We are messed up. We propagate myths about them not noticing being boiled alive as long as we just turn things up slowly. This is false! What's up with humans and frogs?
This reminds me of something I saw about beings from a hypothetical fourth dimension. We wouldn’t be able to see them because we live in 3 dimensions. Similarly, while we can draw an illusion of three dimensions, anything we draw has only two.
There’s a Chinese Taoist froglore version where a frog lives in a well with a similar limited perspective, puddle of water, slice of sky - and then a sea Turtle barges in to rock his world. I wonder if the timing of these align. Greeks on one side of the world united in their frog musings with Chinese on the other side. Kind of like how big human theories or inventions like evolution and the telephone percolate up completely independently but at the same time
Well, you got me digging in a little bit just now. It's very likely (I think, anyway) that the ancient Greeks and the ancient Chinese cultures knew about one another. Trade was already well established by the time Alexander romped around a few centuries later, too.
The "frog in the well" parable seems to be from about 200 years after Platocrates.
Lol made up nonsense! I was talking to a Japanese friend and I asked her if all the characters were really Japanese? She confirmed and then shared that it’s weird how popular Shogun is here (and its predecessor was in the US too) whereas in Japan no one watches historical fiction anymore. Just like we don’t watch Westerns anymore. It is a little odd right?
I’m sure you’re right but all I can think of right now is Bridgerton. In the context of Shogun, culturally Cowboys == Samurai and it seems both are out of vogue in our respective cultures rn
You're right about the relative culture thing, although I do think we still do this - it's just that the western days are so far in the past that it's more fun to mythologize more recent times, I think. We have a ton of 80s nostalgia (largely because an awful lot happened during the 80s, but a lot of us who are now in power and controlling messaging and such grew up then).
There's also the idea that the real foundation of America is capitalism, and there are tons of finance movies out there (TV shows too). I think maybe the history has simply progressed since the recent past is slowly becoming the distant past, if that makes sense.
There is an unfair advantage in certain fantasy shows. I'm at least somewhat familiar with the history, but I've heard they at least got that right (mostly). I mean the history surrounding the story, of course. The story itself is just made up nonsense.
So… “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.” (Albert Einstein, right?)
I think it has been variously attributed to Aristotle and Einstein, but it's a brilliant sentiment and observation. It's the paradox of wisdom!
Pretty presumptuous of Plato/Socrates to assume he knew what frogs are thinking. Humans, am I right?
We are messed up. We propagate myths about them not noticing being boiled alive as long as we just turn things up slowly. This is false! What's up with humans and frogs?
But if you boil humans this way, you can go to jail. (I assume, of course.)
*citation needed
I think about this often, and not just because we have an abundance of ants right now.
It's probably pretty clear that I'm a bit obsessed myself.
This reminds me of something I saw about beings from a hypothetical fourth dimension. We wouldn’t be able to see them because we live in 3 dimensions. Similarly, while we can draw an illusion of three dimensions, anything we draw has only two.
Have you seen Sagan's original Cosmos series? He does an amazing job of breaking this concept down!
There’s a Chinese Taoist froglore version where a frog lives in a well with a similar limited perspective, puddle of water, slice of sky - and then a sea Turtle barges in to rock his world. I wonder if the timing of these align. Greeks on one side of the world united in their frog musings with Chinese on the other side. Kind of like how big human theories or inventions like evolution and the telephone percolate up completely independently but at the same time
Well, you got me digging in a little bit just now. It's very likely (I think, anyway) that the ancient Greeks and the ancient Chinese cultures knew about one another. Trade was already well established by the time Alexander romped around a few centuries later, too.
The "frog in the well" parable seems to be from about 200 years after Platocrates.
Probably watched too much Shogun because now I’m imagining Plato and his Tao counterpart drinking grog together grousing about the frogs
Lol made up nonsense! I was talking to a Japanese friend and I asked her if all the characters were really Japanese? She confirmed and then shared that it’s weird how popular Shogun is here (and its predecessor was in the US too) whereas in Japan no one watches historical fiction anymore. Just like we don’t watch Westerns anymore. It is a little odd right?
I'm not so sure! I think we tend to call them "period pieces" today, right? There are LOTS of them.
I’m sure you’re right but all I can think of right now is Bridgerton. In the context of Shogun, culturally Cowboys == Samurai and it seems both are out of vogue in our respective cultures rn
You're right about the relative culture thing, although I do think we still do this - it's just that the western days are so far in the past that it's more fun to mythologize more recent times, I think. We have a ton of 80s nostalgia (largely because an awful lot happened during the 80s, but a lot of us who are now in power and controlling messaging and such grew up then).
There's also the idea that the real foundation of America is capitalism, and there are tons of finance movies out there (TV shows too). I think maybe the history has simply progressed since the recent past is slowly becoming the distant past, if that makes sense.
Metaphorically apt! So, Shogun is good? I need to get on it!
It's ok ... visually very cool but I haven't really gotten into it and I'm not sure why. I think I keep expecting Dragons
There is an unfair advantage in certain fantasy shows. I'm at least somewhat familiar with the history, but I've heard they at least got that right (mostly). I mean the history surrounding the story, of course. The story itself is just made up nonsense.