007. [Audio/also a couple of other things.]

[scientificflair]

[AUDIO]

[More violin music over Descole's feed today; it's an incredibly simplified version of Song of the Stars - although really, someone ought to teach him the Jeopardy theme, considering how much that instrument gets whipped out when he's feeling like bombarding the network with both the fact that he can't hold all his feels, and he has something best described as "pseudo-philosophical what" to say.

As before, he plays for a while before the melody fades and shifts into something long and drawn-out, idling while he speaks; the sound is quieter, as though the violin has been directed away from the 'Gear a bit.]

There's a famous thought experiment that poses the following:

Imagine yourself standing outside a large field; you see, in the distance, what looks to you to be a specific animal - for simplicity's sake, let's say a bull. You then form the belief that there is a bull in the field. And you are correct - there is, indeed, a bull in the field. However, the bull is lying down behind a hill, just outside your line of vision; you can't see it from your current position. Moreover, what you actually saw was a tarp that had gotten tangled over a bush; from outside the field, it looked like a bull, but actually wasn't anything of the sort.

Again, you were factually correct, and you had a well-justified true belief that there was a bull in the field. However, can you really say you knew?

[He pauses for a moment, continuing to play quietly while he thinks.]

And if you were to find yourself in such a situation - where a belief is true and well-justified, and yet the proof of it being true isn't where you believe it is - would you say that your belief was any less valid?

[And with that, the feed cuts off.]


[PRIVATE TEXT TO FLUTTERSHY]

Miss Fluttershy,

I have something to ask you, should it not be an inconvenience.


[PRIVATE TEXT TO COLONEL ARCHER]

There's something that we need to discuss.

Now.

Comments

[voice]

[icansolvethemtoo]

[She will forever be drawn in by the music, but that inquiry definitely has her puzzled. The Professor would be able to solve this, she's certain... Biting back a sigh, she decides to give it a go.]

So... To clarify, there is truly a bull in the field, but what meets your eye is actually a tarp with a bush that appears to be a bull? Is that the scenario?

[voice]

[scientificflair]

[...oh, hon.]

Indeed it is, yes.

[voice]

[icansolvethemtoo]

[She likes the music, okay!?]

Hmm. Well, in that case... I can't see why you wouldn't be able to state there's a bull in the field. Even though you haven't seen it, the fact that it exists is still concrete, isn't it?

[TEXT - PRIVATE]

[determinator]

Is there now?

[TEXT - PRIVATE]

[scientificflair]

[...HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO BE THIS SMARMY IN THE SPAN OF THREE WORDS]

I wouldn't have said so otherwise.

I assume you have time?

[TEXT - PRIVATE]

[determinator]

[It's an incredibly useful skill, isn't it~?]

Of course. To what do I owe the pleasure?

Video - Imogen is lightly swaying and dancing to the music.

[for_realsies]

Hmm.

I guess it depends on if you say "There is a bull in the field" or if you say "I saw a bull in the field."

One of those is right, even if you got there from the wrong thing, but the other is wrong.

But the more important question is if the bull is friendly or not!

[scientificflair]

[He'll keep it to audio on his end for now, but he does audibly laugh a bit at that last assertion, you.]

That's a fair point, I suppose, should one choose to enter the field. Unfortunately, there's really only one way to find that out personally, isn't there?

[for_realsies]

Well, yes, I guess. But usually you can just... see it. In their eyes.

Can't you tell by looking?

[usedconfusion]

...are you trying to makes people's brains hurt?

[Audio]

[scientificflair]

[...that gets some hesitation in the bow trailing over the strings, but he picks up without...too much of a skip.]

Well, it's hardly my fault if you're personally incapable of understanding it.

Private Text

[3_butterflies]

What is it???

Private Text

[scientificflair]

Ah, nothing bad, don't worry! Simply a bit of advice, if you have time; you're one of the few females I speak to on a somewhat regular basis, and as such I thought to ask you.

[...okay, by which he means that outside of Emmy, you're pretty much the only female he speaks to fondly at all, but that is splitting hairs.]

I'm not exactly in the practice of being at all affectionate or purchasing gifts for women that I'm fond of and as such have no idea how to go about it, and would like to know if you had any advice in that regard.

[.....................

descole could that have been any more awkward if you tried]

Private Text

[3_butterflies]

[Awwww.]

Oh!!! Okay!!! I would be glad to help!!!

[texting is still weird for her okay]

Not all girls are the same, though. If she is your good friend, you should know what she likes. But if this is your first time, I understand it can be difficult. You might go for jewelry, rings are very pretty. But if she's a traveler, maybe you can get her something useful for long days without a town in sight.

But for the holidays, what you need to remember is that your gift means you were thinking of her. That is what's most important. No matter what you give her, you will have given her the greatest gift of all, the gift of sharing and caring.

[Audio]

[reallybeloved]

Ah, one of those perspective reality questions. I remember those from intro to philosophy.

[Audio] WOW REAVER GET OUT

[scientificflair]

[Well, the violin is still going, though he doesn't sound quite as agitated when he replies.]

You would be surprised at how many are unfamiliar here; it's honestly refreshing to find someone who's heard of it.

[Audio]

[reallybeloved]

Most people here are kids, after all. Junior high and elementary students don't get introduced to that. Though my age group can be just as bad.

[The shrug in his tone is evident enough.]

I think what the question really comes down to is how much it matters whether or not that's a bull. It would matter to a farmer or a hungry predator, but to a passerby, that bull's existence doesn't hold any impact. You only need to know if it matters.

audio;

[usedlaserbeam]

I suppose I might find myself asking why it matters if I "knew", really. If my belief caused me to reach a conclusion, and that conclusion was ultimately factually true, isn't that somewhat analogous to "the ends justify the means"? Perhaps the factually true result justifies the belief, regardless of its mistaken premise.

audio;

[scientificflair]

[...you. He likes you. That violin is still going to be playing a bit, but he's considering what's being said, at least.]

I'm rather inclined to agree with you, actually; at the same time, while I do admit that not all thought experiments have a practical application and to attempt to ascribe them one can defeat the purpose, in several cases the way a conclusion came about can be more than a bit vital to people considering the validity of the conclusion itself.

[audio]

[snapandscoot]

[[Emmy opens the audio feed in order to respond to him, but as the music flows through her Gear she stops and listens to it. It's familiar, of course, and she unconsciously begins to hum the vocal accompaniment, before quickly snapping herself out of it when she realise that he, ah...could probably here her. Yes. Right.]]

You certainly come up with some interesting puzzles. Do I get a hint?

[audio]

[scientificflair]

[...yes, Emmy, he could hear you; however, he's at least at a point where that particular accompaniment isn't going to make him throw a table out the window, so we're fine.

However, he'll keep playing a bit while he speaks, a soft laugh behind his words; the sound isn't mocking, though it is a bit bitter.]

Not today, unfortunately. Just a fair amount of things on my mind; this sort of thing clears them rather well.

[Video]

[seetheflower]

If a bull was sleeping in the field, I surely wouldn't go near it. Bulls are cute, but I know they can get angry if you disturb them!

[ The point flies over her head by a thousand miles. ]

You're also good with that violin, mister!

[Audio]

[scientificflair]

[...don't worry, he was expecting at least some replies like this, so he's not going to press too hard.]

Well, I wouldn't exactly call bulls "cute," though I suppose they must be to someone; they've never been anything I've put too much interest in.

Although I do appreciate the compliment; it's something I've studied for some time now.

[voice]

[grapecape]

[.....operation figure out what this means: commence]

Truth is distinct from fact. In this case, you couldn't be blamed for honestly expressing what you believed to be true, even if it turned out to be fact only by technicality.

As for the validity of beliefs...well, that's simply how perception works, isn't it? By nature, we assume a lot about the parts of the world we can't perceive. The authenticity of a grazing bull, for instance, but also the dangers that might be encountered around corners, or the intentions of the people around us, or things far more mundane than that. It's important to allow for variable perception when considering anything so steeped in perception as "belief" and "truth".


This isn't really related, but do you own many books? [extremely subtle gift-related questions]

[voice]

[scientificflair]

[...Ondorus how do you do this shit

this is why he likes you

at any rate, it's obvious that he's a bit amused by the sudden topic swerve; he'll get to that first, a bit of a laugh behind his words, though it isn't mocking or anything.]

I don't own as many as I'd like, I'll admit; this place keeps me rather busy, and I haven't had as much time to really see what this world has to offer.

As for the rest...well. That's a good way of putting it, actually, though I do have to question what should be done in circumstances where allowing for variations in perception may have disastrous results - where not acting on one's suspicions may bear serious consequences, but acting on them and being incorrect may likewise not end very well. What then?