Interesting article in The Grauniad about a new book exploring the bigger themes of the man himself.
There's an excellent selection of quotes from Small Gods as well. I imagine the journalist is a fan...
There's an excellent selection of quotes from Small Gods as well. I imagine the journalist is a fan...
“Take it from me, whenever you see a bunch of buggers puttering around talking about truth and beauty and the best way of attacking Ethics, you can bet your sandals it’s all because dozens of other poor buggers are doing all the real work around the place.”
“The philosopher Didactylus has summed up an alternative hypothesis as ‘Things just happen. What the hell.’”
“One of the recurring philosophical questions is: ‘Does a falling tree in the forest make a sound when there is no one to hear?’ Which says something about the nature of philosophers, because there is always someone in a forest. It may only be a badger, wondering what that cracking noise was, or a squirrel a bit puzzled by all the scenery going upwards, but someone.”
“I used to think that I was stupid, and then I met philosophers.”
“’What’s a philosopher?’ said Brutha. ‘Someone who’s bright enough to find a job with no heavy lifting,’ said a voice in his head.”
“His philosophy was a mixture of three famous schools – the Cynics, the Stoics and the Epicureans – and summed up all three of them in his famous phrase, ‘You can’t trust any bugger further than you can throw him, and there’s nothing you can do about it, so let’s have a drink. Mine’s a double, if you’re buying. Thank you. And a packet of nuts. Her left bosom is nearly uncovered, eh? Two more packets, then!’”
“The philosopher Didactylus has summed up an alternative hypothesis as ‘Things just happen. What the hell.’”
“One of the recurring philosophical questions is: ‘Does a falling tree in the forest make a sound when there is no one to hear?’ Which says something about the nature of philosophers, because there is always someone in a forest. It may only be a badger, wondering what that cracking noise was, or a squirrel a bit puzzled by all the scenery going upwards, but someone.”
“I used to think that I was stupid, and then I met philosophers.”
“’What’s a philosopher?’ said Brutha. ‘Someone who’s bright enough to find a job with no heavy lifting,’ said a voice in his head.”
“His philosophy was a mixture of three famous schools – the Cynics, the Stoics and the Epicureans – and summed up all three of them in his famous phrase, ‘You can’t trust any bugger further than you can throw him, and there’s nothing you can do about it, so let’s have a drink. Mine’s a double, if you’re buying. Thank you. And a packet of nuts. Her left bosom is nearly uncovered, eh? Two more packets, then!’”
I have often said that these books will stand the test of time and still be as relevant in 100 years as they are now. 
