The Intelligent People's Thread

two diffcoot

I wanna join. What do I have to do?

Vompatti wrote: You cannot divide by zero. Is this because it's impossible to present the correct result for X / 0 (because there isn't any), or is it because it's logically impossible to imagine the operation you should perform to come to the correct result?

You cannot divide by zero. Is this because it's impossible to present the correct result for X / 0 (because there isn't any), or is it because it's logically impossible to imagine the operation you should perform to come to the correct result?

Maybe the bulb in question would settle for a part-time retirement? Move it to another room where the light's out during most of the day. That way you will save energy, and the bulb can still feel himself useful.

That's certainly a tricky question. The answer depends on what you mean when you say that the light bulb doesn't want to change. There are two possible interpretations:

1. It is not so that the light bulb wants to be changed.

This also has two interpretations:

    1.1. The light bulb doesn't want to be changed, nor does it want not to be changed.
    1.2. The light bulb wants not to be changed. (This is the same as (2)).

2. It is so that the light bulb wants not to be changed.

The situation 1.1. is the easiest to solve. Since the light bulb doesn't have anything against it being changed, you can change it pretty much effortlessly. Just screw out the bulb using your hand and replace it with another one.

The situation 1.2., which is the same as 2., is a bit more troublesome. In theory you could try to change the bulb against its will and would probably succeed, because light bulbs in general have no active means to oppose external forces. But, even if it's possible to change an unwilling light bulb, it is not a moral thing to do. One could argue that if you change one light bulb against its will, you will soon develop a bad habit to change a light bulb whenever you see one. So, if you know that the light bulb doesn't want to change, it's best to leave it alone. However, I must point out that a light bulb that refuses to be changed is always a light bulb that's still working and thus doesn't need to be changed. When a light bulb burns out, it loses its ability to have opinions. So, it's always safe to change a burnt out bulb, which is, in fact, the only bulb that needs to be changed.

EDIT:
It just occurred to me that changing the light bulb could also mean modifying it somehow, not replacing it with another one. The same rules that apply to replacing a light bulb also apply to modifying it, except that there's usually no sense in modifying a burnt out light bulb, unless you're going to use it as a decoration element.


Edited by Vompatti - August 27 2008 at 14:54

I woke up today and felt a sudden urge to solve every philosophical problem imaginable. So, if you have a question that begs to be answered, let's hear it! With my superior intelligence I can provide the answer to any sensible question in a surprisingly short time.

Hamburgers and horses are bath-related.

I'd join but I like acting like a dumbass far too much