3WSR Analyzed: 3WSR, Free Will, and Plato's Theory Of Forms
Dec 8, 2017 1:18:17 GMT -5
Tug likes this
Post by Toz76 on Dec 8, 2017 1:18:17 GMT -5
After the two likes critical praise I received for my efforts to use time-honored literary analysis techniques on 3WSR, I decided to have a stab at it from another angle.
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"To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand 3WSR. The humour is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of meta comedy most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer’s head. There’s also Man In Blue's idealistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation- his personal philosophy draws heavily from basic human decency, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realise that they’re not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike 3WSR truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn’t appreciate, for instance, the humour in Zemlya’s existential catchphrase "GODDAMNIT,” which itself is a cryptic reference to 3WSR's space epic Everyone Is On A Sci-Fi Adventure. I’m smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Toz's genius wit unfolds itself on their computer screens. What fools.. how I pity them. 😂
And yes, by the way, i DO have a Vados tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It’s for the ladies’ eyes only- and even then they have to demonstrate that they’re within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand. Nothin personnel kid 😎"
~George Carlin
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Everyone who suffered through English class knows Plato's Allegory Of The Cave (capitalized for maximum pretentiousness). For those unfamiliar with the concept, it can be summed up thusly: Plato imagines a bunch of prisoners chained since birth in a row so they cannot turn their heads, staring at a cave wall. Behind them, a fire lights the wall, and objects passing in front of the prisoners would be seen to them as shadows. Were a prisoner to suddenly escape and learn the truth, he would be shocked to learn that the objects he once perceived as real were mere shadows of their true forms. He would also be shocked to learn that his limbs are capable of motion, and that surviving his entire life without food and drink have made him functionally immortal.
Plato used this Allegory to explain his Theory Of Forms. Essentially, Plato perceived a barrier between what we could see and what was real, claiming that everything we could see and touch was a flawed shadow of a perfect concept, up to and including metaphysical concepts like truth, beauty, and justice. (An interesting argument suggests combining the The Theory Of Forms with Freudian psychology, resulting in the true form of everything being penis.) Essentially, Plato was saying reality was a pond, and we only saw the surface of it. And if he had just stopped there, it would have been fine. But Plato went on to claim that only certain people, namely philosophers, were capable of perceiving the true forms of things, and only people who are capable of perceiving the true forms of justice and the like were qualified to lead. Therefore, Plato decided that Athens should ditch that stupid democracy crap and crown philosopher-kings to lead. Once you remember that Plato was, oddly enough, a philosopher, it becomes obvious that Plato has totally failed to quantify his premise and this is basically a massive ego tract. Of course, as famous skeptic Marylin Manson once observed: "You can't smell your own shit, get on your knees". When the obvious conflict of interest and lack of citation is pointed out to philosphers, they quickly point out that we are missing the point. As non-philosophers, of course we don't understand the The Theory Of Forms; after all, The Theory Of Forms states that only philosophers can understand truth. The philosophers are too busy jerking each other off to realize that they've engaged in the same circular logic that leads to theologians citing the Bible as proof that the Bible is true.
But the deeply philosophical tract "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" provides a compelling counterargument, with philosopher Steve Martin eloquently stating: "You can start by wiping that fucking dumb-ass smile off your rosy fucking cheeks! And you can give me a fucking automobile: a fucking Datsun, a fucking Toyota, a fucking Mustang, a fucking Buick! Four fucking wheels and a seat!... And I really don't care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn't fucking there. And I really didn't care to fucking walk, down a fucking highway, and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile in my fucking face. I want a fucking car... right... fucking... now." Deconstructing this quote, it becomes clear that the true form of car (Wonder Twin Powers Activate! Form of... CAR!) is quite beyond the grasp of humanity. Though we see it every day, the truth is lost to us. Which leads us to 3WSR.
Four of the five main factions in 3WSR are unaware that the truth about their organization is being hidden from them. The VEC are unaware that they are pawns to the Cubii, SOM is unaware of Metalicana, GOD is unaware of the Vanguard, and the Colorfolk are unaware of the massive sticks up their asses, as well as the Prism Spirit's inconsistent and flawed perception of "good". In a way, this makes the PIC the purest and most "good" faction, as they are manipulated by no higher powers or ideals. Love of money may be the root of all evil, but it's better than blind faith and willful ignorance.
3WSR also plays with fate and free will in a truly bizarre way. A significant cross-section of the cast is acutely aware of their nature as a fictional character. However, these characters, rather than accepting that they are puppets to indifferent gods, often attempt to stack the deck in their favor by inserting Chekov's guns and hanging lampshades over obvious plot twists. But on the other hand, what if all of those things are what the writers want them too do, and they truly have no free will?
Incidentally, the answer to the fate vs free will debate is quite simple. People who believe in a god that has an exact plan believe in fate but not free will (ignoring the fact that Hell and a loving God can't coexist without free will, for obvious reasons). People who don't believe God has a specific plan believe in free will, or a combination of the two. ("Ooh, everything happens for a reason, but it's up to you what happens next". No contradiction there at all.) You can't sway someone's position on the subject, so it's just arguing semantics and philosophers should JUST FUCKING DROP IT ALREADY! NO ONE CARES! AS LONG AS THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE EXISTS, THIS QUESTION HAS ZERO IMPACT ON LIFE, AND HUMANITY DOESN'T IMPROVE BY BICKERING OVER THE ANSWER TO A FUCKING UNANSWERABLE QUESTION! JESUS CHRIST, PHILOSOPHERS! IF YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE HUMAN CONDITION, DON'T SIT ON YOUR ASS EXPLAINING SOME CONVOLUTED SHIT YOU CLEARLY PULLED FROM YOUR ASS ABOUT WHAT SHAKESPEARE THINKS ABOUT CHARITY, GO DIG A FUCKING WELL IN AFRICA AND ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING CHARITABLE! MAKE YOURSELF FUCKING USEFUL! SHAKESPEARE IS FULL OF SHIT ANYWAY! STOP LIVING IN THE PAST, YOU WANNABE-ENLIGHTENED EUROCENTERED PRETENTIOUS ASSES! FUCK!
*shaky breath* This has been another informative installment of 3WSR Analyzed. But before I go, some wise words from insightful genius Nine Inch Nails: "I want to fuck you like an animal, I want to feel you from the inside. I want to fuck you like an animal, my whole existence is flawed. You get me closer to god." Thank you, and goodnight.
************
"To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand 3WSR. The humour is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of meta comedy most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer’s head. There’s also Man In Blue's idealistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation- his personal philosophy draws heavily from basic human decency, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realise that they’re not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike 3WSR truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn’t appreciate, for instance, the humour in Zemlya’s existential catchphrase "GODDAMNIT,” which itself is a cryptic reference to 3WSR's space epic Everyone Is On A Sci-Fi Adventure. I’m smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Toz's genius wit unfolds itself on their computer screens. What fools.. how I pity them. 😂
And yes, by the way, i DO have a Vados tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It’s for the ladies’ eyes only- and even then they have to demonstrate that they’re within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand. Nothin personnel kid 😎"
~George Carlin
***************
Everyone who suffered through English class knows Plato's Allegory Of The Cave (capitalized for maximum pretentiousness). For those unfamiliar with the concept, it can be summed up thusly: Plato imagines a bunch of prisoners chained since birth in a row so they cannot turn their heads, staring at a cave wall. Behind them, a fire lights the wall, and objects passing in front of the prisoners would be seen to them as shadows. Were a prisoner to suddenly escape and learn the truth, he would be shocked to learn that the objects he once perceived as real were mere shadows of their true forms. He would also be shocked to learn that his limbs are capable of motion, and that surviving his entire life without food and drink have made him functionally immortal.
Plato used this Allegory to explain his Theory Of Forms. Essentially, Plato perceived a barrier between what we could see and what was real, claiming that everything we could see and touch was a flawed shadow of a perfect concept, up to and including metaphysical concepts like truth, beauty, and justice. (An interesting argument suggests combining the The Theory Of Forms with Freudian psychology, resulting in the true form of everything being penis.) Essentially, Plato was saying reality was a pond, and we only saw the surface of it. And if he had just stopped there, it would have been fine. But Plato went on to claim that only certain people, namely philosophers, were capable of perceiving the true forms of things, and only people who are capable of perceiving the true forms of justice and the like were qualified to lead. Therefore, Plato decided that Athens should ditch that stupid democracy crap and crown philosopher-kings to lead. Once you remember that Plato was, oddly enough, a philosopher, it becomes obvious that Plato has totally failed to quantify his premise and this is basically a massive ego tract. Of course, as famous skeptic Marylin Manson once observed: "You can't smell your own shit, get on your knees". When the obvious conflict of interest and lack of citation is pointed out to philosphers, they quickly point out that we are missing the point. As non-philosophers, of course we don't understand the The Theory Of Forms; after all, The Theory Of Forms states that only philosophers can understand truth. The philosophers are too busy jerking each other off to realize that they've engaged in the same circular logic that leads to theologians citing the Bible as proof that the Bible is true.
But the deeply philosophical tract "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" provides a compelling counterargument, with philosopher Steve Martin eloquently stating: "You can start by wiping that fucking dumb-ass smile off your rosy fucking cheeks! And you can give me a fucking automobile: a fucking Datsun, a fucking Toyota, a fucking Mustang, a fucking Buick! Four fucking wheels and a seat!... And I really don't care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn't fucking there. And I really didn't care to fucking walk, down a fucking highway, and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile in my fucking face. I want a fucking car... right... fucking... now." Deconstructing this quote, it becomes clear that the true form of car (Wonder Twin Powers Activate! Form of... CAR!) is quite beyond the grasp of humanity. Though we see it every day, the truth is lost to us. Which leads us to 3WSR.
Four of the five main factions in 3WSR are unaware that the truth about their organization is being hidden from them. The VEC are unaware that they are pawns to the Cubii, SOM is unaware of Metalicana, GOD is unaware of the Vanguard, and the Colorfolk are unaware of the massive sticks up their asses, as well as the Prism Spirit's inconsistent and flawed perception of "good". In a way, this makes the PIC the purest and most "good" faction, as they are manipulated by no higher powers or ideals. Love of money may be the root of all evil, but it's better than blind faith and willful ignorance.
3WSR also plays with fate and free will in a truly bizarre way. A significant cross-section of the cast is acutely aware of their nature as a fictional character. However, these characters, rather than accepting that they are puppets to indifferent gods, often attempt to stack the deck in their favor by inserting Chekov's guns and hanging lampshades over obvious plot twists. But on the other hand, what if all of those things are what the writers want them too do, and they truly have no free will?
Incidentally, the answer to the fate vs free will debate is quite simple. People who believe in a god that has an exact plan believe in fate but not free will (ignoring the fact that Hell and a loving God can't coexist without free will, for obvious reasons). People who don't believe God has a specific plan believe in free will, or a combination of the two. ("Ooh, everything happens for a reason, but it's up to you what happens next". No contradiction there at all.) You can't sway someone's position on the subject, so it's just arguing semantics and philosophers should JUST FUCKING DROP IT ALREADY! NO ONE CARES! AS LONG AS THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE EXISTS, THIS QUESTION HAS ZERO IMPACT ON LIFE, AND HUMANITY DOESN'T IMPROVE BY BICKERING OVER THE ANSWER TO A FUCKING UNANSWERABLE QUESTION! JESUS CHRIST, PHILOSOPHERS! IF YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE HUMAN CONDITION, DON'T SIT ON YOUR ASS EXPLAINING SOME CONVOLUTED SHIT YOU CLEARLY PULLED FROM YOUR ASS ABOUT WHAT SHAKESPEARE THINKS ABOUT CHARITY, GO DIG A FUCKING WELL IN AFRICA AND ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING CHARITABLE! MAKE YOURSELF FUCKING USEFUL! SHAKESPEARE IS FULL OF SHIT ANYWAY! STOP LIVING IN THE PAST, YOU WANNABE-ENLIGHTENED EUROCENTERED PRETENTIOUS ASSES! FUCK!
*shaky breath* This has been another informative installment of 3WSR Analyzed. But before I go, some wise words from insightful genius Nine Inch Nails: "I want to fuck you like an animal, I want to feel you from the inside. I want to fuck you like an animal, my whole existence is flawed. You get me closer to god." Thank you, and goodnight.