/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.7275721]

>A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

What did he mean by this?

[Anonymous No.7275722]

>don't be a /lit/ philosotard

[Anonymous No.7275727]

>>7275721
Learn a lot of things

[Anonymous No.7275731]

>>7275721
>Specialization is for insects.
>implying specialization is 'bad' because insects are 'bad'
>implying this nigga ever studied a single page of biology

[Anonymous No.7275734]

>>7275721
He's an anti-capitalist clearly

[Anonymous No.7275739]

>>7275721

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/173476

[Anonymous No.7275741]

it's a sentimental, wishy-washy picture of masculinity that seems man as a "doer of things".

it's like a very degenerate form of the idea of virtue

[Anonymous No.7275749]

>>7275741
women/insect detected

[Anonymous No.7275762]

>>7275749
no, I agree with the idea of virtue, I just think this American oldboy picture is rude and under-developed.
what he's really trying to articulate here is respect for the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, but he's trapped in sentimental pictures like a child

[Anonymous No.7275765]

>>7275749
>make ridiculous statement
>add a label at the end for anyone who disagrees
>someone who doesn't have diarrhea in his skull shows how silly the statement is
>insult person with aforementioned label
It's sad to say this is the method for too many propaganda campaigns.

[Anonymous No.7275769]

>>7275765
>being this flustered at a cheeky post
Literal woman detected tbh

[Anonymous No.7275771]

>>7275765
>diarrhea in his skull
Kek, I'm stealing this.

[Anonymous No.7275860]

If being a proper human being is conditional on possessing a variety of skills, whether the exact set he mentioned or in general, then maybe it's some kind of meta-statement that there are no proper "humans," and this can only ever be an ideal to aspire to because, in reality, humanity is only as good as insects. Similarly to insects, we build functioning societies, that, while they aren't perfect, are enough to enable us to survive and procreate.

...just kidding. but i guess i don't really agree with his view. specialization works well enough, i agree with having enough skills to live more or less independently and satisfyingly but only as far as is necessary in one's society.

[Anonymous No.7275874]

>>7275721
He meant "these are the things I think a man should be able to do because I'm stuck with a spooky archaic definition of masculinity now that my penis isn't working anymore, so please show kindness and act like I've actually said something worthwhile"

[Anonymous No.7275976]

>all these fags whining about masculinity
>"A human being"
Y'all so spooked you can't even read something without projecting literal shit from your eyeballs.

[Anonymous No.7276019]

> A human being should be able to play a status game, play a status game, play a status game, play a status game, play a status game. Specialisation is for insects.

ftfy

[Anonymous No.7276055]

>>7276019

>Cooking dinner
>Status game

Come on man.

[Anonymous No.7276059]

>>7276055
>I just love a man that can cook!
>real men can provide food
>cooking shows in every country get massive ratings
>incredible attention paid to ''healthy food'' and ''organic cooking''
Everything is status.

[Anonymous No.7276079]

>>7275741
He didn't say man, he said human being.

[Anonymous No.7276086]

>>7276019

Sounds intriguing what are status games

[Anonymous No.7276090]

>>7276055

> implying the preparation and provision of food isn't one of, if not the most ancient and fundamental of status games

[Anonymous No.7276125]

>>7276090
>plan an invasion
yes this is useful to 99% of the population

[Anonymous No.7276132]

>>7276059
>>7276090

I think more than a status game, it's about not starving to death.

Fucking humanities students.

[Anonymous No.7276135]

>>7276132
You are delusional, aren't you? You could eat rice and bread and not starve to death, you mong. That's like saying fashion isn't about status, it's about not being cold, that's like saying houses aren't about status, it's about having a roof, cars aren't about status, they're about being able to get places fast, women aren't about status, they're about having babies for you, etc. Just because something is a necessity, doesn't mean it can't be a status symbol and a competition.

[Anonymous No.7276176]

>>7276135
>Just because something is a necessity, doesn't mean it can't be a status symbol and a competition.
Just because something can be a status symbol and a competition doesn't mean it is. You won't have to spin everything under the light of societal analysis once you've left school, promise.

>>7275762
>the four cardinal virtues
Not at all. If anything it's closer to the Cynics and Stoics' self-sufficiency.

[Anonymous No.7278171]

lol at the feminized cunts here

[Anonymous No.7279124]

>>7275721
Most of those things are too broad or ill-defined ("solving an equation" in general is beyong the actual scope of our knowledge, "program a computer" do you mean creating an exploitation from scratch,etc.), can't be really taught or learnt unless by doing them (and with no guarantee that you will succeed the second time-see planning an invasion for instance), or are actually very easy (change a diaper, cook a tasty meal).

I get the sentiment but the formulation is unecessarily flashy. A few of those things are difficult and essential (cooperate, give and take orders, comfort the dying, act alone), a few are essential and not so difficult (cooking), the others are too specialized to be essential to everyone, or simply impossible in general.

[Anonymous No.7279132]

>>7275721
The whole glory of civilization is specialization.