this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2023
300 points (91.9% liked)

Showerthoughts

35277 readers
936 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

...

Yes it absolutely is.

I am sorry you are failing to connect these painfully adjacent dots.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 years ago (2 children)

The allegory of the cave is about people who are under an illusion and reject evidence to the contrary. Hence why it has "allegory" in the name, you know. I can't really do anything about being told my brain gets no light and no one's proposing we kill the person who said it, and the point isn't that we shouldn't kill them, so it's not really anywhere near the same.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Plato's Allegory of the Cave, while focused on the rejection of evidence and moral implications, also deeply explores perception and our understanding based on sensory experiences. This theme resonates with the shower thought about the brain being in a dark chamber, reliant on sensory "wires" for information. The allegory illustrates how our perception of reality, like the prisoners viewing shadows in the cave, is limited and shaped by our sensory experiences.

The shower thought and Plato's allegory both suggest that our understanding of the external world is constrained by these sensory inputs. Just as the prisoners in the cave perceive shadows as their entire reality, our brain, encased in the skull, constructs its version of reality based on what our senses convey. This comparison highlights how our perception might be just a fraction of the true nature of the external world.

In linking the shower thought to the allegory, the aim was not to draw a literal comparison but to underscore the shared theme of perceptual limitation and reality versus illusion. This metaphor serves to reflect on how our subjective experiences shape our understanding of the world, akin to how the brain, in its 'sealed chamber,' interprets the information it receives.

Again, sorry you failed to connect the dots. Figured it was obvious enough to not have to write an essay to explain it.

Cheers.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

In linking the shower thought to the allegory, the aim was not to draw a literal comparison but to underscore the shared theme of perceptual limitation and reality versus illusion.

But you didn't say that! You just said, via text of all things, this shower thought is the allegory of the cave. So it's no wonder some people aren't connecting your dots. You could stand to be less arrogant about it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

But he didn't say "this shower thought is the allegory of the cave" did he? He suggested a relationship between them by encouraging the op to familiarise themselves with the allegory of the cave. More of "if you liked this, you'll love that" than "this is that".

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 years ago

"(Story that's older than showers)

This shower thought is older than showers!"

I don't think it's that farfetched to take that as "your shower thought is the story I've just mentioned". In fact it strikes me as more likely than just drawing a comparison even in hindsight and this conversation is about four times longer than it should be.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Nah, it was pretty obvious. It's not his fault y'all are dumb as fuck. It happens! Just be happy you learned something today

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Going on like you're interested in philosophy and saying things like "y'all are dumb as fuck", especially in this context, are incongruous and you really missed a great opportunity to stay quiet.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Acting like common slang is somehow incongruous with "philosophical" conversation and voicing that opinion is hilariously hypocritical. I urge you to consider what it is about that language that upsets you so much and take some time to work on it. I use common slang mostly because the point is obvious and using big words makes people feel like the speaker thinks they are above everyone they are speaking to. I wrote out that entire long ass sentence instead of saying you sound like a conceited jackass because I know you edge from unnecessarily long phrases.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 years ago

Eh? I didn't have a problem with it being in slang. You could've asked if that was the problem and come off looking more honest.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Will the person you're answering to understand? Or will they fall into their own allegory of the cave on the allegory of the cave? 🤔