I think, therefore I jam
I have for the longest time been bothered by Descartes' “I think, therefore I am” philosophy. This disdain was further reinforced over tea with my sister when she explained how that genius derived his wonderful revelation.
One fine day after having a particularly satisfying meal, Descartes was bored. And since it was winter, it was too cold outside to do anything. So he thought “hey why don't I lock myself up in a room with a fireplace for the rest of winter and maybe spring and come out only in summer then I can hit the beaches YEEHA!” And so he did.
He spent a couple weeks stoning by the fireplace, getting up occasionally to cut firewood and stoke the flames. This mind-numbing activity finally took its toll on him and he began to wonder: “I think I'm sitting by the fireplace, but am I really sitting by the fireplace?” His face lighted up; a sliver of meaning had finally crept into his life, or lack thereof. He got down on all fours and peered at the dancing flames, wondering “Is the fireplace really there?”
Then he panicked. “Am I really here?”
This was getting to be rather alarming. What if every experience and memory was all imagined. What if everyone else existed but they only chose to perceive his existence and that was the sole reason for his existence? What if his own existence was possible only because he imagined it to be so? His world began to cave in right then and there!
Out of the maelstrom of random thoughts that must have been floating around in his head by now, a particularly soothing one came fluttering by and he grabbed on to it at once.
“Well, there has to be someone sitting here doubting his own existence, and therefore...I exist! CHYEAH!” He leapt from his easy chair, grabbed his coat and trudged off in the snow to spread news of his magnificent epiphany. (and probably returned with a shovel down his throat)
And just in case, he had a friend sit by his bedside to make sure he existed while he was asleep and not aware of his own existence.
-----
Saturday morning was spent at Tovya's place with Jem and Sam. We managed to settle the guitar parts for Jem's new song. It sounds super laid back and jazzy – which is fine as long as not all our songs end up sounding like this..after all people who come to watch a rock band want to hear rock!
One fine day after having a particularly satisfying meal, Descartes was bored. And since it was winter, it was too cold outside to do anything. So he thought “hey why don't I lock myself up in a room with a fireplace for the rest of winter and maybe spring and come out only in summer then I can hit the beaches YEEHA!” And so he did.
He spent a couple weeks stoning by the fireplace, getting up occasionally to cut firewood and stoke the flames. This mind-numbing activity finally took its toll on him and he began to wonder: “I think I'm sitting by the fireplace, but am I really sitting by the fireplace?” His face lighted up; a sliver of meaning had finally crept into his life, or lack thereof. He got down on all fours and peered at the dancing flames, wondering “Is the fireplace really there?”
Then he panicked. “Am I really here?”
This was getting to be rather alarming. What if every experience and memory was all imagined. What if everyone else existed but they only chose to perceive his existence and that was the sole reason for his existence? What if his own existence was possible only because he imagined it to be so? His world began to cave in right then and there!
Out of the maelstrom of random thoughts that must have been floating around in his head by now, a particularly soothing one came fluttering by and he grabbed on to it at once.
“Well, there has to be someone sitting here doubting his own existence, and therefore...I exist! CHYEAH!” He leapt from his easy chair, grabbed his coat and trudged off in the snow to spread news of his magnificent epiphany. (and probably returned with a shovel down his throat)
And just in case, he had a friend sit by his bedside to make sure he existed while he was asleep and not aware of his own existence.
-----
Saturday morning was spent at Tovya's place with Jem and Sam. We managed to settle the guitar parts for Jem's new song. It sounds super laid back and jazzy – which is fine as long as not all our songs end up sounding like this..after all people who come to watch a rock band want to hear rock!
Labels: cogito, jam, philosophy
posted by kangwen at 6:37 PM
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