Redefining misanthropy for a fresh generation. Standard posts begin with a definition from Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary followed by a modern adjustment. Miscellany on Wednesday and storytelling on Saturday.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Reason
REASON, n. Propensitate of prejudice.
2006 Update: The majestic gargoyles, rose windows and flying buttresses adorning the cathedral of lust.
Were those buttresses, rose windows and/or gargoyles installed before or after you entered the cathedral? Just looking for this post's reason. Heh. xoxo
one of the reasons gargoyles adorned churches was to deflect evil spirits. but in this case, when coupled with those "rose windows and flying buttresses", i'm guessing they're meant to enhance the overall allure of that "cathedral of lust". it's the only logical explanation. (or...is it?)
Sar, I blame the dogsitter who turned off my clock alarm and the dogs who forgot to double check before I went to bed and my southern californian nephew who after I spent a week tossing and whirling the Portland version insisted on his own multiple launch. I'm pretty sure I didn't just oversleep.
Puppybrose, you see multilateral trade encourages entrepreneurship and inspires hard work, proactivity and ambient hope for a prosperous future. With the collapse of the Doha round of world trade talks I have fallen back into the behavior of the protected special interest, sluggardly, laggardly and lazy. You'll probably see a lot of people from throughout the world posting late this week.
Indie, for example blaming the path of a butterfly in China for the course of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico or the weather in Germany affecting the previous week's output of a blogger from Cincinatti?
Anomaly, n. A standard spelling.
Brian, what becomes of an excuse deferred?
Joel, that's good.
G, that's why I always found three blows to the head to be a good quota.
CJ, woof!
TLP, spoken like a true Universalist.
It's ok, Jenna. Neither is much in demand in the werewolf erotica industry.
Mutha, that's another very good definition.
Joel, if you ain't stuck on Monday, you haven't read your calendar.
Mireille, I just ring the bells.
Jenna, try any graveyard.
Puppybrose, those worshippers need protecting.
a4g, I'm certain that's correct and may I just say what a splendid robe you're wearing.
Is that a mattress for your ass? So if it's flying is it an air mattress?
A mistress who spanks? If she's a flying buttress does that mean she is she the naughty sister of the Flying Nun? Oh wait...this is a pg-14 site so that can't be right.
Puppybrose you make me laugh! I don't think Doug could top that. I know the architectural term...I'm just waiting to hear about their placement in the cathedral of lust.
See how you people are? I try to take you soaring through sublime architecture and you dive right for the gutter.
Karma, that's an epic pair of sentences. *claps* And probably correct, too.
Depends, Jenna. How full is the moon?
Mutha, although the flying buttress wasn't invented for the Cathedral of Notre Dame, their use was to relieve the stress on the walls caused by the great height of the cathedral.
Puppybrose, you may be thinking of the "Swinging Sphincters."
Close, Jenna. See above and praise me for my excellent googlery.
He's having a tough time getting over Doha. We should all offer him a reasonable amount of emotional support, followed by a swift kick, I mean tough love. xoxo
if Jenna won't, i *will* (praise you for your excellent Googlery). i, myself, looked up flying buttresses on Wikipedia (so yo know what that makes me...)
Oh dear...I forgot to praise you for your excellent googlery.
Good dog.
How unreasonable of me to forget the reason I came back to read all these reasonable definitions of reason. Maybe I just needed another reason to come see the man who redefined reason.
REASON, n. The vanquished enemy of EMOTION (see TV NEWS). The alleged justification for bringing 1000 botanists to Chico, California to drink beer and fall asleep at each other's presentations.
reason, n. something formerly required for a valid arguement. these days not much of it is required for an argument so I am guessing that whatever it is is is quite mutable
Reason: that which along with rhyme, makes sense. which makes no sense. nor does it rhyme. ergo, where is the reason? i sense nonsense. ergo no rhyme, ergo no reason.
As a regular worshipper at the cathedral of lust I wish to point out Doug, that the windows are not rose colored, that is merely how they look through your glasses.
oooh, Actonbell! the reason for my pez/puppy reference was that your mom left a whiney note this morning on Saturday's "story" post (i left a whiney one right after her) lamenting the fact that, had Doug's Monday post been up, she'd have been first. and, since i got the new post before she did, i felt it only fair to acknowledge that i knew that she knew that i knew she had planned to be first on this post, but since it wasn't up yet, she was *not*. and i felt bad, tho' not bad enough to not make a comment. hence the comment i made.(my reasoning process makes my head hurt. with good reason, i suspect.)
oh, and the reason for the Penguin part? simple. i did it for the dawg. xo
Late, but I just discovered the "propensitate" thread. The "word" is a Bierce coinage, and I think it a particularly lovely one.
Those who have a propensity to practice prejudice (which, in the Bierce universe, is any fur-barren animal going about on two legs) have an unfortunate tendency to justify, or otherwise give reasons, for, their practices, often consuming several forests, or their equivalent in bandwidth, in the process (see e.g. LIMBAUGH, RUSH; SAVAGE, MICHAEL).
These works, precipitated on an unsuspecting (and largely uncritical) public, represent the propensitate.
The word conveys the perfect sense of the self-absorbed pomposity, chemical-reaction-like inevitability, and odoriferousness of the product.
I just heard a thud. Somebody go revive Jenna. The big words must have been more than she could handle.
42 comments:
What's the reason this post was late? No matter, I'm first!
i'll second that... what was the reason for taking so long to satisfy the curiosity of Pez People, Puppies and Penguins this fine Monday morning?
reason: an imaginary construct to be filled in later.
Reason: The voice of which is a political anomoly.
One person's reason is another's heresy.
reason: 1) what seemed at the time to be a strong alibi for hitting your brother. 2)that which had just left your head when you continued in doing so.
Just the normal noises in here.
reason: Its supposed to be that mental process that seperates us humans from the rest of the animal world.
Your reason is an argument for doing or believing whatever it is that you want to do or believe.
My reason is a rational motive for what I do or believe.
Reason? Smacks of logic.
I am incapable of both.
What is sexier than a flying buttress? And here I thought this was a family-friendly site...
Reason: what is employed when fantasy fails.
Reason, like pornography, is often in the eyes of the beholder.
I know, I know...almost identical to my first try but it's Monday for god's sake...cut me some slack please!
Were those buttresses, rose windows and/or gargoyles installed before or after you entered the cathedral? Just looking for this post's reason. Heh. xoxo
I'm curious about this "cathedral of lust".
Where would one find this place, hm?
one of the reasons gargoyles adorned churches was to deflect evil spirits. but in this case, when coupled with those "rose windows and flying buttresses", i'm guessing they're meant to enhance the overall allure of that "cathedral of lust". it's the only logical explanation. (or...is it?)
Reason: the story behind the excuse.
Sar, I blame the dogsitter who turned off my clock alarm and the dogs who forgot to double check before I went to bed and my southern californian nephew who after I spent a week tossing and whirling the Portland version insisted on his own multiple launch. I'm pretty sure I didn't just oversleep.
Puppybrose, you see multilateral trade encourages entrepreneurship and inspires hard work, proactivity and ambient hope for a prosperous future. With the collapse of the Doha round of world trade talks I have fallen back into the behavior of the protected special interest, sluggardly, laggardly and lazy. You'll probably see a lot of people from throughout the world posting late this week.
Indie, for example blaming the path of a butterfly in China for the course of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico or the weather in Germany affecting the previous week's output of a blogger from Cincinatti?
Anomaly, n. A standard spelling.
Brian, what becomes of an excuse deferred?
Joel, that's good.
G, that's why I always found three blows to the head to be a good quota.
CJ, woof!
TLP, spoken like a true Universalist.
It's ok, Jenna. Neither is much in demand in the werewolf erotica industry.
Mutha, that's another very good definition.
Joel, if you ain't stuck on Monday, you haven't read your calendar.
Mireille, I just ring the bells.
Jenna, try any graveyard.
Puppybrose, those worshippers need protecting.
a4g, I'm certain that's correct and may I just say what a splendid robe you're wearing.
Quasimodo: the raison d'etre of Notre Dame. just a hunch
crktrpae: aye, crickets trip
Is there a reason why you're so obsessed with my werewolves, Mr. Pascover? Hm?
Did anyone hear an explanation for the flying buttresses yet?
weren't the Flying Buttresses a family of ample bottomed trapeze artists?
I just wanna know what the heck a buttress is.
Is that a mattress for your ass? So if it's flying is it an air mattress?
A mistress who spanks? If she's a flying buttress does that mean she is she the naughty sister of the Flying Nun? Oh wait...this is a pg-14 site so that can't be right.
What is a buttress?
...
...
...
It's a wall. Well, that was a big letdown. Sigh.
A flying wall? That can't be right. Doug?!?!
Puppybrose you make me laugh! I don't think Doug could top that. I know the architectural term...I'm just waiting to hear about their placement in the cathedral of lust.
See how you people are? I try to take you soaring through sublime architecture and you dive right for the gutter.
Karma, that's an epic pair of sentences. *claps* And probably correct, too.
Depends, Jenna. How full is the moon?
Mutha, although the flying buttress wasn't invented for the Cathedral of Notre Dame, their use was to relieve the stress on the walls caused by the great height of the cathedral.
Puppybrose, you may be thinking of the "Swinging Sphincters."
Close, Jenna. See above and praise me for my excellent googlery.
Mutha, I thought I had posted this already.
Tomorrow it's a full one. Aaaaroooo.
He's having a tough time getting over Doha. We should all offer him a reasonable amount of emotional support, followed by a swift kick, I mean tough love. xoxo
yeah, yeah Doug -- I took art history, and sometimes I was even awake...now get to the lust part.
Jenna, I thought so. Good luck *wink, wink*
Mireille, I would have bet the farm that you'd be the one to say...
The heart has it's reasons of which reason knows nothing, Mutha.
if Jenna won't, i *will* (praise you for your excellent Googlery). i, myself, looked up flying buttresses on Wikipedia (so yo know what that makes me...)
Reason: desire extinguisher
Oh dear...I forgot to praise you for your excellent googlery.
Good dog.
How unreasonable of me to forget the reason I came back to read all these reasonable definitions of reason. Maybe I just needed another reason to come see the man who redefined reason.
Dang...that's beautiful.
dear Doug, you know me so well.
*THWACK!*
xoxo
REASON, n. The vanquished enemy of EMOTION (see TV NEWS). The alleged justification for bringing 1000 botanists to Chico, California to drink beer and fall asleep at each other's presentations.
:)
reason, n. something formerly required for a valid arguement.
these days not much of it is required for an argument so I am guessing that whatever it is is is quite mutable
Reason: that which along with rhyme, makes sense. which makes no sense. nor does it rhyme. ergo, where is the reason? i sense nonsense. ergo no rhyme, ergo no reason.
Reason: logic run amuck
OMG Doug, you and your pals just have me in stitches with this post! :-)
Remind me again....what city do I find the Cathedral of Lust in??
As a regular worshipper at the cathedral of lust I wish to point out Doug, that the windows are not rose colored, that is merely how they look through your glasses.
Why thank you, Puppybrose. I try to do the word you coined honor.
Jenna, *sniff*
Yes, I know you, Mireille. Few people could get away with "Thwack!" and "xoxo" the way you do.
O Ceallaigh, I can think of no better place for 1000 botanists than Chico, other than maybe Berkeley and Ukiah.
Whatever it was, you mean, Cooper?
Puppybrose, an excellent argument against the reasoning process.
Kyahgirl, it's nice to see you back. I think Edmonton.
Not only that, Logo, but the objects seen through them are further than they appear.
Mr.Lova Lova, what's the reason you keep me standing outside your Cathedral of Lust? Just wait till I get my buttress in, I'll show ya
*knock knock*
Reason?
I don't know what it means and apparently many others don't as well.
oooh, Actonbell! the reason for my pez/puppy reference was that your mom left a whiney note this morning on Saturday's "story" post (i left a whiney one right after her) lamenting the fact that, had Doug's Monday post been up, she'd have been first. and, since i got the new post before she did, i felt it only fair to acknowledge that i knew that she knew that i knew she had planned to be first on this post, but since it wasn't up yet, she was *not*. and i felt bad, tho' not bad enough to not make a comment. hence the comment i made.(my reasoning process makes my head hurt. with good reason, i suspect.)
oh, and the reason for the Penguin part? simple. i did it for the dawg. xo
Actonbell, I couldn't find it either. I'm guessing it's something like a statistically likely precipitate. Maybe O Ceallaigh will help.
Karma, try ringing the bell.
Poobah, it's the only way to explain the return of an omnipotent being.
Puppybrose, the Dawg appreciates it.
Why, thank you, Ma'am. A lucky August to you!
Actonbell and Doug -
Late, but I just discovered the "propensitate" thread. The "word" is a Bierce coinage, and I think it a particularly lovely one.
Those who have a propensity to practice prejudice (which, in the Bierce universe, is any fur-barren animal going about on two legs) have an unfortunate tendency to justify, or otherwise give reasons, for, their practices, often consuming several forests, or their equivalent in bandwidth, in the process (see e.g. LIMBAUGH, RUSH; SAVAGE, MICHAEL).
These works, precipitated on an unsuspecting (and largely uncritical) public, represent the propensitate.
The word conveys the perfect sense of the self-absorbed pomposity, chemical-reaction-like inevitability, and odoriferousness of the product.
I just heard a thud. Somebody go revive Jenna. The big words must have been more than she could handle.
:)
Thanks, O Ceallaigh. Did you catalyze Jenna again?
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