Sea has a bit of a survey going at present. Despite (or possibly because of) the fact that I have had a bit to drink this evening while sitting alone in my room, I decided that there really is no time like the present. Below you will find my answers to his five/eight questions.
(1) What personal qualities and skills do you think politicians should have, if you hold out for politicians with qualities and skills at all? Explain.
Sea and I have had this discussion in reference to various democratic candidates for President. I told him that one particularly goofy-looking candidate would in all probability not be getting my vote, primarily because he was goofy looking. I was roundly castigated for this, and I tried to defend myself by saying that I am only that shallow when it comes to Presidential candidates. Honestly, they are the face, whether we like it or not, of the country, and I'd prefer not to have a goofy-faced country. Of course, by the time I got around to being swayed by the goofy person's politics, and deciding that maybe he was not so goofy looking after all and really had some very good ideas, Sea had already moved on to somebody else he liked better. So that was kind of a bummer.
(2) If you're to design a semester's curriculum for a literature course, and your students can buy and read ten books, what do you put on the list, and why? What's your course called?
Merely because it is what I am most conversant with, I should probably teach a course in fantasy and sci-fi lit. Were that the case, I would probably include things like Terry Brooks' "Word and Void" trilogy. The entire Sherri S. Tepper canon. All of it. Everything that Connie Willis has ever committed to paper. China Mieville's "Perdido Street Station," and its followup, "The Scar." Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game," but I probably wouldn't bother with the sequels. Definitely Tad Williams' "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn" trilogy, because it has the best ending ever, but not the "Otherland" tetrology, because it has the worst ending ever. And "Tailchaser's Song," too, just because of little Fritti Tailchaser. Short stories by Oscar Wilde and Jane Yolen and Roger Zelazny. I would not bother with things like "The Lord of the Rings," or Mercedes Lackey or Dragonlance or any of Piers Anthony's dreck, because if you are taking my class, you have already read those. That is way more than ten books, but my students will all be overachievers. My course will be called "Awesome."
(3) What book has influenced your life more than any other?
Am I really supposed to ANSWER this? I actually don't know of any book that has specifically influenced me, so much as the idea of books as a whole. The idea of the concept of reading, the idea of taking ideas and printing them and letting others consume them, and consuming the ideas from elsewhere. THAT influences me. Not any one specific author or book.
(4) What's your impression of the study of philosophy?
Sea and I have also already talked (heatedly) about this. I think that philosophy as a whole has very little point. I think that a person will have a personal philosophy, and I cannot think of a way to change a person's mind about their basic outlook on life. Reading philosophy is just a form of self-validation: you pick and choose bits from the various theories out there that already match your own worldview, and then you can say things like "Kant said this," and "Wittgenstein believes that," and phrase it so it sounds like you're choosing to ascribe to a set of beliefs when really you're just quoting the ones that you agreed with at the beginning. Note, of course, that I'm talking about someone's basic views on life. I think it is perfectly possible to change someone's mind on, say, what to have for dinner. Deeper issues, however, like...capitalism vs. communism, or Republican vs. Democratic, or Philosophical Outlook A vs. Philosophical Outlook B? I do not think that any amount of debate is going to change anyone's mind.
(5) I'm thinking of something... green. Something green.
I'm sure you are. I bet it is foetid. For some reason, Vogons spring immediately to mind.
(5) That was a joke. Ha, ha! Seriously. Is this the fifth question, or the sixth?
Fifth. The last one didn't have a question mark. I still humored you and responded.
(5)The posers of the previous question have been sacked. For keepsies this time. Sleeping with your coworkers. What's your feeling?
Nice Monty Python reference. At any rate, this is worse than sleeping with a friend. With friends, if things end badly for some reason, you can at least hope to not see each other at group outings and hope you do not have to split up your group of common friends between you. At work, you have to see them all the time no matter what happens and it's full of angst and drama and people getting passed up for promotions. Or at least a lot of people gossiping about you and the company Christmas party behind your back. Unless, of course, it is just a really hot musclepunk who sports tight, torn jeans and a wicked sparkle in his bright green eyes who works in the company mail room. Or you are a member of the U.S. Men's Gymnastics Team. In those cases, sleeping with your coworkers is to be actively encouraged.