Rubes by Leigh Rubin for January 28, 2025

I’m afraid that the experiment was a failure.

Doesn’t that lab need some mind bending (or at least inhibition reducing) chemicals?

There’s a weekly program on PBS radio called Philosophy Talks; they tackle some of life’s mysteries, and have call-ins with their questions.

Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?

Dependent on what he’s smoking, many thoughts will come.

Appropriate for the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas today!

Clear the cobwebs from your “weeds”

Me do theenking experiment too. Me always theenking of foods whenever me is not looking for or eatings foods. Me a philosobear.

He taught he taw a puddy tat.

For deep thinking, you have to go down to the basement.

He’s thinking about Sherlock?

That is how Einstein developed his theories. Imagination changes the world, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

Looks like he could be home-stooled…

That is NOT a pipe. It is a DRAWING of a pipe!

Sitting on a kitchen stool? It’s bar stools that produce philosophy!

“Ceci n’est pas une pipe”— René Magritte

A pipe gives a wise man time to think, and a fool something to stick in his mouth

don’t think this works

“Shhhh…he’s kibitz hunting.” “…but it’s duck season!”

I am, therefore I think

Ah but it’s been pointed out that failures can be more useful than successes since they show what does not work and can be avoided next time.

A horse walks into a bar.

The bartender asks “You’re in here a lot, are you an alcoholic?”The horse ponders for a moment, responds “I don’t think I am” and poof he disappears.

This is where philosophy students start to snicker as they are familiar with Descartes’ postulate “I think, therefore I am”.And telling you that first would be putting Descartes before the horse.

looks elementary….

You can almost see the smoke coming out his ears.

“Philosophy Lab” is an interesting concept. In the 19th century, “Physics” was commonly called “Natural Philosophy”, and laxatives were commonly called “physics”, short for “physical medicine”. So, a Natural Philosophy Lab would carry out what we now call physics experiments, while a Physics Lab might be testing milk of magnesia…

Reading old textbooks can be challenging…