Did Hamblin Slip Up?

[_Dr. Shades]

Yes, misquoting Confucius completely proves that he has no idea what he is doing in one of his primary fields of study. I embarrassed myself the other day by making an error when talking about physics with some friends the other day. I shall now give up my Tech Writing job in disgrace. All my work has been discredited.

You've obviously been reading the FARMS Review.

[_The Nehor]

Yes, misquoting Confucius completely proves that he has no idea what he is doing in one of his primary fields of study. I embarrassed myself the other day by making an error when talking about physics with some friends the other day. I shall now give up my Tech Writing job in disgrace. All my work has been discredited.

You've obviously been reading the FARMS Review.

I've never read it. I find reading reviews of books boring.

[_Brackite]

Great Research, Gadianton!!

[_Analytics]

Did Confucius say something about glass houses and stones?

If not, wow, how utterly embarrassing for Hamblin!

I doubt he meant to imply that it was literally Confucius who gave the tidbit about stones and glass houses. To me, it sounded like he was just trying to sound witty with a cliché he wanted to abuse by throwing in an obviously false connection to another cliché, thus turning a hackneyed phrase into clever irony.

But then again, given how out of touch he looks after being whipped by Tarski, I might be giving him too much credit.

[_John Larsen]

Did Confucius say something about glass houses and stones?

If not, wow, how utterly embarrassing for Hamblin!

I doubt he meant to imply that it was literally Confucius who gave the tidbit about stones and glass houses. To me, it sounded like he was just trying to sound witty with a cliché he wanted to abuse by throwing in an obviously false connection to another cliché, thus turning a hackneyed phrase into clever irony.

But then again, given how out of touch he looks after being whipped by Tarski, I might be giving him too much credit.

That's how I took it also.

[_Gadianton]

John and Analytics and to some extent Chap:

I agree with you if what you are saying is Hamblin probably does not have a specific position on whether confucius "really did" coin the saying. I disagree if you don't think that Hamblin believed in this instance that the saying is generally attributed to Confucious. Where he flubbed up, is that the saying is not attributed to Confucius at all.

For instance, If Bill had said, "I believe Jesus once said, blessed are the peacemakers..." (something he'd never, ever say I'd bet) it would be rather foolish of me to chide him because some New Testament scholars deny it as an authentic saying.

His slip up was, well, pretty much exactly like as if he would've said, "I believe Jesus once said something about glass houses and stones."

If any of you are taking the more extreme position of, he was saying it as a clear confusius "joke" saying, like, "Confucius say: he who stands in front of car gets tired, he who stands behind car gets exhausted", then I think you are wrong.

I think it's clear he was trying to be witty, but along the lines of dropping a saying that he earnestly believed is attributed to confucius.

[_Tarski]

He got me on "ex cathedra" darn!
The church is proved true and Tarski proved wrong by a spell checker. Isn't is marvelous?

Note that his question to me that he kept repeating was full of spelling errors. Whatever. LOL

[_Gadianton]

Well, Tarski, niether of you have Phds in english and you don't have a Phd in history or latin or whatever, so making those kind of mistake aren't a big deal either way for you or him.

But, he really screwed up in misattributing that saying to Confucius. I visited the thread again and saw him try to pass it off as a joke, after it looks like he realized he'd been caught.

He said, "You do understand what a joke is, don't you?"

Now he's really painted himself into a corner. Let me explain.

yes, we get the concept of a joke. We get the concept of Confucius jokes.

See here for example:

http://www.unwind.com/jokes-funnies/mis ... okes.shtml

Anyone with a basic understanding of English and even the slightest sense of humor will see immediately why every saying on this list I've linked to is funny, is a joke, and why the more serious irony in "He who lives in a glass house throws no stones" isn't. The latter, of course, isn't funny at all.

So he's in a fork of his own creation now and loses either way. Either he believed the saying was attributed to confucious, which I hold as most likely, or he doesn't understand the concept of a joke.

Hey, why not joke, "Confucius Say: He who without sin, cast first stone."

[_Joey]

I think Hamblin was merely quoting from the third Watson letter! That's fairly authoritative - right?

[_Analytics]

If any of you are taking the more extreme position of, he was saying it as a clear confusius "joke" saying, like, "Confucius say: he who stands in front of car gets tired, he who stands behind car gets exhausted", then I think you are wrong.

For the record, I think that is what he was doing. His joke was subtle and not funny, but it looks like an attempt and irony anyway.

Here is the real irony. Confucius* said that the foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the wise man built his house upon a rock. And as we all know, glass is made from sand. People who have no understanding whatsoever of Quantum Mechanics and yet think it somehow supports their religious notions of life and spirits are definitely the fools, taking the sand of their religious notions and using it to build glass houses upon sandy foundations.

In comparison, Tarski is highly disciplined in rigorous thinking, has a very good understanding of science and the philosophy of science, and has a healthy measure of open-mindedness and skepticism. Tarski lives in a marble house built upon the rock of science and rigorous thinking.

Keep throwing rocks, Tarski.
_______________
*subtle irony