0291 - Broad shoulders - 2023.05.01

Comic!

Comment:

Of the cynical takes on the major guiding philosophies of human history, "they're just teaching you about reason and logic so they can hold onto power" is, at least, better than "they're just anthropomorphizing natural phenomena and pretending they can negotiate with them so they can hold onto power" or "they're just capitalizing on your fear of death and promising you an afterlife so they can hold onto power".

Transcript:

---------------------------------------------------------------
0291 - 2167/07/07/08:49 - Lee Caldavera's apartment, living room
LC: Well, if I'm going to ask insightful questions about Socrates, what about asking if they were real or not? You know, because "Socrates" means "Safe Power" and Plato wanted the Athensites to put philosophers in charge! Mezzer Twofeather told us about that!
Zoa: Yeah, but they also said it was a controversial theory, it wasn't part of the curriculum, and that they probably shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place. Also, the citizens of Athens were called "Athenians".
LC: ...Right.
----------------------
Zoa: We know the next topic is about what is best in life, how the Greek philosophers thought humans ought to behave.
LC: Ostensibly the reason you signed me up for the class in the first place.
Zoa: Exactly, the good stuff. How do we offer a springboard for Mezzer Twofeather to jump into that topic?
LC: Can we just ask how I should live? Is that allowed?
----------------------
Zoa: Mmm, might be a bit too direct. Maybe ask what Socrates wanted the Athenians around him to do?
LC: Probably "don't poison me". Maybe we could ask what Plato did that Socrates approved of, to appoint them next in line?
Zoa: Well, according to my research, Plato was a wrestler. In fact, "Plato" was actually just a nickname that means "broad-shouldered".
----------------------
LC: Oh, sure, as in "weight of the world on", yeah? Was all of philosophy just an elaborate con job of fake names and fake people to make the Athenians hand executive power over to philosophers?
Zoa: And then tell them that they were good people for doing so? Yeah, that's seeming more and more likely.
Doc: I'm not certain what question would be best to demonstrate engagement, but perhaps you should both actually fucking listen to Mezzer Twofeather's second session before accusing the entire foundation of Western thought of being a "con job".
---------------------------------------------------------------