Sunday, March 31, 2013

Letters to acquaintances #1


 I posit (which I sometimes do when I am feeling philosophical; other times I get depressed and drink) a conservation field theory of work (and laziness). The physics, of course is trivial to a polymath such as yourself.

Some of the implications of this are that:
1)   Work can be neither created nor destroyed
a.     Therefore doing any work is foolish, for it cannot affect the total amount in the universe

2)   The form of work can be altered by container
a.     Thus, although it can’t really be dealt with in any worthwhile way, it can be packaged differently and shifted around (I’m not sure I need to be explicit here and say I mean shifted to others?)

3)   The density of work can be altered
a.     Consequently I prefer to spread it out the maximum amount I can
I think, perhaps, that this is best summed up by that Great American Philosopher, Johnny Cash, when he croaked, “16 tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

In fact, revealing that work existed in the universe before there were any humans around to do it, is insightful. Humans therefore didn't invent work, work invented the human race and enslaves it perpetually.
Rousseau was wrong.
By the waters of Babylon I sit down and weep(it's not work, just living).

Anonymous said...

actually your third point is simply a restatement of "work expands to fill the time available" YESF