Faustus

Hi Benson Thanks for your progress/summary. I have been very busy for the past few weeks, clearing up the work accumulated during the strike, do didn’t have time to reply to you. In your last message, it seems that you tend to endorse the virtue-ethics approach to morality (e.g., Aristotelian and ...閱讀更多

Thanks for all you have done for the past few months!

一段往事 太初﹐創世之盛事既畢﹐為了鬆弛神經﹐神便找來大天使､王及康慈對賭﹐還 承諾誰勝出便能得到生命樹的果子。神先擲﹐得十二點﹐點數算大﹐神相當滿意。到大天使﹐只得十一點﹐無緣吃那美味的果子(亦種下日後背叛的禍根) 。到那位王﹐僅得十點﹐他也無所謂﹐反正權力與鮮血才合他口胃。終於到康慈﹐二､五､六﹐十三點大﹐康慈微笑﹐拿著果子走出伊甸園。 及後﹐經歷千世﹐那三粒骨殳子吸收了神､大天使､王及康慈的能量﹐加上天地靈氣､日月精華﹐終幻化成那//由紅樓夢唸唸有詞葬花, 到gone with the wind 的名句, 再朗誦唐詩宋詞, 吟遊去到徐志摩的浪漫//､秀外慧中的十三點。康慈與十三點關係密切...閱讀更多

放假 十三點﹐多謝關心﹐我悟性低﹐一定不會先你一步歸於無。省府立法逼令我們復工﹐唉﹐那個所謂自由黨… …你說得對﹕//但係積左咁多野係度，唔係一樣要做番曬！真真好可憐啊！// 現在還有很多工作要做﹐真真可憐。但無論如何也要趕在假期前向十三點及各網友問好､道別。十三點的depression已經好了﹖怨氣､病氣總會散去﹐一字記之曰笑。 P.S. //咁我地 twins 就要收檔 ga lah！// Boyz 已上位﹐Twins 應該收檔。收檔後如有事﹐可發電郵給我。 faustustang@yahoo.ca (Sorry, Sol, I got it wrong last time. It is ...閱讀更多

JoeJoneS兄﹐我說的是關於道德倫理的問題﹐與他們本來的論題沒有直接關係﹐實在打擾。

To Benson Thanks for your reply. I’m not sure if I can but I try to answer those questions. //How do you define duty? … The term duty can be vague sometimes.// Yes, I agree that the term ‘duty’ is vague, but so are nearly all ethical terms such as ‘benevolent’ and ‘virtuous’. When can one say that a...閱讀更多

食 //洗唔洗 d 網友接濟你呀？// 謝謝﹐現在還不須要﹐冰箱裡還有麵包﹐但將來難說。最好送我東瓜西瓜﹐清熱解毒。

To 小孩 //這條問題並無必然可推論得出的答案，亦即是說 X 可以是／可以不是 morally right.要視乎實際個案而定。// I agree with this insofar as we are not sure whether X has any special duty towards the affected parties. But once the relationship between X and the affected parties are sorted out, a clear answer can be given (please see my last m...閱讀更多

To Benson Sorry, I should have made it clearer. In short, to define morality ‘negatively’ means that 1) Not violating the moral rules (i.e., thus not causing harm without justifications) is the necessary condition for being moral. 2) Performing the moral ideals (i.e., positively promoting the good) ...閱讀更多

賣瓜 //由苦瓜階段再行前多 d 會「進化」成點？// 應該是傻瓜﹐過了苦瓜階段吃甚麼也甜﹐因為最苦已經嘗過。

Aside: On Morality I, on the whole, agree that the attributes of the Christian God (e.g., omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence) lead to contradictions. I disagree with the comment about morality. Benson: //If X can foresee a tragedy happens and X can prevent it from happening while X refuses to...閱讀更多

慶祝生日的意義 如果只是狂歡一天的藉口﹐慶祝生日真的沒甚麼意義。若是紀念雙親之偉大﹐一年一次則未免太少。十三點有甚麼看法﹖ P.S. Thanks 康慈, Benson, 明月and 小花生 for coming to the party.

The Standard of Taste //The UNunderstanding of Fellini's or, say, 寺山修司's films (e.g. Pastoral Hide-and-Seek) may just come from neglecting the possibility that, to appreciate those guys’ works, it is aesthetic sensibility but not rational analysis that is the key, as those works can plausibly be sup...閱讀更多

Happy Birthday 十三點﹐生日快樂﹗其實二月二十九日生日也不錯﹐喜歡的可以每年慶祝(陰曆) ﹐不喜歡就數年一次(陽曆) ﹐因應你depression的情況而定。 //但係積左咁多野係度，唔係一樣要做番曬！真真好可憐啊！// 不錯﹐工作還是要做(在家做) ﹐真真可憐。現正罷工﹐無錢買禮物﹐送你一首歌吧。 風月寶鑒 曲： 于逸堯/梁基爵/黃耀明 詞： 林夕 編： 梁基爵 想再見一面 誰要見你的面 想細訴思念 誰要你去想念 石破海枯的加冕 你堅定 你忠誠 你轟烈 你千年萬年 想免卻生離 誰介意你死別 想壯志不滅 誰敬佩你貞烈 石破海枯的挑戰 你堅毅 你執迷 你起誓 你桑田永不變 想聽信謊...閱讀更多

Hi Sol, //好好享受你的"罷工假期"呀!// 謝謝﹐只好如此吧。 祝你工作順利､生活愉快。 康慈﹐關於階級鬥爭小弟一竅不通﹐最好問問那些馬列學者。 //如果那些公司因此破產！啲工人有甚麼好處！[康慈相信有好處他們才會去罷工！]// 罷工當然有其遠､近､好､壞的影響﹐所以罷工是最後手段﹐不是為了破壞﹐而是爭取繼續談判。但資本家有資金﹐能操控生產工具﹐相比之下﹐工人一木難支﹐集體談判､罷工等權利還是須要的。 另謝謝祝福﹐希望康慈今年馬運亨通。

康慈﹐我所屬的是CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) 2278 分會﹐勞資談判不外乎薪酬待遇等問題﹐談判未能達成協議﹐現正罷工。 十三點﹐你早前還替康慈擔心﹐看﹐康慈現在不是精神弈弈地為香港的經濟出謀獻策嗎﹖幾句批評康慈跟本不會介意﹐因為他很早已前已跟據遠古流傳下來的法門練成了百毒不侵的神功﹐宇宙間無人能動得了他 (那個甚麼大法的李教主除外) ﹐這點是可以保證得了的。 //但係唔知點解我開始感到有 d 疲累，心情唔多好。唔知點解 :( ！// Seasonal depression 不是大問題﹐找來三五知己﹐吃飯談天看電影﹐一覺醒來心情就好。 P....閱讀更多

呀心, thanks very much for your recommendation. But I’m not in HK now, so don’t have a chance to watch that. Besides, I’m not sure whether “The Hours” is showing in HK; if it is, don’t miss it. It’s great.

八卦 小花生﹐不看李碧華﹐可以看黃碧雲(應是客家人) ﹐配合採菊的客家山歌更好。 P.S. 採菊喜歡黃碧雲嗎﹖

投資 Sol, 謝謝告知網址。 十三點﹐各工會(包括我所屬的)正與資方談判﹐談不攏可能會罷工。所以請將所得之利是買入黃金﹐開戰一星期後沽出轉買美(帝) 國長期債券。只要石油之戰打勝﹐應該可以保本抗通脹﹐罷工也沒所謂。

多謝Bush 多金﹖我也想﹐現在999.9金升到哪個價位﹖ 小花生﹕最有營養﹐多食可與蓮花生大師匹敵。

感恩 //不大好！！想喊啊！ 今日朝頭早有好多野做// 有工作做已經很好﹐我這邊鬧罷工﹐不知談判進展如何。 //「鏡花水月兩不虛 只問吾心欲往隨」// 這兩句很好﹐點出了從緣起到苦諦之間的fact/value distinction的問題(當然﹐fact/value distinction 本身是不是一個問題也是問題) 。

謝謝Sol誇獎﹐Benson的網頁小弟也有看過﹐真是包羅萬有﹐內裡全是//高質素的思考//﹐小弟亦獲益良多。但小弟是電腦盲﹐只懂文書處理及收發電郵﹐看別人的網頁尚可﹐自己做就不行。如閣下有甚麼有趣的東西可跟小弟分享﹐不妨電郵給我﹐先謝。 faustustang@yahoo.com P.S. S.C. 的網頁小弟沒有看過﹐不知可否告知網址﹖S.C. 兄不介意吧﹖

Hi JPY, //In the movie, the 2 scenes above are merely spoken out but not acted.// Why is it so? I think that the sex party scene is pretty “graphic” already. P.S. 呀心, did you read the original novel Traumnovelle or the screenplay of the movie? I’ve read neither. Is it good?

問侯 人生可以是舞台､也可以是擂台﹐可表演､亦可搏擊﹐有人博厚､有人偏激﹐各式其色。 十三點店主近來安好﹖

Ecce Homo 偉良﹐yes, it’s the one with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. I think that the title is intended to be an oxymoron—with one’s eyes wide open and yet widely (completely) shut. To open or not to open, that is the question. To open and not to open, that is the contradiction, and yet, it is the stat...閱讀更多

驅邪 //我要修鍊下，成精果日會俾封挑戰書你既！// 成精果日請不要找我﹐成親那天不妨送我紅帖。

欺負﹖ 避的不是利是債﹐是那過分的喧鬧。 //你唔知「無」成親既可以斗，成左親果 d 都可以斗既o羊？求其搵個藉口唔係得o羅！// 這太厚顏吧。 禮物收了﹐謝謝。 P.S. 問世間誰能欺負十三點﹖

To S.C. I don’t really understand Fellini’s films, but I just love them; same with philosophy and other branches of knowledge in general. : ) To阿圓 Cult movies are usually more creative and they explore deeper into different aspects of human lives (but sometimes, too extreme). On the other hand, I a...閱讀更多

從無(成親)的角度看 既然我進入了自閉的空間﹐即是尚未成親﹐你還好意思向我討利是。

And more... La Double Vie de Veronique Bleu Delicatessen A Night on Earth Fellini’s Roma A good one that I have watched recently—The Hours

A Good Director <<兩生花>>是很好的電影﹐Preisner之配樂尤其出色﹐可惜Kieslowski早逝。

人､月 因要避年﹐所以進入了自閉的空間。年關已過﹐元宵將近﹐祝十三點及各網友有情人能成眷屬﹐快活､快活。 “One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.” --Sophocles

滿漢全席 謝李博士代答﹐感甚､感甚。 十三點﹕//How Deep Is Your Love// 李博士﹕//As deep as your depth.// 十三點﹕//即係 skin deep 啦！// 這怎麼可能﹐十三點之高深藏得下整座聖母峰﹐或至少一個駝峰 + 一隻熊掌 + 一隻鮑魚 + 一塊魚翅 + 一隻雞腿 + 一粒蝦仁… … P.S. 十三點﹐你的廚藝怎樣﹖要請李博士代庖嗎﹖﹕)

快､活﹐快活 要活就不能逃避 但不逃避就會苦 逃與不逃﹐that is the question 逃與不逃之間 可以快活 注意是快活﹐不是快､活 //then you are the kind of aggressive people who are willing to do everything to meet the growth target set by the CEO. These people are well sought after by companies like Enron and Worldcom which now run into bankcrupcy.// Th...閱讀更多

浮生 Haha, life is full of contradictions (or at least, contradicting feelings). So I’m not going to defend what I said about life or to rationalize those contradictions. What I did was just to observe and describe. 浮､生

快活 快﹐因為浮生夢幻 活﹐因為感受真切 快活﹐所以歲月匆匆﹐不知時日過

Explanations 十三點, your answer is very creative. I’m sure you will get the job. Just one suggestion: if the boss is a westerner, she may not be familiar with the Chinese numerals, so in that case, you may want to replace “二” with “II”. About the explanation of “1 + 1 = 2”, I don’t think that there...閱讀更多

下與不下 //泥上偶爾留指爪 鴻飛那復計東西// 放得下即得解脫 但放不下才是人生

迷離､迷離 迷離﹐小弟無意亂辨雌雄﹐‘葬花的迷離’ 指的是‘因十三點葬花而引起的迷迷離離(的//美麗的錯誤//)’ 。引起誤會﹐實在抱歉﹐見諒。 同意TESTING, 葬花的, //無論女子或男子,均是人間至情// P.S. Thanks, 十三點, but you are not saying farewell to us, are you?

Transformations 週末再到雪山﹐跟TESTING 兄一樣﹐//與仙女緣慳一面。// TESTING 兄雖無仙女的恩賜﹐但收穫也不少吧﹖既有如玉的溫潤､葬花的迷離﹐亦能看到李博士論十三點﹐更何況vit 回來開檔﹐好詩可期。 P.S. 雖然十三點的十三點已被李博士論盡﹐但不用生氣。神秘的通常都高貴﹐但少一點神秘亦無損十三點的高貴﹐既然我們是twins﹐論盡了你即論盡了我—們的DNA結構﹐就讓我少一點神秘﹐你添一分高貴吧。

雪山､平安､有心 //算啦！算啦！最多你做左既壞事，欠我既個筆債就一筆勾消 lah ！// 不能反悔啊﹗ 剛從雪山回來﹐雪正在溶化﹐實在不宜滑雪。雖然風景不錯﹐但找不到那帶路的玉兔﹐也看不到仙女。 回正題﹕1 + 1 = 2 P.S. 各位數學家､物理學家﹐天機不能也不必再洩。山之高度能用儀器遙距測出﹐但雪山之美只能親自登山體會﹐祝各位有此機緣。

牠眼裡有你 我攀登了萬仞高崗﹐ 荊棘軋爛了我的衣裳﹐ 我向飄渺的雲天外望— 十三點﹗我望不見你﹗ …… 我在道旁見一隻兔子﹕ 活潑﹐可愛﹐雪白的軟毛﹔ 牠叫聲紅顏﹐眼裡亮著愛— 十三點﹗牠眼裡有你﹗

Application //無聊時無聊// 所以 no need to //describe & explain justify discuss comment assess ...// Right? I remember your advice.

2003年第一單佐佑銘事件 讀書時讀書，遊戲時遊戲 = 小學老師的教導 討論時討論，旁觀時旁觀 = 大學教授的指導 無聊時無聊，儍癡時儍癡 = 阿朋友仔十三點的誤導 全都是生活智慧﹐應緊記。

2003年第一單開年事件 洩露天機﹐招來殺身之禍﹐幸而留有福頭一個過新年 祝各位新年快樂､秘密長存

一點點 //霞霞霞, Faustus, 都好// Huh?! 十三點既然有十三點﹐就大方透露一點點吧。 兩點之間的最短距離是直線 兩夥心之間的最短距離是直覺 直線連接兩點 直覺點通兩心 --Intuitionism 新解 十三點憑直覺走到日本﹖請阿卜卜一卜吧。 P.S. 十三點, thanks very much for your 福袋. Wish you all have a happy new year.

一翻﹐再翻 //Faustus & vit 翻筋斗助興.// 若有幸看到詩人表演舉重兼朗誦﹐真不枉一番練習﹐Bravo!

To 張海澎 I’m really interested in your project but there are things which I don’t quite understand. Could you please give some further explanations? //分析邏輯不同於演繹邏輯和歸納邏輯，它不是研究推理，它是研究如何通過語言概念進行確當地思維的一門科學。// Deductive and inductive logics are different systems of logic because they are about different wa...閱讀更多

Surprise S.C. So how did you do in the surprise quiz? : ) To Dr. Lee’s students Don’t give your phone numbers to Dr. Lee; otherwise he may call you guys to have a surprise quiz on Sunday. : )

To 征服者 //那當我們都不知道是誰先發動攻擊,那是不是不應評論對錯?// //我主要的觀點是,根本沒有對錯,在那事中去評論任何一方是錯也不應該// There are two senses of “rightness”—moral and practical. The issue of moral rightness is way beyond the scope of this discussion (if you are interested, we can set up another topic discussing that). Something (usually an a...閱讀更多

To 征服者 //要是你給人扔石頭,燃燒彈,你會不會自衛?// Certainly, I will. But the question is whether the soldiers pulled the trigger first or the people threw the stones first. We can’t confuse the consequence with the cause. //可能會發生暴動,要是真的出現,死的人會更多,也會把之前改革的努力完全破壞// That is, “if” there was a riot, the consequences woul...閱讀更多

Backward Reasoning I think that George’s answer is the “standard” answer. But I agree with S.C. that //this question is not well-defined. Say can the pirates make deals? And will they keep their promise? The outcome can be different.// Besides, the standard answer ignores the risk factor. We shoul...閱讀更多

征服者 //中共當局是有和學生對話的,是學生堅決拒絕談判,一點也不改動要求// 這是事實。 //因為當時他們可以的選擇都不多,也因為所謂的熱血影響下看不出那和平解決並帶來正面影響的機會// 這個我不同意。 //而也不是真的手無寸鐵,他們有扔石頭和燃燒彈,也有人爬上坦克之上,軍人也有死傷,而且不少// 面對正規軍隊､坦克機槍﹐儘管有石頭和燃燒彈﹐與‘手無寸鐵’ 分別也不大吧。 //本來學生在收到最後通牒時想解散的,是香港上去的人和資金令他們沒有解散// 所以我不同意//因為當時他們可以的選擇都不多,也因為所謂的熱血影響下看不出那和平解決並帶來正面影響的機會// //當時已經發展成一個全國性的罷工...閱讀更多

Christmas & New Year //Faust.us// That’s very creative. Bravo! Merry Christmas everyone! Bravo!

民心 國家穩定當然重要﹐所以政府當時絕不可能完全答應學生們的要求﹐但不答應不等於不能繼續相討﹐與群眾溝通向來都是中共所長。遙想當年﹐中共是先得民心才得天下﹐坐穩江山後反而要用坦克機槍來鎮壓平民百姓﹐統治手法是何等劣拙﹗

大自在 佛法精微﹐小弟皮毛也不懂﹐不過偶然借用一二佛家語﹐還請先生為我等愚昧眾生說法。

無漏 //轉識成智, 得大自在。// 神秘樂觀﹐望能如思方迷所願。

漏 //上帝係溫柔 ge// 所以天堂寧靜 //大天使係溫柔 ge// 所以地獄寂寂 只有人間熱血 所以煩擾不休

呀心 You like it too? That piece strikes deep into my heart for some reasons. But I don’t know why. Do you like his lieder too? 十三點 (or myself) //唔只係共鳴，係融埋一齊呀 ~~~~~~~ ！// That’s the power of good music, right?

The Mean //要求"自由, 平等 和 博愛"還可以接受, 也應鼓勵..... 但要令它在世上實現, 就如資本論的無產主義或宗教的天國一樣, 是太過理想化, 思想太左傾了..// I agree with this. But “liberty”, “equality”, and “fraternity” are “ideals” precisely because they are “idealistic”. Being a slogan, they are useful insofar as they provide the long term goals at which our...閱讀更多

Schubert? Does anyone like Schubert? His string quartet in D minor is my favourite.

Paradox of Justice //看來"正義論"的主張不太適用於現在的香港. John Rawls 的論說較適合一個經濟狀況很好和健全的社會// This is very true. In a less wealthy society, it is not likely that people will agree with Rawls’s principles of justice. But paradoxically, the worst-off are the most vulnerable in such a society; thus it seems that the ...閱讀更多

執著､心 //我想代自己問你，你究竟係乜東東？唔該你正正經經咁答我地，好唔呀？// 現在﹕末那識的妄執 將來﹕阿賴耶識的空

Maximin I’m not an expert in Rawls, so please be careful of the mistakes of my subjective interpretation of him. As a political philosopher, Rawls seems to be more concerned with the justification and the “procedures” through which just social arrangements are made (rather than the actual particula...閱讀更多

Certainty S.C. has given a good example of how to prove that something is unprovable. I just want to add one point. //We maybe not able to prove X now, but we can't deny the possibility that somebody in the future may be able to complete this task.// This seems to be a question about certainty. I ...閱讀更多

Practice, practice! //神秘嘉賓表演 =)====>> Faustus 與 vit 表演 。flip-flop。// Then we have to practice more. =)====>> (飛刀﹖飛刀!) Bravo! Flip-flop! Bravo! Merry Christmas! Bravo!

一心 十三點有大智慧﹐深明眾生一心的道理﹐所以不論小弟讚美甲乙丙還是丁﹐都是讚美十三點。

Faith //If I can really know that I know nothing about A, then I at least know one thing about A, namely, the knowledge about A is not known to me. However, it is contradictory to the assumption "I can really know nothing about A". Therefore, the assumption is false. And the conclusion is that I can...閱讀更多

Bravo 十三點消遙物外﹐遊戲人間﹐Bravo! Bravo? 那麼要請vit兄與小弟一同flip-flop flip-flop

To 小讀者 Thanks for sharing. That is a good overview of Rawls’s ideas. It would have been better if the author concentrated more on _The Law of Peoples_ which, I think, is a departure from the liberal framework Rawls outlined in his early works.

Some Reasons Many able philosophers (e.g., Hume) have given arguments to support the claim that the discussion of the existence and attributes of God is beyond the scope of reason. I don’t think that I am capable of presenting or evaluating all of them. But here are some reasons in support of that...閱讀更多

The Scope of Reason //But 'beyond the scope of human reason' is not an acceptable reason, logically, to support the proposition 'The existence or inexistence of god cannot be proved.'; otherwise everything on Earth is not to be proved, with such a premise.// I agree with Galahad that certain issues ...閱讀更多

Given the Buddhist philosophical presuppositions (that is, Buddhist ontology, epistemology, etc. in the philosophical sense, not just佛偈 as some people call it), “certainly” one can say that //冇腦Faustus == 有腦十三點// But your “proof” does not work unless it is supplemented by those presuppositions.

齊物一例 有腦十三點看出小弟無腦﹐仍紓尊與無腦Faustus齊一﹐當然可愛。

Disinterested Spectator 基督信仰當然有其真諦﹐正如佛法精微亦有大智慧。vit兄胸襟向來廣闊﹐應不至於輕視先賢教誨﹐作出挑釁﹐相信他只是不同意‘真理是相對’ 這一觀點。

皆空 小弟的頭顱本來就空空如也﹐各式飛箭亦緣起無名。的也空､矢也空﹐說一切有可以﹐說一切無亦無不可﹐明其性空﹐定能精進。

魂兮名兮 因為無影無蹤 所以靈魂可貴 亦因為無影無蹤 所以靈魂可疑 太初混沌 無你無我 骨中生骨 肉裡長肉 是因為寂寞 寂寞﹖ 天地不仁 但人間有情 P.S. 哲學起于好奇: 近日比較忙﹐但小弟還沒有資格指導他人﹐還請各位多多指教。

Certainly not... //佢激到阿 Faustus 都唔啋佢，Faustus 都冇佢咁好氣。// Although十三點is observant enough to note my writing habit, this is “certainly” not true. The only time when I stopped discussing with another person on this message board was when someone “commanded” that I should stop. And “certainly”, regarding ...閱讀更多

Certainly... Haha, I didn't realize that what I said would eventually be reduced to only one word "certainly"...That's what is amazing about communication. CERTAINLY, 十三點is very observant.

//I have bought the mentioned book about five year ago, like reading some kind of papyrus scroll Hellenistic entombed literature// Vit, I can’t agree with you more. Certainly, his writing style is a bit “dry” (in fact, too dry). But yet, _A Theory of Justice_ and _Political Liberalism_ do contribute...閱讀更多

Passing of John Rawls //John Rawls, the James Bryant Conant University Professor Emeritus, whose 1971 book, "A Theory of Justice" argued persuasively for a political philosophy based on equality and individual rights, died Sunday (Nov. 24) at the age of 81.// http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002...閱讀更多

Looking Forward //後語 只可惜我們仍是沒有給任盈盈一個回// Vit, I don’t think that we have to worry. From what she said, I think that she has already thought about the issue for quite a long time. She should have a pretty good answer in mind. I’d rather wait till she finishes her finals and comes back to tell us.

Moral Feelings As requested by 雙兒, I shall be concise. 1) Re: 父為子隱，子為父隱﹐直在其中矣。 This points out the fact that filial piety (孝) is the basis for loyalty (忠). Without the former, there can’t be the latter. Similar relationship holds between 情 and 義. 2) Re: Impartiality //To me I think I’ll place “justi...閱讀更多

Of Conflicts of Virtues vit 兄﹐ //You come most carefully upon your hour.// That’s very true. It’s getting near the end of term. So I guess that everyone’s busy. But on the other hand, I think that the examples that 盈盈 gave are very good. (Sorry 盈盈and everyone, it would be much faster for me to type ...閱讀更多

情義﹐兩難存﹖ vit 兄高見﹐所以情義應可共存。 任盈盈﹐能否舉一情義兩難存的例子﹖

To 無名 無名兄 (此無名應是後無名因前無名之慷慨而得以續用無名為名之無名) ﹐小弟‘中文程度有限’﹐‘敬意’ 還是留給那些朝生暮死(但可能朝已聞道﹐所以夕死無礙) 的人吧。

各位所對甚妙﹐小弟不敢續貂。但旁觀者兄盛情﹐小弟只好獻醜。 流星雨夜夢流星 忘情花前傷忘情

見賢思齊 S.C. 兄海量﹐見賢思齊﹐小弟定必好好學習。

上文所說的夏蟲當然不是尤尤。 //尤尤認為在討論 / 閒聊中勝負只是次要，重要的是有否其他得著(例如個人的價值觀檢視、對某些課題的見解，.....)。// 尤尤的識見氣量與夏蟲相比﹐相去何止千里﹗誠然﹐尤尤那數箭對小弟啟發甚深。

情之箭 再謝vit兄拔刀﹐若不談矛論盾的話﹐將尤尤的箭當作詩般欣賞﹐小弟亦獲益良多。 //第六箭 --- 情之箭 此情，天地之情、大我之情也。 「行雲流水，無始無終」。// 此箭功力甚深。

謝vit兄代答及旁觀者兄意見﹐關於人生意義的問題﹐小弟不會再作回應﹐免得打擾他人。要說的已經說了﹐懂英文的自會明白﹐不懂英文的再對他解釋也是徒然﹐對於那些既不懂英文且思緒混亂的﹐只能說句夏蟲不可語冰(典出<<莊子>>﹐那些自認為‘中文程度無限’的人應該多讀點古書) 。當然﹐夏蟲自有其視角﹐喜愛糊思亂想､閉門造車﹐既然如此﹐就讓牠追尋並享受那朝生暮死的快感吧。

To everyone Sorry for the interruption created by this controversy (or rather, a misunderstanding). Hope that you can continue to discuss your original topic.

//真奇怪，我根本沒有說過人類生存的目的是「生育」(雖然這也確實是其中一個目的)// Now I am really confused whether you really think that to reproduce is the (an) aim of human existence. Reading the rest of your message, I am not sure if you really understand what I have said in my previous messages. E.g. //所以你說的「生產一些大詩人出來是為了作好詩」有何不可？// T...閱讀更多

To S.C. //And I don't think he was writing a serious academic article so I think I shouldn't make a biggie out of it and I will stop here.// Completely agree with that. Originally, I just wanted to point out the difference between means and ends (which one may argue will collapse; and I anticipate t...閱讀更多

To 一木 Of Ends //我不明白大家為何對「傳宗接代」這個「人生意義」(這是網友們說的，不是我說的)如此睥睨？// If 「傳宗接代」is not one of 「人生意義」, there is nothing to discuss at all. In fact, that is all I want to say in my original message. //是因為個原因「俗不可耐」？還是因為這個原因太傳統、太老套，對新一輩來說不合時宜？是否因為人類還未到絕種邊緣，所以大家才會對「傳宗接代」這個「人生意義」不涉一顧？萬一有一天人類逐漸失去「生育能力」(其實不是危言聳聽，是事實...閱讀更多

Bravos! Bravoes! It is true that “bravo” originates from Italian. But, like many other words of different languages (e.g., resume, rendezvous, kindergarten etc.) it has been imported to English. So, it should also be counted as an English word. P.S. Bravo is a noun, so you can add “s” or “es” when i...閱讀更多

To 風 //Yes, life, I think, would be meaningless without love. At this moment, the meaning of life, as I see it, is to make myself and the people around me happy. And the reason why I would want to do so is that I LOVE them. “To live is to love” is my email’s signature profile. I am neither a bib...閱讀更多

莫名其妙 II Huh? 矛盾? If you mean "contradiction", please show me.

Citation The above quote is from 征服者.

說真的,我總覺得用頭頂波會變蠢... This is very funny. 但有同感...

To S.C. It is true that we can make a purely descriptive observation about nature. But note that what he said was not a pure description. //人類生兒育女的原因，我想大多數是因為「傳宗接代」吧！(我是在自然界的角度看的)。// Instead, he placed humans within that “point of view of nature” and argued that the aim of human existence is to rep...閱讀更多

To 風 I agree that the meaning of life and reproduction are distinct. But precisely because of this distinction, I think that the aim of human existence is not to reproduce. //人類生兒育女的原因，我想大多數是因為「傳宗接代」吧！(我是在自然界的角度看的)。// “生兒育女”is “傳宗接代”. So I think that一木is not asserting a tautology. Given the topic ...閱讀更多

新張致興 謝vit 兄代答﹐本來與網友(如‘風’) 討論是快事﹐但若問題太玄妙(見蟑螂及其他)﹐ 問得奇﹐實在答無從。 回正題﹐vit 兄舊鋪新張﹐舊瓶但新酒﹐果然耳目一新﹐恭喜､恭喜。 眼前一亮 洛水之濱還有餘象 沉實與虛無之間 仍有地方 讓繆司們 起舞 躁動 跳躍的心 不安的靈魂 不知止､亦不應止 迎接穿越地平線的 曙光 躁 所以動

傳宗接代? To 一木 //人類生兒育女的原因，我想大多數是因為「傳宗接代」吧！(我是在自然界的角度看的)。// This is very contentious. If the aim of human existence is to reproduce, then those who do not (either cannot or are not willing to) have children are not doing what they “should”? It seems that at most reproduction is a means to some other ...閱讀更多

To wat //大家對基督教有認識的人有否面對這難題?即不信的話很難對死亡作出解釋,可能因此而十分害怕死亡// It may be true that, without religious belief, one may have difficulty facing death. But religious belief does not necessarily mean “Christian” belief. There are many alternatives (e.g., I think Buddhism is a good choice). //但要信的時候,卻因思考後發現有很...閱讀更多

莫名其妙 有的放矢沒有問題﹐但有的有矢無方向﹐這就莫名其妙。 P.S. 李博士﹐莫名其妙此謂也﹖

A Sense of Direction? 風, my soul mate may or may not be my lover. But being a soul mate, I think, is a “prerequisite” of being a lover. Similarly, my friend may or may not be my lover. But being a friend is necessary for being a lover. To尤尤 //你在逃避吧！// From what am I escaping? I think that my last...閱讀更多

1) Re: the meaning of life I’ve repeated more than once that I don’t know what exactly the meaning of life is. The most that I can say about it is my “personal” view on that. “At this moment, the meaning of life, as I see it, is to make myself and the people around me happy. And the reason why I w...閱讀更多

誠徵同志 承蒙vit兄推薦﹐小弟若能當上中宣及文化部長﹐必學好Pu Tong Hua﹐寫有新中國特色的白話文﹐以馬列主義共產思想革命精神為綱領﹐把偉大的中華民族文化搞上另一高峰﹐三年內超英趕美､打垮歐西列強､壓倒扶桑倭寇､南懲百越遺民､北拒羅薩巨熊﹐對外與帝國單邊主義鬥爭﹐對內與叛國分裂份子周旋。若能成事﹐定必驚天地､泣鬼神﹐與盤古開天､倉頡造字﹐不遑多讓。在此誠徵有興趣參予的同志(這方面要尤尤先生/小姐多加支持﹐以其獨特的吸引力為新中國的發展爭取群眾的支持)﹐ 謹此期待中華文化的偉大復興﹗

“北京遠郊縣：《少生孩子多種樹，少養孩子多養豬！》” 環保先驅﹗ “《誰不實行計劃生育，就叫他家破人亡！》” 沒有家怎破﹖人還沒有出生怎亡﹖ “《寧添十座墳，不添一個人！》” 真個千里孤墳無處話淒涼。無兄弟之淒涼､無姊妹之悲哀。 “《保持車廂清潔，果皮拋出窗外！》” 各家自掃門前雪﹐合符新中國國情。

聲色雖美 謝vit兄提醒﹐閃星璀燦､十色炫目﹐然而追星逐夢之年早過﹐維特之煩又豈是浮士德之憂﹖今天不比往昔﹐俱往矣。

蟑螂吾(唔)愛﹖ //但係佢講話佢其實係隻曱甴// 是隻甚麼﹖看不到。 //首先~我會用「來來曱甴屋」(// 從時空隱者所答﹐我想你說的是蟑螂吧。 //你會點樣處理同面對呢個問題呢？// 如果牠真的//同(我)樣樣都夾到死，溝通又好//能成為我的知己好友(Soulmate), 那有甚麼問題須要面對呢﹖若蟑螂真有此等智慧﹐小弟當然樂意得此好友﹐說不定﹐這“智慧蟑螂” 能從側面證實靈魂的存在(otherwise, it’s quite difficult to explain the puzzling fact that a cockroach can be as intelligent as a...閱讀更多

觀千劍然後識器是也﹖But there is still a “normative” question about what “standard” according to which a poem can be judged to be good or bad.

黃與白 雲起, 如果這 “黃心” 指的是狹隘(漢)民族主義﹐ “白”一點可能更美。 To Vit: “Culture, culture, At this conjuncture, What’s your nature?” How timely this question is! Those narrow-minded patriots should really think about what a culture really is? The Chinese culture (or rather every culture) is not and should not be as homog...閱讀更多

Not bad at all... At least, this proves that Benson has the heart to run a kindergarten, or for that matter (re: stubbornness), a home for the elders.

Blake If I remember correctly, that should be "and beauty in a wild flower". Interestingly, replacing “beauty” by “heaven” also makes sense because, apart from love, beauty, I think, is another way to heaven. P.S. I also like Blake very much. This particular poem has a Buddhist taste (especially, a ...閱讀更多

集句偶成 讓小弟也學Vit兄寫寫詩。 妄想､妄想 觀天作夢 天下雖大﹐唯我醒 獨上高樓﹐天涯路盡 悵然若失 天地悠悠﹐不見古人來者 淚難乾 驀日回首﹐自身卻在 井底暗角處

更正 上文“已北京話為中華文化之代表”應作“以北京話為中華文化之代表”。

哀哉中華 獨專漢文已是淺見﹐已北京話為中華文化之代表更是井底之言。昔日漢文化古今中外､兼收並蓄﹐今天自卑狹隘至此﹐能不悲夫﹖

To JoeJones //下一步你應該去睇"我為何不是基督徒"一書了 :P// Are you referring to Bertrand Russell’s book? To Ousia If you give up “omnipotence” for “all mighty”, you still have to understand what all mighty exactly means. For example, how “mighty” is enough to be called “ALL mighty”? Usually, when one asks such a ques...閱讀更多

Nietzsche Since 旁觀者 talks about Nietzsche, some quotes come to my mind. “Christianity presupposes that man does not know, cannot know what is good for him and what evil: he believes in God, who alone knows. Christian morality is a command: its origin is transcendental; it is beyond all criticism, al...閱讀更多

Of Criticism [1]何謂「批評」？ If批評 is understood as “to criticize”, then I think that to criticize is to analyze the situation and, according to certain standard, to make a judgment (evaluation) of an object, an action, a person, etc. [2]批評需要有建設性嗎？ Usually, if criticism is made according to a “standard” a...閱讀更多

To 心沉 //總之我既意思由頭到尾都係咁，唔清楚就自己睇返前面；都係睇唔明既唔緊要，因為係你既事，但千祈唔好再斷章取義，歪曲我既意思唔該！// It sounds like that I am being unreasonable and put words into your mouth. PLEASE understand that I never have such an intention (and I believe that I never did). If I misunderstood what you have said, it may be because I am st...閱讀更多

To 心沉 1) //呢個世界就係咁*虛偽*，講道理都要講「禮貌」，難道好唔禮貌既道理就唔係道理？(emphasis mine) --心沉2002-11-06 23:58:51 // I just strictly interpret what these sentences mean. As I have said, I have no intention to distort your words. But if I really misunderstood what you have said, I apologize for my mistake. 2) //「粗鄙」本身係一種「惡...閱讀更多

To 心沉 I have no intention to “distort” what you said. I just “disagree” what you said. “再者，講野既語氣其實同討論內容既本質完全無關。” In principle, the actual sentence (or utterance) and attitude are different from the proposition expressed. But in many cases, the choice of words and the way they are expressed do affect...閱讀更多

耳垢無礙﹖ 同意旁觀者兄所說﹐‘心沉勁過癮’ ﹐例﹕ ‘心沉好少可咁苦口婆心，多數都係寸寸貢，看到的人有福了’ 但心沉兄關於粗言穢語的看法﹐小弟不敢苟同。當然﹐真理能與耳垢同處﹐但不是人人都有慧眼能在耳垢中看出真理。‘講道理’ 是為了讓人明白﹐剔除了耳垢的真理不是更能讓人明白､接受嗎﹖何況穢語粗言本身就是對他人的一種侮辱﹐如果整天與耳垢同處﹐即是靜若‘如來藏’ 都難免沾污吧﹖

To學生 對此問題﹐小弟亦沒有答案。但‘因果’ 和‘循環’ 是兩個不同的概念。< <易經>>所表達的就是‘循環’ (如四時變化有序､萬物生生不息) ﹐從‘乾’ 到‘既濟’ ﹐是生､長､盛､衰﹐但第六十四卦是‘未濟’ ﹐暗示另一循環將開始。而‘因果’ 是佛家語﹐‘因’ 因‘業’ 而生‘果’ ﹐但‘因果’ 不一定帶來循環。 註﹕當然﹐‘因果’ 和‘循環’ 這兩個觀念應能互相補足。

更正 上文‘思方破土論’ 應作‘思方破土輪’(指的是以思考方法破除對‘肥輪大法’ 的迷信) 。

To 漢人 本人不是李博士的學生﹐對李博士的哲學思想亦無深入研究﹐但他在香港<<明報月刊>>所發表(或轉載) 的幾篇文章﹐倒有拜讀過。‘思考三式vs三大盲潮’ ､‘人文動物園寓言’ 和‘思方破土論’ ( 因記憶不好﹐題目可能有錯﹐見諒) 等文章每篇都機智幽默。當然﹐茫茫人海﹐做哲學研究的大有人在﹐但能將哲學研究的成果帶到生活上﹐且能使普羅大眾明白﹐這本身就十分難得﹐而且是哲學的基本使命。 不錯﹐將本身神化及通過身邊的圈子將‘自我’ 擴大是狂妄。但作出指責前是否應對當時人(其思想､行為等)多一點認識﹖‘文人相輕’ 實在太普遍了(詳見李博士的‘人文動物園寓言’) 。

末世﹖ 回首歷史﹐現在的世界不是太差吧。末世論在每個時代都存在﹐無須太在意。

Camus Just my personal preference; For beginners, "A Myth of Sissyphus" is better than "The Stranger" because it is easier to understand what existentialism is about by reading an essay rather than a novel.

快哉 網友互動﹐教學相長﹐豈不快哉﹖

Thanks very much for Dr. Lee’s comment, especially the humorous discussion at the end. I can also think of a similar example about resurrection. It is held that since Jesus became alive again three days after he was crucified, he had risen from the dead, hence, he is the son of God. But if “death...閱讀更多

厚德載物 風兄過譽﹐小弟剛才翻看了幾則留言﹐不無感概。朋友反目﹐網友交惡﹐看來各人對這“友” 字的理解不大相同。看世界之大､學海之廣﹐有誰不是井底蛙﹖即使宇宙間有“絕對真理” ﹐都不是凡人能得吧﹖脅真理自居者就是看不到自己身在井中﹐要進步就先要“破執” ﹐要“破執” 先得謙卑。這不是包裝﹐而是做人的基本態度。看來﹐孔夫子所說的“誠” 今天有點“落伍” 了。 有網友提議在中小學､甚或幼兒園開哲學科﹐“背頌唐詩宋詞論語莊子等古籍” ﹐小弟舉腳贊成。當年不求甚解的章句﹐今天意味深長。 天地之道，博也、厚也、高也、明也、悠也、久也。 《中庸》第二十六 地勢坤，君子以厚德載物。 《易經》 這“厚” 字...閱讀更多

科學家真有創意﹐那愛情､賀爾蒙和生命的意義之間的神秘關係﹐就有待科學家先生找出來吧。

森, 十分同意你的講法﹐“我認為「真誠」之於我的生命、對人對事，都是很重要的。” 所以除了愛﹐親情､友情以及一夥真誠的心﹐都是生命不可缺少的。生命的意義由此而來﹖

“我不關心自己「現在是否在生存？」，倒關心「將來如何去生活？」” 同意﹐既然已經存在﹐“現在是否在生存？” 以變得無關痛癢。但如果不懂“將來如何生活”﹐存在也沒有意思。

To森 “生命，也不要恨，對嘛？” Certainly so. As I understand it, that is why Jesus told us to LOVE our enemies. If we can love them, they are not our enemies anymore. “仁者無敵”亦應作如是觀﹖

A Historical Perspective This is not difficult to understand if we put Christianity into its proper historical context. As we can see, most (if not all) of the quotes are from the Old Testament which is taken largely from Judaism. As in the myths of other old cultures, God (actually, the gods) of ...閱讀更多

To Live is to Love To Soul mate “After all, what's the meaning of life?” I don’t really know how to answer this big and heavy question. I think that my entire life (at least until this moment) has been devoted to answering this question. I have not yet got a completely satisfactory answer. But I c...閱讀更多

Language and Paradox Certainly, language is full of paradoxes. The example which is cited very often here is whether an omnipotent God can create a boulder that he can’t lift up. And the problem of paradox is common to ALL languages because what creates the paradoxes is not the particular language ...閱讀更多

Love? If I couldn't find a lover in my "entire" life, I would agree that life is meaningless. But if you don't have a lover at "this moment", it is certainly not a problem.

To Ousia This leads us to an epistemological question. As S.C. points out, there is a difference between believing and knowing. So when you ask me whether God exists, my answer is “I don’t KNOW”. Knowledge is traditionally defined as “justified, true, belief” (certainly, this definition is conten...閱讀更多

To 森 “問題是紜紜眾無神論者，沒有正確的善惡道德觀，是如何去生活的呢？” I think that there are many different ways to live a moral life. Both theists and atheists have their own moral standards and are prepared to give reason to justify them. Indeed, if we look at the history of philosophy (both eastern and western), a very large...閱讀更多

Of Morality “是否一定要先證明上帝存在，才相信宗教呢？” Certainly, not. We have different reasons to believe (or not to believe) the existence of God. But that God is the foundation of morality is not a good reason for believing in any religion. “宗教的「善惡道德觀」值得相信，無神論者要從哪裡得到一套以上正確的觀念呢？” The famous question concerning t...閱讀更多

To 征服者 當然﹐佛教是不信有“創世神”的。但佛教所說的諸天神佛能顯神通﹐怎能說不是神呢﹖佛教信有輪回﹐六道包括天､人､阿修羅､地獄､餓鬼､傍生﹐這阿修羅就是神(惡神) 。可能這些觀念和婆羅門教有關﹐而佛學的精要始終在於四聖諦､八正道､十二緣起。但佛教畢竟是有神佛之說﹐而佛學亦能解釋神佛之為神佛的原因。

To Ousia “Then if i ask u, do u believe God exist? a simple "yes" and "no" question, wot will u choose? Whot the first answer come up on yr mind?” My answer will be, “I don’t know”. Yes or no may be a simple answer. But the way of getting such a “simple” answer is certainly “complex”. When you ask...閱讀更多

Problem of Evil “惡是不足夠的善 有些神學家認為,惡不是跟善一樣, 存在於世界上, 只是事情有分大善，小善,當人擇小棄大時給他一個名,叫惡” This is interesting. Usually, people define goodness as the absence of evil. Ousia’s definition is the other way around. But I don’t see how this definition can solve any problems mentioned so far. Besides, it is not ...閱讀更多

談天說地當然浪費時間﹐或許漢人有其經世濟民之學向我們傳授﹐諸位請洗耳恭聽... ...

To Ousia “Actually the first thing I want to say is can we not to separate into two groups? Believer and non-believer? we r just discussing an issue here, so i think we can make friends here, hopefully. We are all the people interested in the topics related to religion.” I am totally on your side re...閱讀更多

Of Freedom of the Will I think that there are some misunderstandings concerning the issue of freewill. S.C. wrote, “在正常情況下﹐我同意人有出入境､性取向､信仰等自由﹐我只是反對某種自由意志﹐我相信任何正常的人也同意應限制某些自由（能力可及﹐應限制某些自由意志）﹐例如強姦､虐殺､刊登別人被逼拍下的照片等等的自由意志”. It seems that he/she is putting “freedom” and “freewill” in the same category. ...閱讀更多

旁觀者兄过誉，此地臥虎藏龍﹐小弟不勝汗顏。

In reply to I think that you misunderstand what I wrote there. “不管他們的『信』是belief還是faith，我認為都不能夠無理由地信，否則就是迷信” This is a quote from Ricky. In my reply, I go on to argue against what Ricky said. If you also take a look at my message entitled "Faith vs belief", you will see that I don't share Ricky's vie...閱讀更多

Of Scepticism A few comments on Ousia’s view. 1) “在你心底裡, 沒有一個答案嗎? 是真的沒有,定係怕答o左之後返唔到轉頭?” I don’t think that this is what 征服者 has in mind. "在我來說,神是一個問號” this certainly implies that he has no definite answer regarding the issue of the existence of God. But there is nothing wrong about being sceptical ...閱讀更多

Diversity vs Absolutism “這裡討論的上帝是指聖經裡的上帝” This is not clear enough. If you are referring to the scripture, which scripture are you referring to? If you are referring to the Christian Bible, then are you talking about the God as described in the Old Testament (which is largely taken from Judaism) or ...閱讀更多

見諒 小弟見識淺﹐奧修的書小弟沒讀過﹐貽笑大方﹐見諒､見諒。

道家﹖ 個人認為﹐閑來翻閱﹐<<莊子>> 比 <<老子>>好﹐輕省且有詩意。 “至人神矣！大澤焚而不能熱，河漢冱而不能寒， 疾雷破山、飄風振海而不能驚。 若然者，乘雲氣，騎日月，而游乎四海之外， 死生無變於己，而況利害之端乎” <<莊子>> 齊物論第二

Faith vs Belief I think that the question is not clearly stated. In order to discuss this issue logically, we need some common definition of the term “God” first. Do you mean that “God” is the creator of the universe, the “prime mover”, the regulator, or the ultimate exemplar of truth and justice, e...閱讀更多

Of Prejudice Agree with 小寶, “我只得一個反應:搖頭” Well said, Benson! That’s a very good response. I just want to point out one more thing. “同性戀者永遠不可找到絕對的愛情。這並非基於道德上或心理、生理上的因素，而是基於邏輯上的不可能。” (emphasis mine). This so-called “logical impossibility” is founded on several faulty suppositions of 一木: 1) “後天性同性戀者…這類同...閱讀更多

In reply to 翔 1) Certainly I agree that “和仔did not say that '1+1=2' cannot be proved.” As he said, “but this doesn't mean that you can't prove it. A standard and rigorous proof usually invokes definitions of "2" as the successor of "1" and addition by recursion as below: m+0:=m, m+n':=(m+n)'.” But w...閱讀更多

Of Justification Benson: Basically, what I mean is that some of our basic beliefs (as Wor Jai suggests, e.g., 1 + 1 = 2) is not subject to proof. They can only be justified by our "intuition". Either we "perceive" the truth of it or we don't. It is almost like colour (certainly, the two cases are no...閱讀更多

An Existentialist Answer? First of all, I am afraid that Dr. Li won't have the time to give a reply here. After all, he said that he stopped reading "books on philosophy" for a long time. But it may be the case that Dr. Li is still willing to help the younger generations to clear up their minds. So ...閱讀更多

Re: the Justification of Truths What "Wor Jai" says in his reply to Benson is based on the alleged analytic/synthetic distinction,i.e., that there are certain statements (analytic statements) which are true in virtue of the meanings of the terms they contain whereas the truths of other statements (s...閱讀更多