I like to brood in the shower in total darkness. And here's an idea I came up with.

This is a forum. Where people come to discuss stuff. There was a dude called Socrates who said "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." I feel like the Backroom talks too much about events rather than ideas. From the discussions that have sprouted, it is plain to see that each and every one of you possesses a strong mind. A mind capable of higher cognitive thought. So why not exercise it? The brain is like a muscle, the more we work it, the more synaptic connections can be formed.

So here's how this works. We post an answer to a philosophical question. The next person posits a question to that answer. Much like the game show Jeopardy. Or if you're unfamiliar with Jeopardy, this is a riddle game. Instead of "What runs around the house and doesn't move?" will be phrased as "It runs around the house and doesn't move." The response is "What is a fence?" instead of "a fence". The next person also posts an answer to another philosophical question. Hopefully, this will keep on going, where we can pool these ideas and ruminate on them. You can also post the philosophy of an individual, and the question will ask who that person is. This will either be a raging success or one of the many topics to end up among the unwashed of the internet.


Here's an example of an answer: "Believed that everyone will be judged not on their looks, but who they are as a human being."

The next person posts the question, which is: "Who is Martin Luther King Jr?"


There are a few rules:

1) Topic cannot be discipline specific. No questions or answers about nanotechnology, or the history of pants, or the nutritional contents of egg foo young.
2) The answer must be vague enough to have multiple questions, but specific enough to narrow it down to a few possibilities. We all know the famous story of the professor who asked the question "Why?" as a final exam essay. It's far too vague for this purpose.
3) When quoting an individual, don't copy what they said word for word. Paraphrase it so it cannot be googled easily. Put a bit of work into your search, and you will find what you seek.
4) If you want to discuss a particular idea, you can make a new thread or continue the discussion here, as long as you're posting questions and answers as well.

There is no right or wrong answer. Or question. The accuracy of the next persons question will depend on how you phrase your answer.

So I'll start.



Our reality depends on this. Without it, nothing would make sense, or even matter. It is our most important possession.