Philosophy

A philosophy professor asked his students one single question for their final exam. The question was:

“How are you going to make me believe that this chair in front of you is invisible?â€

It took all of the students 1 hour to finish, except for one student who only took 5 seconds. After that day, the scores were posted. The 5 second student got the highest score. What was his answer?

“What chair?â€

Lesson:
Don’t make simple things complicated.

 

All of the other students are idiots, and I sincerely hope the one student spoke up with the most smartass tone possible.

 

Other lesson: assuming that something exists is faulty; something is not true simply because there is no argument for the opposite being true. It can be a fifty-fifty argument.

 

That wouldn't work in our education system, as we have 300 word minimum limit per question for all exams (except for maths and certain physics/chemistry/biology questions).

Unless you can really stretch your words I suppose xD

Also, I miss one hour exams ;.; Haven't had them since grade school...

 

A student once sat a 2 hour philosophy paper asking a single question:

'What is courage?'

And the student wrote down:

'This is.'

And he walked out of the exam hall.

He passed with high marks.

 

Kind of reminds me of this:

A man was held as a prisoner for several months. His captors decide it is time to kill him. Because of his bravery, they give him a choice in how to die.
"We will let you make one statement before you die. If it is a lie, you will be hanged. If it is the truth, you will be shot." The man made his statement and was soon released. What statement did the prisoner make?

Spoiler

The prisoner said he would be hanged. If he had been hanged, it would have been the truth. Likewise, if he had been shot then he would have been lying. Either way would've been contrary to the captors' deal.

 

Lesson:
Teachers who troll are the best of the best~

 

That story is older than my grandmother.

 

I don't have one ):

 

http://www.philosophybro.com/2010/12/platos-allegory-of-cave-summary.html

 

These sound like Zen koans. Let me find some...

OTIS AND THE OLDER STUDENT​

An older student came to Otis and said, "I have been to see a great number of teachers and I have given up a great number of pleasures. I have fasted, been celibate and stayed awake nights seeking enlightenment. I have given up everything I was asked to give up and I have suffered, but I have not been enlightened. What should I do?"
Otis replied, "Give up suffering."

THE ARTIST'S ENLIGHTENMENT​

An artist, depressed and almost unable to paint, consulted Sam, a Zen-oriented therapist, for aid in coping with his problems. He asked what the fee would be, explaining that his income had dwindled since he was doing fewer paintings. Sam said his fee would be two paintings. The first, to be titled Despair, was to be completed before the therapy began; the second was to be titled by the artist and was to be started when the therapy ended.
The artist painted Despair and presented it to Sam, who looked at it and then threw it into the blazing fireplace. The artist walked out. He returned a few days later with the second painting.​

Where can I find a full version of this?

 

"The chair does not exist" != "The chair exists and is invisible"

[/ruinseverything]

 

... How did I not notice this?

 

The professor wrote the question under the premise that the chair does exist and that the student must prove that it is invisible. The only true way to prove its invisibility is not to acknowledge its existence.

 

A bard who hadd a way with words once posed, "What is love?"
His students eventually gave various answers, such as, "Not knowing why they aren't there", "Giving a sign," "Being just one, me and you."
The professor eventually chose the simplest of answers.
"Not hurting them."


The day's class was on memetic theory.

 

Incorrect. There must exist a chair to be defined as invisible. The answer dismantles the question but does not answer it. It proves nothing.

Granted, if you can take a teacher's question down that will probably get you an A anyway.

 

"You have to look within yourself to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself."

 

...Wait

Have you never read the Allegory of the Cave

Man, even when I'm imitating him I still don't know what he means

 

Confucious says:
Age before beauty

 

I have not. I have never read a book devoted to philosophy.