[extropy-chat] Defenestration [sic] was (Defenestration)

Lee Corbin lcorbin at rawbw.com
Mon Mar 19 05:34:39 UTC 2007


Would someone please tell me what is going on with the
subject line of this thread?  Perhaps I missed a crucial post.

Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out
of a window, and the term provided no little mirth to my pals
and me back in the 1960s.  A most peculiar word for a
presumably most uncommon occurance!  

One encountes it in European history having to do with the
30 years war 1618-1648.  The "Defenestration of Prague"
was said, I've never understood exactly how seriously, as
the cause of the war.  I think it was the French ambassador
in Prague who was unceremoniously thrown out of a 3rd
story window, and worse, landed in an immense pile of
cow dung.  So if "defenestrate" means to throw something
out of a window, then what word should we coin to mean
shoving something up someone's nose?  Or the act of 
yelling into your cell phone while being chased by dogs?

Anyway, one can read all about it on wikipedia, of course:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestration

Why did the previous thread use the same term?

Lee


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thomas" <Thomas at thomasoliver.net>
To: "ExI chat list" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2007 11:53 AM
Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] Defenestration


> Keith Henson wrote:
> 
>>At 05:07 PM 3/17/2007 +0000, you wrote:
>>  
>>
>>>[...]
>>>
>>>You are relying on inbuilt hunter-gatherer instincts. But humans can
>>>divert their instincts into better endeavours.
>>>    
>>>
>>
>>I feel that the chances of them being able to do so are much improved if 
>>they understand their instincts.  
>>
> In April and May of 1988 Analog published a two part essay by Michael 
> Flynn called "The State of Psychohistory." I found it very illuminating 
> on EP and it's had a powerful influence on my thinking ever since..  I 
> started a search in back issue collections for it and when I find it 
> I'll pass it on to you.  Flynn made EP very understandable.  -- Thomas




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