A Work(er) in Progress: 2012

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Aristotle was wrong about so many things

But chief among his errors appears to be the belief that humans are rational animals.

Biases and prejudices

I have spent the last two hours watching the History Channel's Mankind the Story of all of Us. I am pissed off. The series appears to be focused on Western European culture, not Asian culture although more humans have lived in Asia than any other continent. The series also retrofits history to fit the prejudices of post-Enlightenment European thinking. I wish I had the patience to go about this, and perhaps I shall on another night. But just now, I need sleep.

My Favorite Martians

5. J'onn Jonzz -- Never all that popular with my crowd for lack of a personality, still the kind of guy you like to have around in a pinch.
4. Teezy -- Cute and mysterious and obscure... what more could you want from a Martian
3. Marvin -- Cause I love that hat and I'm not quite sure what a Uranium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is.
2. Uncle Martin -- I know the category is sort of named for him, and I really liked the show, but for obvious reasons, he's only second in my book. Ray Walston, on the other hand, remains a giant in my book. From "Damn Yankees" to "Picket Fences," a class act.
1. Valentine Michael Smith -- One of my intellectual forebearers. Though I grok very little and have shared little water of late, his scandalous life remains a model to which to aspire.