5 ms·

Odd article, the writing style is intriguing but the content just isn’t there. Basically it’s like half a The Clash song “I had a rough start in life, I was a

Odd article, the writing style is intriguing but the content just isn’t there. Basically it’s like half a The Clash song “I had a rough start in life, I was a bank robber, criminals and philosophers are both outsiders”. There is no backing, explanation or argumentation of anything except that libraries are cleaner than pron movie theaters. I feel cheated, but I would read more if there was any.

zamalek 9y ago
> the content just isn’t there. It's there. You need to search for it. Raw diatribes like this are a window into the innermost nature of the human soul. My idea for a VR killer app was to have the camera attached to the front of a Red Bull airplane or snowboard. My friend, understanding more intimately human nature, realized it should be getting drunk, breaking into a bank and possibly getting involved in homicide. He was, sadly, right. I cannot morally follow that venture, but I know it is true. Here is a man that did, telling his story so that we don't have to follow.
- ritchiea 9y ago
  The author could certainly go further into detail and while sparse writing can be great writing here it feels like too much is left unsaid.
- coldtea 9y ago
  >My idea for a VR killer app was to have the camera attached to the front of a Red Bull airplane or snowboard. My friend, understanding more intimately human nature, realized it should be getting drunk, breaking into a bank and possibly getting involved in homicide. Isn't that the premise of the film Strange Days? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114558/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114558/
  - zafka 9y ago
    I was just talking about that movie last night. It was a splendid look at one of our possible futures.
- StavrosK 9y ago
  I think I'm missing something in your comment. Why did your friend think a VR killer app would be breaking into a bank? You mean as a VR game? How was he right? Why can you not morally make that? I am confused.
icantdrive55 9y ago
"For the thief, every job is an opportunity to prove your guts, your ingenuity, your resolve. By challenging me, the Critique forced me to develop intellectual tools I never knew I had." That's about all I got. I will state this, even though Strunk, and probally White would have a stroke reading this; the author can write. And writing compelling stories is so much better than correct grammar, or long winded crap by people with nothing interesting to say. Then again--bank robbery always gets my attention. Stick it to the man? No--just retribution? It's just not worth the consequences. Plus--these days there's no physical money steal anywhere. (My father's girlfriend's husband robbed a armored truck in San Francisco, in the 80's. He ended up in jail. He got Aids in jail. He infected his wife--during a conjugal visit. The sweet lady never knew she was sick. She ended up my father's girlfriend years later. She died. My dad was never quite the same.)
dazc 9y ago
'I feel cheated, but I would read more if there was any.' I agree, it was like a pay-walled article where you have to sign up to get to the interesting bits, but wasn't.. 'There is no backing, explanation or argumentation of anything except that libraries are cleaner than pron movie theaters.' Philosophers also, as far as I am aware, don't sporadically acquire large sacks full of illicit cash.
- ineedasername 9y ago
  Yeah, equating these things, as though some form if radical epistemology might advocate for violent acquisition of cash... it feels like something from a Robert Anton Wilson trilogy. Philosophers are no more outsiders to society than any other high level academic. Which is to say their daily concerns in their career may be vastly different from most, but their societal place is towards the pinacle of society, a society advanced enough to allow for large segments of its population to focus on concerns further up in Maslow's hierarchy. Criminals, on the other hand, represent the society's failures and blindspots. Equating the two really just says, "look at us, are we not identical? Do we not, both of us, exist on the extremities of societal progression?" Kudos to the author for transitioning out of one extreme and towards another. But he doesn't need to worry that Daniel Dennett is going to shoot him for his stash.
Erwin 9y ago
You were initially intrigued and hopeful, but ultimately there was no explanation nor the content you were hoping for. Well, that's life for you!
bringtheaction 9y ago
I wouldn't go as far as to say I feel cheated but the article absolutely ended prematurely.
Naga 9y ago
I used to be a Walrus subscriber, but that's basically their whole shtick - well-written half articles.
- moltar 9y ago
  Haha so we’ll drscribed. I read a few more articles after OP and this summarized it perfectly
nerdponx 9y ago
I actually really appreciated this article. I didn't want a 5000 word autobiography. Sure, another paragraph explaining what exactly about Kant stopped him from robbing banks would be nice. But I'm willing to accept it at face value and move on with my day.
eismcc 9y ago
The content seems to be “By challenging me, the Critique forced me to develop intellectual tools I never knew I had.”. That is, after discovering his new abilities, realized he could be more than a bank robber.
- np_tedious 9y ago
  But we're left to infer that from the title, and with no details. How did reading Kant lead to a moral shift for the author? Gradually or one big moment? Did certain passages resonate with him especially? He told us how he came to read Kant and what was going on in his life at the time. And did a pretty good job. But told us little about reading it actually affected him
kaycebasques 9y ago
> I feel cheated, but I would read more if there was any. I got a surprising amount of entertainment out of this comment. My mind is tickled.
kapauldo 9y ago
Yeah exactly. Really unique premise but it suddenly ends mid thought.
hungerstrike 9y ago
> but the content just isn’t there. Sure it is. There are 10 paragraphs of content. You just didn't like it that much because it seems like you went in with expectations. I didn't. I liked it and I'm glad it got to the point right away without a bunch of flowery speech. I liked the short story of a criminal become writer. I did not know that Montreal was once the bank robbery capital of the world at one time. Now I'm interested in finding out more about this Kant fellow.

zamalek 9y ago

> the content just isn’t there. It's there. You need to search for it. Raw diatribes like this are a window into the innermost nature of the human soul. My idea for a VR killer app was to have the camera attached to the front of a Red Bull airplane or snowboard. My friend, understanding more intimately human nature, realized it should be getting drunk, breaking into a bank and possibly getting involved in homicide. He was, sadly, right. I cannot morally follow that venture, but I know it is true. Here is a man that did, telling his story so that we don't have to follow.

ritchiea 9y ago
The author could certainly go further into detail and while sparse writing can be great writing here it feels like too much is left unsaid.
coldtea 9y ago
>My idea for a VR killer app was to have the camera attached to the front of a Red Bull airplane or snowboard. My friend, understanding more intimately human nature, realized it should be getting drunk, breaking into a bank and possibly getting involved in homicide. Isn't that the premise of the film Strange Days? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114558/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114558/
- zafka 9y ago
  I was just talking about that movie last night. It was a splendid look at one of our possible futures.
StavrosK 9y ago
I think I'm missing something in your comment. Why did your friend think a VR killer app would be breaking into a bank? You mean as a VR game? How was he right? Why can you not morally make that? I am confused.

icantdrive55 9y ago

"For the thief, every job is an opportunity to prove your guts, your ingenuity, your resolve. By challenging me, the Critique forced me to develop intellectual tools I never knew I had." That's about all I got. I will state this, even though Strunk, and probally White would have a stroke reading this; the author can write. And writing compelling stories is so much better than correct grammar, or long winded crap by people with nothing interesting to say. Then again--bank robbery always gets my attention. Stick it to the man? No--just retribution? It's just not worth the consequences. Plus--these days there's no physical money steal anywhere. (My father's girlfriend's husband robbed a armored truck in San Francisco, in the 80's. He ended up in jail. He got Aids in jail. He infected his wife--during a conjugal visit. The sweet lady never knew she was sick. She ended up my father's girlfriend years later. She died. My dad was never quite the same.)

dazc 9y ago

'I feel cheated, but I would read more if there was any.' I agree, it was like a pay-walled article where you have to sign up to get to the interesting bits, but wasn't.. 'There is no backing, explanation or argumentation of anything except that libraries are cleaner than pron movie theaters.' Philosophers also, as far as I am aware, don't sporadically acquire large sacks full of illicit cash.

ineedasername 9y ago
Yeah, equating these things, as though some form if radical epistemology might advocate for violent acquisition of cash... it feels like something from a Robert Anton Wilson trilogy. Philosophers are no more outsiders to society than any other high level academic. Which is to say their daily concerns in their career may be vastly different from most, but their societal place is towards the pinacle of society, a society advanced enough to allow for large segments of its population to focus on concerns further up in Maslow's hierarchy. Criminals, on the other hand, represent the society's failures and blindspots. Equating the two really just says, "look at us, are we not identical? Do we not, both of us, exist on the extremities of societal progression?" Kudos to the author for transitioning out of one extreme and towards another. But he doesn't need to worry that Daniel Dennett is going to shoot him for his stash.

Erwin 9y ago

You were initially intrigued and hopeful, but ultimately there was no explanation nor the content you were hoping for. Well, that's life for you!

bringtheaction 9y ago

I wouldn't go as far as to say I feel cheated but the article absolutely ended prematurely.

Naga 9y ago

I used to be a Walrus subscriber, but that's basically their whole shtick - well-written half articles.

moltar 9y ago
Haha so we’ll drscribed. I read a few more articles after OP and this summarized it perfectly

nerdponx 9y ago

I actually really appreciated this article. I didn't want a 5000 word autobiography. Sure, another paragraph explaining what exactly about Kant stopped him from robbing banks would be nice. But I'm willing to accept it at face value and move on with my day.

eismcc 9y ago

The content seems to be “By challenging me, the Critique forced me to develop intellectual tools I never knew I had.”. That is, after discovering his new abilities, realized he could be more than a bank robber.

np_tedious 9y ago
But we're left to infer that from the title, and with no details. How did reading Kant lead to a moral shift for the author? Gradually or one big moment? Did certain passages resonate with him especially? He told us how he came to read Kant and what was going on in his life at the time. And did a pretty good job. But told us little about reading it actually affected him

kaycebasques 9y ago

> I feel cheated, but I would read more if there was any. I got a surprising amount of entertainment out of this comment. My mind is tickled.

kapauldo 9y ago

Yeah exactly. Really unique premise but it suddenly ends mid thought.

hungerstrike 9y ago

> but the content just isn’t there. Sure it is. There are 10 paragraphs of content. You just didn't like it that much because it seems like you went in with expectations. I didn't. I liked it and I'm glad it got to the point right away without a bunch of flowery speech. I liked the short story of a criminal become writer. I did not know that Montreal was once the bank robbery capital of the world at one time. Now I'm interested in finding out more about this Kant fellow.