Geez, almost done with my novel. In fact, I'm making the final proofreading run right now.

...Well, I was, but I've got papers to write. In fact, there's a 5-page paper due at 3:30 today that I've not written more than 30 words in, and by Friday there's another paper about Aristotle's Politics. I guess I should really start reading the Politics, too... I have to admit, taking a course in ancient political theory was probably a mistake. I like reading the Stoics, but for the most part I think I'm going to stick with modern philosophy now. I really don't like how the writers always seem to bury their meaning under all these levels of (dull) writing. I mean, I don't particularly like Leibniz either, but at least he'd come out with whatever he was trying to say.

Sort of odd, I always seem to want to write fiction the most when I can't be writing fiction. Good news: the semester ends in a week or two, so I'll have all the time I need to finish.

^{(spoiler alert: over the summer I'll end up getting lazy like I always do and never get anything done. Probably.)}

Blech, just got done with a month-long slog though Plato's Republic, and I really, really, don't like the book. What he's saying is fair enough, but it's just written like a giant pile of shit. As far as content is concerned I'd take Plato over Aristotle (though only barely), but the Nicomachean Ethics is just so much fucking easier to read.

Anyway, haven't been around much, mostly due to more important things like reading books about Big Ideas (lol) and writing papers about Big Ideas and stuff like that. In the course of thinking/reading about free will and its possible existence, I came across the whole point of logical fatalism, which goes something like this:

1. Every proposition has a truth value.
2. Said truth value is always around even if nobody realizes it. For instance, the statement "Barrack Obama will be the POTUS in 2009" was true in 2007 just like it was also true in 10,000 BCE, even though nobody knew it. That alone doesn't make the statement untrue.
3. Therefore, there is a truth about things which have not happened to me yet - everything that will happen was already determined to happen because the truth/falsity of the propositions involved.

Needless to say I've adopted something of a hard incompatibilist view. What do you plebs (erm, sorry, respected members of the Interwebs community) think about the existence (or not) of free will?

It's a beautiful day, anyway. Nice to see clear skies again.

So, if Web 2.0 was a space program it would be like a someone dumping a pile of rocket components into someone's driveway and telling them to generate their own content, and even though only maybe 15 of the rockets, globally, got off the ground, only 5 with any success, it would be better than a properly designed space program because giving everybody the opportunity to wing it...

Anyway, things are getting off to a pretty decent start at NIU, and classes are entertaining, as I predicted. Parking sucks, though, and a lot more than it did last semester, as well. I don't know what's up with that... though I suppose I'll just have to wait a couple weeks for all the retards to drop their classes, and some more space will fill up.

I think I might have mentioned it earlier, but I'm taking ENG 402, so soon there'll be something good to read. I think I might work on The Detective for the class, seeing as how I already have a vague concept in my mind, although that would make 3 things in a row for the same teacher that involve robots... so maybe it's time to try something new.

I've never done spy fiction before, now that I think of it...

Yep, in order to promote... uh, shit, I'll be offering a kiriban at 6,000 pageviews.

If you can provide me with a screenshot of my 6,000th view, I will fly to your location (airfare, lodging, customs harassment surcharge, and food not included) and BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU WITH A TELEPHONE BOOK. Parts (telephone book) and labor (me swinging my arm at you) are completely FREE!

Of course, this is contingent on you not calling the police either, but I'll be a gentleman and certify that there won't be any lacerations or broken bones as a result. Any resistance/fighting back will result in the winner being disqualified, and your fingerprints/scatological reside may end up in undesirable locations around your municipality.

Seriously.

Spring '09 semester starts tomorrow at NIU, and I'm lined up for even more PHIL courses (it's my major, hurfdurf), so I think I'll enjoy it again. Last semester was a success as well, met lots of cool people and even learned some new stuff. I think I'm going to minor in poly sci, not really because I have a profound interest in it (English would probably be more my style, but I don't really want to write any more papers than I have to), but because I've already got 9 POLS credits, so not to would be something of a waste...

But yeah, 3 more semesters and I'll have a B.A., and then... well, I'll probably spend the rest of my life hunting for a job and end up disenchanted, burned out, and alcoholic. Well, maybe not... never really got a definite answer about what kind of jobs philosophers get aside from teaching.

I think it's important to remember, that when going to school, everybody in the liberal arts and social sciences still has a hard-on for Nietzsche, which is both good and bad, but since I like F.N. it's pretty cool.

Speaking of which, I find that as I read more and more I'm much less enthusiastic about egalitarianism and democratic society, as if my MACH score is going up exponentially (83 as of writing this journal), so that raises the question of how you can enjoy all the nice stuff (right not be killed on a whim) that society affords you while also maintaining that all it does is even things out between all people at the lowest level. Still not sure about that - like, should there be a minimum intelligence level to afford people voting rights? And why have elections in the first place? Surely the most qualified/bestest evar person would show up on their own...

I dunno. I should pack up and move to OUTER HEAVEN once I finish the undergrad program.