Platt Holden (pholden@worldnet.att.net)
Mon, 19 Jan 1998 06:14:48 +0100
Doug asked:
> Platt,
>
> >From whence the "Catches?"
If you're asking about the source of the term "Catch" it comes from Joseph
Heller's novel, "Catch 22." It was hugely popular in the 60s and spawned a
movie by the same name. It was about the logical absurdity of war. Catch 22
said a pilot would be insane to want to fly dangerous bombing missions.
Under Air Force regulations, a pilot who was insane could be excused from
flying missions. All he had to do was ask. But as soon as he asked, he was
considered sane because to be concerned for his safety on bombing missions
was proof of sanity.
Heller was a Pirsigian philosopher with a sense of humor. Like Bo's
intuition that a metaphysics without emotion means something is missing, I
feel the same about humor (though I suppose humor could be classified as
emotion. Right Bo?)
If you're asking about the source of the catches, they're from a collection
I've made over the years. I've long suspected that reason, while essential
for survival against lions, tigers, bears and the Hong Kong chicken flue,
is fatally limited when it comes to answering the big questions like "How
real is real?"
Best,
Platt
Catch 26: The MoQ says that reality can't be defined, but the purpose of
the MoQ is to define reality. (Thanks Diana!)
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