I Think This Means I Can't Be a Literati Anymore

Most Interesting Thing I Have Read In a While
Yay for that Stumbly button in Firefox. You will probably be so so bored by this article, but I am hoping not. I am hoping that you will not think it is just the Matrix with scientific jargon instead of leather, because it is so much better, and it is not a trilogy. (At least read the excerpty bit at the top- it gives you the ideas you need to have in your brain to be an intelligent person in this day and age, or at least to understand my next few sentences.) I see an answer to the "vat or not?" question, although I have far less scientific background. The main argument against the vat is the lack of culture (ignoring any potential simulated culture) via loss of memes. To create a culture in these vats, we simply need to allow the various vat brains to interact with one another. We provide them with a body that doesn't fail, an environment that doesn't decay, freedom from the laws of physics and the universe that currently bind us. Then we let them turn their vat life into something that is better than reality as we know it in every sense.
As for me, my personal answer to this question depends not on potential linking of the vats, but one essential question- is there pain in the vats? I will always choose a life that comes with both pain and pleasure over one lacking either- this makes it incredibly hard for me to discuss either heaven or hell with people, religious as I am. Neither heaven nor hell is an acceptable option to me- without its opposite, nothing can exist, or at least, if it exists, it loses all meaning. We define things as much based on what they are not as based on what they are. As a matter of fact, my little description of the vat life plus culture that I gave up there is a pretty good representation of my concept of heaven, as I have reconciled it with myself.

I spent a good portion of my day planning potential college research projects in very, very vague terms. It all has to do with the way people who speak different languages think differently, and it is more boring than the article I linked, and more boring than my laboring of the topic thereafter. (I am not certain that labor is the word I want here) I also remembered an argument I had with my English teacher recently concerning the meaning of the phrase "care for." Could you people who still speak English regularly please give me examples of the phrase used in a sentence so that I know I am not going crazy?

There was also math class, where German word "heavyeren" was invented (Germans use "heavy," but it means something slightly different than the English meaning. . . closer to tough and rough combined. And then an "er" to intensify and an "en" becuase Germans have to put nearly-meaningless endings on their adjectives, and we have a new word.)

I also am enjoying listening to a German man named Ranier read Mark Twain's The Awful German Language via my iPod. It is wonderful, and captures everything I feel right now. It is far more interesting than the words I have typed here.

So I hearby dedicate today to Science, and I apologize for the things I said earlier. Science is often rather nice. It's just that books are nice, too. This website I have found is telling me that science and books are natural enemies, but a Third Culture is arising to make them the best of friends. That sounds pleasant. I hope that it happens.

(I got to use my BlogThis! button! I am pretty happy.)