There is no difference in the philosophical foundation of the beliefs of Mother Teresa and Bin Laden.- TERRY GOODKIND, in an online discussion
Many thanks to my fellow Lemmings of Discord for unearthing this sparkling gem of wisdom. . .
In case you didn't know, his Yeardness signed a 3-book deal with Tor Books. It is yet unclear if Putnam dropped him, or if TG will be writing the two remaining books he was under contract to deliver simultaneously with the new SoT installments.
21 commentaires:
I suppose if you reduce it far enough that's true, but at that point there's no real difference between Bin Laden, Mother Teresa, Einstine, Ghandi, Hitler, Khan, Goodkind, and anyone else who actually has a view they want to express.
The man is a fountain of wisdom.
What a douch
I don't mind Terry Goodkind normally, but that statement makes him one big maroon!
That interview is incredible. I have a really hard time with anyone who thinks they're 'speaking the truth'. That's usually code for being aggressive and not listening to what anyone has to say. Go down to the bottom and read the question about whether he's worried about his politics turning people off his books.
I’m no fan of the guy, by far, but taken in context, what he’s saying is what you’ve always said yourself. He’s not saying Mother Teresa and Bin Laden have similar beliefs, but actually chose them as opposite ends of the spectrum to show that even the best and worst may be standing on nothing but assumptions.
In his own words: “The problem with any of these beliefs is that they offer no reality check... Without a provable philosophy, founded and verifiable by the reality of existence, there is no restraint on any of these crimes, except another equally whimsical belief. There is no difference in the philosophical foundation of the beliefs of Mother Teresa and Bin Laden. Each can claim the same moral certitude.”
For myself, I take the example of Whitman, whose own philosophy told us to "stand up for the stupid and crazy... argue not concerning God... re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book," and "dismiss whatever insults your own soul.”
So I had to stand up for him saying that, but he’s still worth dismissing.
My favorite quote from the interview is this one:
"I believe that Ayn Rand was the greatest philosophical thinker since Aristotle and very likely the most brilliant philosopher in the entire history of mankind."
Greater than Kant? Descartes? Nietzsche? Sartre? Woody Guthrie? Taylor Swift? I would probably vote for Bob Dylan myself :)
Actually, Mother Teresa didn't claim moral certitude. If you read her letters, especially toward the end of her life, she believed that certainty and strength were the cause of the poverty and suffering that she lived in the midst of. She believed that weakness, and care for the weakest, made doubt possible precisely because it refused to eradicate (through power and neglect) those with whom we disagree.
I have read all the SoT books and it is very clear that Goodkind is extraordinarily dogmatic about the things he thinks are true. That being said he does have a lot common with Ayn Rand...
Conversely, Aristotle's account of character, the good toward which all life is directed, and the texture of our lives together has much more in common with Mother Teresa.
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Think that covers it.
Medicore writer with a dullards understanding of philosophy.
Ayn Rand is a phase some people go through then they grow up.
nicely put doug and tuf
I'm not a fan of Goodkind's books, sermonizing or philosophy in general, but I think his claim about Bin Laden's and Mother Theresa's indifferences isn't so out of place, especially if you read the context as well.
Sure, Theresa and Bin Laden chose very different routes to put their ideologies into practise, but the difference lies probably in their respective personalities, not in their belief in their religions.
-Therry
Taken out of context by the ever jealous one.
How about that "book" your writing Pat? Will we see this tour de force anytime soon? You'll have a lot of catching up to do if you want to surpass TG lol
What a pathetic man.
At least he's owning up to writing fantasy now, with quotes like: "As far as I know, I am the only author writing this kind of fantasy"
He has also said that he does not read other fantasy novels, so as far as he knows, he knows nothing.
seeing how everyone who dislike him go out of their way to say it every time, while at the same time they bow to terrible authors, makes me wonder why they bother so MUCH with goodkind ?
just move along !
by the way, regardless of personal opinion, i would like to have sci-fi/fan. authors who think they write philosophy, maybe it will actualy lead to a greater acceptence of sci-fi/fan. as a leading genre.
good on goodkind for that alone
(i'm supposed to type a word verification i can barely define ... wtf is this ?)
Being an Ayn Rand fan is much more reprehensible than the Mother/Osama quote.
Among the many stupid and idiotic things he wrote in that Q & A this gem stood out -
"Humans have existed for hundreds of millions of years. "
Sooooooo Mr Goodkind thinks that humans co-existed with the Tyrannosaurs and Triceratops eh? Perhaps he's confusing The Flintstones with actual history?
Or it's a poetic fusion of "hundreds of thousands" and "a million" years, illustrating scientific insecurity and the dimensions of time are so big it's impossible to imagine anyway.... so suffice it to say I give him the benefit of doubt it was a typo.
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