory of Bad Philosophy

x + 1 = x

Solve for x.

fewer : less :: many : much

: Its so annoying when people complain.

: I agree.

What if, instead,

we lived in a universe

with one dimension of space

and three dimensions of time?

N: Tell me a goal of yours.

: Alright. One of my goals is to figure out what the best goals are to have.

miscellaneous: the category of the category-less

: How would you describe the relationship between space and time?

N: Hmm I guess Id say that theyre perpendicular theyre at right angles to one

another something like the relationship between the real number line and the imaginary

number line on the complex plane.

: Thats interesting, because Ive always theorized that multiplying a dimension of

space by i would yield a dimension of time.

Ideas are ultimately made up of physical things.

Physical things is an idea.

the set of rational numbers : the set of real numbers :: the discrete : the continuous

: and it was so funny that I literally died laughing.

: I believe you mean figuratively.

: Actually, I was using the word literally figuratively.

The space of color can be construed as having three dimensions: hue, lightness, and saturation. Hue is

the measure of a colors place in the rainbow, where it falls on the chromatic spectrum. Lightness is the

measure of where a color falls on the light-to-dark spectrum. And saturation is the measure of how rich

a color is, where it falls on the chromatic-to-achromatic spectrum.

Whats interesting about the dimension of hue is that it forms a loop coming full circle as violet turns

to red while the other dimensions do not.

Whats interesting about the dimension of lightness is that the two end points define the fundamental

colors black and white.

Legends speak of a secret additional fourth dimension that can sometimes be meaningful: the measure of

a colors degree of transparency. And on this spectrum, the end point corresponding to full transparency

would define a new fundamental color, which would be clear.

We care about what will happen after we die;

but we wont care about what happens, after we die.

Examples of massless entities include photons and ghosts.

: You shouldnt instruct others on how they ought to live their lives.

: Hmm

e i

a coin thats precisely thick enough

so that, when tossed,

it will land on the heads side, the tails side, and the edge,

each with a probability of

nouns : objects :: adjectives : properties :: prepositions : relations

X: How many stars would you guess that scientists estimate there are in the

observable universe?

Y: Hmm Ill guess 1025.

: Ill guess -1.

X: Well, the answer is 1024.

: My guess was closer.

physical objects : abstract objects :: particulars : universals

N: Whats the relationship between waves of sound and waves of light?

: Umm Well, theyre both waves of energy, but other than that, theyre quite

different so much so, that they pass through one another without interaction. They

enjoy two distinct styles of existence theyre orthogonal.

A friend and I are betting on whether theres an afterlife.

If there is one, then after we die, I owe him twenty dollars in the afterlife.

And if there isnt one, then I win the bet.

N: Do you know about the liar paradox?

: I do! Something somewhat unexpected happens when we try to assess the truth value

of the seemingly simple and unambiguous statement, This statement is false.

N: Exactly! If its true, then its false. And if its false, then its true. So, it appears to be

neither true nor false. Isnt that strange?

: It is almost as if it has escaped binary logic through some secret back exit.

Once, I was presented with the Humblest Person in the World Award.

I refused to accept it, because I didnt feel like Id earned it.

And that made them even surer that I deserved it.

Plasmas transcend the solid-liquid-gas trichotomy.

Jokers transcend the standard fifty-two cards.

iron : silver :: silver : platinum

the metals (or medals)

I feel as though the answer will turn out to be either

0, 1, or

And not something in between

: Are you with familiar with the ideas of Purgatory and Limbo?

N: I think so. But arent they just one and the same?

: Well, Purgatory is the realm inhabited by those who died in the state of grace, but

hadnt reached a sufficient level of holiness those who must undergo a process of

purification in order to achieve whats necessary to enter Heaven. And Limbo is the

realm inhabited by the unbaptized who died in infancy those too young to have

committed personal sins but not having been freed from original sin.

N: How very strange they seem to be two distinct neutral afterlives.

: I think thats correct. And if I were to map Heaven to white and Hell to black, I

would map Purgatory to grey and Limbo to clear.

III

: You see, men learn from their mistakes; wise men learn from your mistakes.

: Well, I believe that its immoral to benefit from someone elses misfortune.

the concept of concepts

the set of sets

the category of categories

If I had a phantom limb,

I would hold hands with ghosts.

: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a universe with less

dimensions of space-time than our own?

: I believe you mean to say fewer.

You can use dreamless sleep to warp to the future.

The set of categories and the category of sets

are orthogonal to one another.

0 : 1 :: 1 :

white black grey clear

a win a loss a draw never having played

yes no maybe not applicable

: Have you ever thought about bowling and golf?

N: Maybe the tiniest bit. I dont find them too interesting.

: Well, Ive realized that theres something unusual about these two games, at least

compared to most other common ball sports.

N: Let me think Ah yes! Its that unlike most others, these two can meaningfully be

played alone.

: Thats true, and it is interesting! But what I find more fascinating is that, in both

games, there exists a perfect score a score that cannot be beaten, it can only be tied.

N: Hmm I know that would be a 300 in a game of bowling. But what would it be in

round of golf?

: Well, if you were to shoot a hole-in-one every time, you would end up with an 18.

Whenever we discover exactly why it is that no progress can be made,

that in itself is progress.

grey : silver :: shadows : reflections

Many calculators are relatively simple and are designed in such a way that its impossible to make a

syntactic error. With these calculators, there seem to be three categories of equations that, when entered,

result not in a number but in an error message.

The first category consists of equations that yield numbers too high or too low. The highest

number that can be displayed is often 9.999999999 1099, and attempting to calculate a higher

number will result in an error message. Symmetrically, the lowest number that can be displayed

is often -9.999999999 1099, and attempting to calculate a lower number will result in an error

message. Interestingly, this range is very nearly negative one googol to positive one googol.

The second category consists of equations that yield numbers with an imaginary part. This

commonly occurs when dealing with roots of negative numbers. For instance, taking any even

root of any negative number will result in an error message.

The final category consists of equations that involve either division by 0 or 00.

: Have you ever considered the negation of the liar paradox?

N: What do you mean?

: Well, try to assess the truth value of, This statement is true.

N: Hmm If its true, then its true. And if its false, then its false So, it appears to

be both true and false almost as if its in a superposition of the two How surreal. Is

this a second, symmetric secret back exit?

: I think so. And of the two, it seems to be the road less traveled.

a point : an instant :: a line segment : a duration :: a line : an eternity

Ah, I think now I understand.

The pattern is

that there is no pattern.

Perhaps meaningful analogies are one of the ends of knowledge,

rather than merely a means to some further end.

: Imagine that we were looking at something opaque, and it turned clear.

N: Then we would see that which is behind it.

: And what if everything turned clear? Then what would we see?

pseudo quasi

meta omni

Like sets are collections of objects that are objects in themselves,

collections of art become art in themselves.

From your own perspective,

the probability that you are conscious at the present moment

is 1.

N: Why is there something rather than nothing?

: Perhaps there is nothing most places, just necessarily not where we are.

that which cannot be put into words