Reno of the Turks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
raspberryturk) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2008-08-10 10:24 pm
raspberryturk) wrote in fandomhigh2008-08-10 10:24 pm
Entry tags:
Destiny & Free Will, #6 [Period 1, Monday, August 11th]
When the students walked into the danger shop today, they might notice the distinct lack of a Ghanima. Instead, taking up the front of the room, were the lovable teacher's assistants.
"Determinism and causality?" Reno squinted at the notes that Ghanima had left behind for them to use in the lecture. "Okay. We're teachin' determination and casualties. Er." This was going to require a good deal more squinting. One moment.
Dawn peeked at the notes over his shoulder. "So, according to our apparently fearless leader, determinism (also called antiserendipity) is the philosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition and behaviour, decision and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. With numerous historical debates, many varieties and philosophical positions on the subject of determinism exist from traditions throughout the world.
"It is a popular misconception that determinism necessarily entails that humanity or individual humans have no influence on the future and its events (a position known as fatalism); however, determinists believe that the level to which human beings have influence over their future is itself dependent on present and past. Causal determinism is associated with, and relies upon, the ideas of materialism and causality."
She looked up from the notes, blinked, and hoped Reno had a translation.
Reno... really didn't. So he stared blankly at the notes, and then shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, gave them a bit of a flick with one finger, and straightened them out again. "Some hold that, were determinism true, it would negate human morals an' ethics. Counter to this argument, some would say that determinism is simply the sum of emp-empir-empirical scientific findin's, makin' it devoid of subjectivism... Man, I don't got a clue what half these words mean, yo." He tapped at the paper. "Uh. I think they're goin' on to say that by even existin', morals and ethics can't be avoided, even though they're not... natural like magnets. Or somethin'."
Magnets? "Magnets?" She looked at Reno as if he'd grown another head. Dawn scanned the notes again and saw (maybe) where he'd gone wrong. "Ohhhh, okay. So, she's kinda saying that morals and ethics are fluid, and kinda annoying and not at all like concrete, since it doesn't have little stones in it, I guess, but that they're not that permanent. Except for how things still happen and would have happened anyway, which is proved when they happen, no matter what happens. I think? Oh, and there's also something here about chicken and eggs, which makes me think I should have had breakfast."
Reno squinted for a few more moments, and then decided maybe it was best to just move on to discussing causality, instead. "Says here that causalism ain't to be confused with causation. Which is great if you know what that other one is, I guess. Never would'a occured to me to confuse the two, yo. But it's a little easier, it's all about cause and effect, and how they gotta be related to one another. And then... the notes break down into... uh. Philosophy." Crap. "You know what? Uh. I say we play Twister." A pause. "Destiny Twister."
Dawn beamed at Reno. "You so get pie for that." Not that he would probably want to eat any pie she came up with, but whatever. "Okay, everybody move the desks out of the way." Once everyone had, she nodded and went to work setting up a makeshift board and spinner. Then she grinned at the class. If people who knew her well saw evil in the grin, well. "Everyone has to take their shoes off, and we're going to hit the spinner. If anyone doesn't know how to play, get an Earth buddy to explain. Whoever falls isn't just out, but you get whatever destiny Reno or I come up with. Sometime this week, you have to act like you're living with it in front of other people." Oh, Sam was going to kiiiiiill her. She glanced over at Reno for approval. "Sound good?"
Reno? Reno was grinning broadly. "I'm likin' what I'm hearin'." A thoughtful pause. "Pictures or it didn't happen, zoto." He stretched his arms, dropped the notes onto Ghanima's desk with a heavy thud, and then smirked almost wickedly at the class. "Get spinnin', yo."
[OCD is up! Have at thee! Preplayed with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lilpunkinbelly who had the winning idea for Twister, notes provided by atreideslioness.]
"Determinism and causality?" Reno squinted at the notes that Ghanima had left behind for them to use in the lecture. "Okay. We're teachin' determination and casualties. Er." This was going to require a good deal more squinting. One moment.
Dawn peeked at the notes over his shoulder. "So, according to our apparently fearless leader, determinism (also called antiserendipity) is the philosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition and behaviour, decision and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. With numerous historical debates, many varieties and philosophical positions on the subject of determinism exist from traditions throughout the world.
"It is a popular misconception that determinism necessarily entails that humanity or individual humans have no influence on the future and its events (a position known as fatalism); however, determinists believe that the level to which human beings have influence over their future is itself dependent on present and past. Causal determinism is associated with, and relies upon, the ideas of materialism and causality."
She looked up from the notes, blinked, and hoped Reno had a translation.
Reno... really didn't. So he stared blankly at the notes, and then shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, gave them a bit of a flick with one finger, and straightened them out again. "Some hold that, were determinism true, it would negate human morals an' ethics. Counter to this argument, some would say that determinism is simply the sum of emp-empir-empirical scientific findin's, makin' it devoid of subjectivism... Man, I don't got a clue what half these words mean, yo." He tapped at the paper. "Uh. I think they're goin' on to say that by even existin', morals and ethics can't be avoided, even though they're not... natural like magnets. Or somethin'."
Magnets? "Magnets?" She looked at Reno as if he'd grown another head. Dawn scanned the notes again and saw (maybe) where he'd gone wrong. "Ohhhh, okay. So, she's kinda saying that morals and ethics are fluid, and kinda annoying and not at all like concrete, since it doesn't have little stones in it, I guess, but that they're not that permanent. Except for how things still happen and would have happened anyway, which is proved when they happen, no matter what happens. I think? Oh, and there's also something here about chicken and eggs, which makes me think I should have had breakfast."
Reno squinted for a few more moments, and then decided maybe it was best to just move on to discussing causality, instead. "Says here that causalism ain't to be confused with causation. Which is great if you know what that other one is, I guess. Never would'a occured to me to confuse the two, yo. But it's a little easier, it's all about cause and effect, and how they gotta be related to one another. And then... the notes break down into... uh. Philosophy." Crap. "You know what? Uh. I say we play Twister." A pause. "Destiny Twister."
Dawn beamed at Reno. "You so get pie for that." Not that he would probably want to eat any pie she came up with, but whatever. "Okay, everybody move the desks out of the way." Once everyone had, she nodded and went to work setting up a makeshift board and spinner. Then she grinned at the class. If people who knew her well saw evil in the grin, well. "Everyone has to take their shoes off, and we're going to hit the spinner. If anyone doesn't know how to play, get an Earth buddy to explain. Whoever falls isn't just out, but you get whatever destiny Reno or I come up with. Sometime this week, you have to act like you're living with it in front of other people." Oh, Sam was going to kiiiiiill her. She glanced over at Reno for approval. "Sound good?"
Reno? Reno was grinning broadly. "I'm likin' what I'm hearin'." A thoughtful pause. "Pictures or it didn't happen, zoto." He stretched his arms, dropped the notes onto Ghanima's desk with a heavy thud, and then smirked almost wickedly at the class. "Get spinnin', yo."
[OCD is up! Have at thee! Preplayed with
lilpunkinbelly who had the winning idea for Twister, notes provided by atreideslioness.]
Re: Destiny Twister!
As Destinys went it certainly could have been much worse.