Correcting Einstein : The fish and The gloat

[Fridgemagnetman]

I think the fish knows well it is a fish, and is confident in its abilities. After all it's survival of the fittest out there.

If it's just one person judging the fish by climbing trees, it probably says the judger is stupid. If the majority of people in the fish's world judge it by climbing trees, then the fish likely breaks down and believes it is stupid.

It's just bullying. Bullies often have their own problems and insecurities but those end up permanently off the table of discussion. Nobody says anything about the fish's ability to survive permanently underwater, which the tree climber could most likely never do.

Typical of Einstein always bullying the fish

 

[Mia]

In the period when Einstein was active as a professor, one of his students once came to him and said, "The questions of this year's exam are the same as last year!"

"True," Einstein said, "but this year all the answers are different."

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

In the period when Einstein was active as a professor, one of his students once came to him and said, "The questions of this year's exam are the same as last year!"

"True," Einstein said, "but this year all the answers are different."

I think I remember that.

Makes more sense to me now.

And definitely prizeworthy.

Unfortunately I have just awarded all the prizes to myself.

 

[SusanLR]

The fish doesn't know he's a fish.
Fish is a word in English spoken by humans.
The fish doesn't speak English.
So how could he know he's a fish or feel stupid that
he doesn't climb trees? Because these are all human
spoken words the fish would not understand.

We might feel stupid if we judge the fish for not climbing trees because we know they don't and we understand the words if we speak English.

I wonder what fish call us and do they wonder why we live out of water on dry land?

 

[Crossbreed]

Descartes: I think therefore I am.

Nope, thought I only proves that you think, not that you are or are not.

“To be is to do - Socrates

To do is to be - Sartre

Do Be Do Be Do - Sinatra”

― Kurt Vonnegut

 

[Thinx]

I feel like I know what Einstein meant if he said it or what whoever said it meant. It's like the ugly duckling and the Swan idea. People or maybe ahem ducklings judge the misplaced cygnet on its looks based on it's similarities or lack of to a duckling , however it's a swan...

What ya got against Einstein Fridge man?

 

[Progster]

What else have you proven wrong that is a generally accepted belief?

There is a commonly accepted belief that smoking is a habit. No, smoking is not a habit. Brushing my teeth after drinking coffee is a habit. Smoking is an addiction, a harmful and antisocial one, and should be regarded and treated as such.

 

[Full Steam]

Just what I expect from an "Einstein defender"

New kind of insult there.

Einstein's apologists.

There is a commonly accepted belief that smoking is a habit. No, smoking is not a habit. Brushing my teeth after drinking coffee is a habit. Smoking is an addiction, a harmful and antisocial one, and should be regarded and treated as such.

Good point.

Smoking weed would then be a bad habit, tobacco an addiction.

I actually think it may be the only drug where habitual use always equals addiction.

Even when I cut down to only at weekends, I was still addicted.

 

[Crossbreed]

Einstein's apologists

New kind of insult there.

Relatively speaking...

 

[Progster]

Smoking weed would then be a bad habit, tobacco an addiction.

Assuming that smoking weed is not addictive, yes.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

Didn't think this quote to be something that Einstein would write. He usually didn't write in such an esoteric illogical way, so it made such little sense. It's possible that personal letters he wrote may have been misinterpreted. Yet I've found no real reference of this attribution to Einstein.

Was thinking of Thomas Cromwell, a bureaucrat, whose reforms enabled a lot more tax to be collected in England in the time of Henry VIII.
Seem to remember something about putting the king's name on things to get things done.
Then ,I am sure, there's a Churchill quote I used I since read that wasn't by Churchill.
John Lennon I have read quotes that weren't him.

So it's almost a popular thing.

Partly remembering a quote, then attributing it to a famour person at the time. So famous people get to be a lot wiser over time.

Then in earlier times, quotes attributed to the king as is word was law.
Just to get things done.

But I often think,that the king's enemies win the day with quote. As there is also a trend to undermine the intent of the cute through lampooning or whatever.
For example :

King Canute,surrounded by stupid people, takes them for a trip out to the sea, and attempts to give them an example of the limits of Kingly power.
Positioned on the beach,clearly demonstrating he can't control the tide.
See, I have limits, I'm a person. Now do you see?

So when they go home the story becomes "the idiot thinks he can control the sea"

I even got a link for you Misunderstood. Unprecedented.
King Canute and the tide - Wikipedia

Even though I suspect you knew the full story... Ish

 

[Mia]

So when they go home the story becomes "the idiot thinks he can control the sea"

Seems familiar in the current climate, when a sentence or phrase removed from it's context becomes pilloried by the press. Then people misinterpret it, and stigmatize the original source of the quote. A mob mentality of misinterpretation.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

Seems familiar in the current climate, when a sentence or phrase removed from it's context becomes pilloried by the press. Then people misinterpret it, and stigmatize the original source of the quote. A mob mentality of misinterpretation.

Also the story of politics in a way.
Everyone loses power
And your enemies eventually get to control the narrative.
I'm sure if I looked up early political satire and Lampoon's there would be a truckload of examples.
King Canute the only one I can remember.

Ironically his name could be viewed as an early form of branding.
It is commonly spelt King Cnut,
Reminscent of the French clothing firm.