Look: I am eager to learn stuff I don't know--which requires actively courting and posting smart disagreement.

But as you will understand, I don't like to post things that mischaracterize and are aimed to mislead.

-- Brad Delong

Copyright Notice

Everything that appears on this blog is the copyrighted property of somebody. Often, but not always, that somebody is me. For things that are not mine, I either have obtained permission, or claim fair use. Feel free to quote me, but attribute, please. My photos and poetry are dear to my heart, and may not be used without permission. Ditto, my other intellectual property, such as charts and graphs. I'm probably willing to share. Let's talk. Violators will be damned for all eternity to the circle of hell populated by Rosanne Barr, Mrs Miller [look her up], and trombonists who are unable play in tune. You cannot possibly imagine the agony. If you have a question, email me: jazzbumpa@gmail.com. I'll answer when I feel like it. Cheers!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes, or - The Life of a Coleoidean

Beginning from a mechanistic understanding of Teuthidan beings and the passions, one may postulate, Hobbes-like what life would be deep in the ocean, a condition which we might call "the state of saline-aquatic nature." In that state, each Decapodiform would have a right, or license, to everything in the ocean.

In such condition, there is no place for industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the ocean; only navigation, but no use, other than the immediately culinary for the commodities that may be comported by sea; no commodious building, save coral reefs; no non-tentacular instruments of moving, and removing, such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth beyond the edges of the sea; no account of time in the dark depths; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of squids, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

References.

Ref 1

Ref 2

6 comments:

BadTux said...

"Gratuitous obscurity"? Uhm, yeah ;).

- Badtux the Baffled Penguin

Jazzbumpa said...

Just think in "If Hobbes had been a squid" terms.

Cheers!
JzB

(O)CT(O)PUS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
(O)CT(O)PUS said...

But, but, but the status hominum naturalis is beneath the natural state of coleoidea, and any claims to the contrary are a matter of pretense and degree. Yes, I admit, predation is the way of the reef, but we never take “eat the competition's lunch” personally. Predation is no more civilized in an abattoir; and the mechanized madness of modern warfare as practiced by human beings has no equal among cephalopods. Technical prowess does not confer moral superiority.

no arts; no letters

Au contraire! We practice camouflage (arts) and ink (letters), and there is no more sublime experience than choosing a mate … preferably a mimic octopus that can morph into your favorite fetish and give new meaning to “variety is the spice of life.”

"Just think in "If Hobbes had been a squid" terms."

Otherwise known as "method acting."

Jazzbumpa said...

Octo -

Brilliant!

I am referring specifically to the arts.

The letter are black as - well - ink!

Cheers!
JzB

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

A few words about method acting: Learn everything you can about the character beforehand. Then FEEL the character. BE the character. And the more I learn about human beings, the more I think they are a lemming species.

My humble apologies for my bad manners, I came here to make friends, not anemones, so here is a peace offering:

Crab and Heart of Palm Salad

1-cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded, diced
salt, pepper and paprika to taste

Mix the above in a bowl, then fold in:

1.1 lb crab meat

Allow the flavors to blend for 1 to 2 hours.

2 cans hearts of palm, each cut to French fry size
2 tbsp or more extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Arrange the hearts of palm decoratively on 6 plates layering as follows: arrange three hearts of palm on a bottom layer; divide each salad portion into halves. Place one half of the salad on top of the bottom palms, followed by another palm layer, followed by another salad layer. Drizzle olive oil on top and garnish with fresh arugula (has a nice elitist liberal ‘ring’)
.

See, cephalopods are not as uncivilized as human think they are.