Place for a questions that google can’t answer or are more interesting to ask in a group.
1) Is there a standard name for characters in fiction like Forrest Gump or Uhtred in The Last Kingdom who are fictional characters but always seem to be near the center of historically important events? They can serve as a kind of framing device for the story or a way to offer an interesting perspective on real events. I was thinking about this because it seems to also be a thing in science fiction or fantasy where even though none of the events are historical in reality, they are historical important in the world of the story. James Holden in the Expanse series is this guy and I suppose Han Solo is like this in Star Wars. Indeed, so is Indiana Jones. Near the action, and sometimes helping to move it, but they are never the usual drivers of history like Generals, Queens, Inventors, etc.
Is there a name for this “trope” or convention?
2) Lately, my philosophical musings have led me to conclude that one can be much more certain that a statement is false than that one is true. Something that’s false like “homeopathy works” is pretty easy to show because it doesn’t fucking work any mor often than random chance. Whereas, when trying to show something is true, there’s always a chance that random luck caused the result - p-values show the chances that that the effect your study appeared to show could have been shown despite the null hypothesis being true. So there’s always a chance that they apparent true thing you found isn’t true at all.
Plus, whenever some hypothesis works, it just raises even more hypotheses, so there’s always something else that can be said about a subject. Like, Newtonian Physics works, but physics goes on and on and into stuff that I don’t get about waves and strings and it never seems to have an end. Our models and language can always get better and clearer, or so it seems. Even if we do get to the “end” of physics, it will have been really hard to do, much harder than showing that what isn’t true isn’t true, you know? Or, another example is that Edison once said he didn’t fail, he just found hundreds of ways not to make a lightbulb, but after he did, engineers have continued to find ways to upgrade and improve on that original idea. Something about wandering drunk and gutters, etc.
Am I talking sense at all? And if so, what’s this principle called? I recall Bradley - I forget his first name - said something about how language never completely captures reality and something something post-modernism, but I can’t quite recall? Any help?
3) So i’m trying to declog the bathtub drain. It drains, but slow. I got the screen bit at the top off with a single screw, but it’s looks like I could have an easier time getting the snake down in it if could remove that other metal part in the hole. Is that glued in ther or is there a way to get it out to give myself more room and visibility to maneuver?
I’m feeling a bit delirious.
1) Is there a standard name for characters in fiction like Forrest Gump or Uhtred in The Last Kingdom who are fictional characters but always seem to be near the center of historically important events? They can serve as a kind of framing device for the story or a way to offer an interesting perspective on real events. I was thinking about this because it seems to also be a thing in science fiction or fantasy where even though none of the events are historical in reality, they are historical important in the world of the story. James Holden in the Expanse series is this guy and I suppose Han Solo is like this in Star Wars. Indeed, so is Indiana Jones. Near the action, and sometimes helping to move it, but they are never the usual drivers of history like Generals, Queens, Inventors, etc.
Is there a name for this “trope” or convention?
2) Lately, my philosophical musings have led me to conclude that one can be much more certain that a statement is false than that one is true. Something that’s false like “homeopathy works” is pretty easy to show because it doesn’t fucking work any mor often than random chance. Whereas, when trying to show something is true, there’s always a chance that random luck caused the result - p-values show the chances that that the effect your study appeared to show could have been shown despite the null hypothesis being true. So there’s always a chance that they apparent true thing you found isn’t true at all.
Plus, whenever some hypothesis works, it just raises even more hypotheses, so there’s always something else that can be said about a subject. Like, Newtonian Physics works, but physics goes on and on and into stuff that I don’t get about waves and strings and it never seems to have an end. Our models and language can always get better and clearer, or so it seems. Even if we do get to the “end” of physics, it will have been really hard to do, much harder than showing that what isn’t true isn’t true, you know? Or, another example is that Edison once said he didn’t fail, he just found hundreds of ways not to make a lightbulb, but after he did, engineers have continued to find ways to upgrade and improve on that original idea. Something about wandering drunk and gutters, etc.
Am I talking sense at all? And if so, what’s this principle called? I recall Bradley - I forget his first name - said something about how language never completely captures reality and something something post-modernism, but I can’t quite recall? Any help?
3) So i’m trying to declog the bathtub drain. It drains, but slow. I got the screen bit at the top off with a single screw, but it’s looks like I could have an easier time getting the snake down in it if could remove that other metal part in the hole. Is that glued in ther or is there a way to get it out to give myself more room and visibility to maneuver?
I’m feeling a bit delirious.
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