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Ainee 819541. Thu May 26, 2011 3:33 pm Younger son taught me a Qi fact he discovered, and demonstrated:



Wikipedia Philosophy



Whichever Wikipedia page you go to first, click on the first highlighted link (which is not in brackets). Repeat process.



Within a dozen clicks, Wikipedia will ALWAYS take you to their 'Philosophy' page. Each First Link which reappears (highlighted) will speed up the number of returns to Philosophy.



They tested this theory for 30 minutes in lunch break, and it has proved true.



The question we are all wondering is:



WHY?

Spoilt Victorian 819543. Thu May 26, 2011 3:36 pm





Vikki post 818651 There's a bit of a discussion on the permutations starting here.Vikki

Ainee 819552. Thu May 26, 2011 4:03 pm Interesting! Shared with Youngerson. Thank you!



This is like discovering 'Googlewhack' all over again!

CB27 819586. Thu May 26, 2011 5:45 pm Did anyone tell David Gorman?

Celebaelin 820157. Sun May 29, 2011 7:22 am Ainee wrote: The question we are all wondering is:



WHY?

I'll have a bash at answering that.



Wiki starts with a definition or explanation of whatever the subject of the article is. When you are defining stuff eventually you come to the point where you need to define terms of reference. Each time I've tried this so far eventually I come to the Wiki



Knowledge

Fact

Information

Sequence

Mathematics

Quantity

Property (philosophy)

Modern philosophy

Philosophy



That in seeking to define something, or in this case a chain of somethings, we should eventually arrive at an article which refers to the field of knowledge itself is surely no surprise? Whichever way you start to describe an apple say (I'll try this one in a minute) eventually, possibly in an accelerated manner because of the way Wiki leans towards science, you will get to a field of study be it horticulture, botany or whatever and that starts you along the path whereby you will eventually need to define knowledge and that will, should and does lead you inexorably to philosophy. I don't discount the possibility of more remote routes to the 'knowledge turning point'; in a 32 step sequence starting with a biological phenomenon I quickly got to Human physiology but then took a bit of a detour via such things as Ancient Greek, Social sciences, Interaction and eventually Physics from which point the path to Philosophy is a certainty (via the



As an aside if you carry on 4 more steps beyond Philosophy you encounter a loop back to Science.



Science

Knowledge

Fact

Information

Sequence

Mathematics

Quantity

Property (philosophy)

Modern philosophy

Philosophy

Existence

Sense

Physiology

Science



I'm now going to go and see how philosophical apples are! I'll have a bash at answering that.Wiki starts with a definition or explanation of whatever the subject of the article is. When you are defining stuff eventually you come to the point where you need to define terms of reference. Each time I've tried this so far eventually I come to the Wiki Knowledge article and from there getting to philosophy is a matter of certainty as the chain goesKnowledgeFactInformationSequenceMathematicsQuantityProperty (philosophy)Modern philosophyPhilosophyThat in seeking to define something, or in this case a chain of somethings, we should eventually arrive at an article which refers to the field of knowledge itself is surely no surprise? Whichever way you start to describe an apple say (I'll try this one in a minute) eventually, possibly in an accelerated manner because of the way Wiki leans towards science, you will get to a field of study be it horticulture, botany or whatever and that starts you along the path whereby you will eventually need to define knowledge and that will, should and does lead you inexorably to philosophy. I don't discount the possibility of more remote routes to the 'knowledge turning point'; in a 32 step sequence starting with a biological phenomenon I quickly got to Human physiology but then took a bit of a detour via such things as Ancient Greek, Social sciences, Interaction and eventually Physics from which point the path to Philosophy is a certainty (via the Knowledge article).As an aside if you carry on 4 more steps beyond Philosophy you encounter a loop back to Science.KnowledgeFactInformationSequenceMathematicsQuantityProperty (philosophy)Modern philosophyPhilosophyExistenceSensePhysiologyI'm now going to go and see how philosophical apples are!

Last edited by Celebaelin on Sun May 29, 2011 7:58 am; edited 1 time in total

Ameena 820165. Sun May 29, 2011 7:46 am Woo I tried it...



Simba

Lion

Big cat

Felidae

Family (biology)

Biological classification

Biologist

Scientist

System

Latin

Italic languages

Indo-European languages

Language family

Language

Human

Taxonomy

Ancient Greek

Greek language

Greeks

Nation

Soveriegn state

State (polity)

Social sciences

Fields

Academia

Community

Interaction

Causality

Result

Sequence

Mathematics

Quantity

Property (philosophy)

Modern philosophy

Philosophy



So, from Simba to philosophy in over 30 steps :D.

Celebaelin 820168. Sun May 29, 2011 7:55 am Apple

Pome

Flowering plant

Embryophyte

Plant

Life

Physical body

Physics

Natural Science

Science

etc.



19 steps to Philosophy in total.



Perhaps something less tangible - how about Fauvism



Fauvism

Modern art

Abstraction

Hierarchy

Ordered set

Order theory

Mathematics

Quantity

Property (philosophy)

Modern philosophy

Philosophy



11 steps, but not via knowledge; the first common point is mathematics.



What about colour...



Color

Visual perception

Light

Electromagnetic radiation

Energy

Physics

Natural science

Science

etc



17 steps to Philosophy.



OK, how about dung?



Dung

Feces

Waste

Litter

Caliphate of Córdoba

Iberian Peninsula

Europe

Continent

Landmass

Land

Earth

Planet

Orbit

Physics

Natural Science

Science



25 steps in all.



That's enough I think.

Celebaelin 820178. Sun May 29, 2011 8:42 am This is vaguely addictive.



NASCAR

Auto racing

Motorsport

Motorcycle racing

Motorcycle sport

Sport

Organization

Social group

Social cohesion

Social policy

Quality of life

International development

Concept

Cognition

Science



23 total.

Celebaelin 820197. Sun May 29, 2011 10:57 am Well here's an odd one



J. R. R. Tolkien

Order of the British Empire

Chivalric order

Knight

Warrior

Combat

Violence

Psychological manipulation

Social influence

Conformity

Unconscious mind

German philosophy

Philosophy



13 steps.



It doesn't support my idea about it being something to do with defining your terms when describing stuff and seems a little abrupt. The step from conformity to unconscious mind seems incongruous - perhaps the editors have grasped this meme and are twisting it a bit; a link to society would seem to be more appropriate.



Quote: Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to what individuals perceive is normal of their society or social group. This influence occurs in small groups and society as a whole, and may result from subtle unconscious influences, or direct and overt social pressure.



Without foreknowledge I decided to check the path from society...



Society

Interpersonal relationship

Limerence

Psychologist

Clinical psychology

Mental disorder

Psychology

Science



17 in total.

Ian Dunn 820225. Sun May 29, 2011 2:23 pm I've just done it now, starting at a random article:



Wind Dancer

Mutant (Marvel Comics)

Comic book

Magazine

Publication

Content (media)

Information

Sequence

Mathematics

Quantity

Property (philosophy)

Modern philosophy

Philosophy



So that's 13 articles I visited.

RLDavies 820940. Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:02 am Philosophy and science are supposed to be considerations of universal truths. Which would mean they include everything. And now Wikipedia proves it!

Southpaw 820948. Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:23 am I would like to see a giant map of the interconnections between Wikipedia articles...

PDR 820950. Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:32 am Celebaelin wrote: Well here's an odd one



Without foreknowledge I decided to check the path from society...



Society

Interpersonal relationship

Limerence

Psychologist

Clinical psychology

Mental disorder

Psychology

Science







So according to wiki between society and science there must always be mental disorder?



That's an interesting speculation...



PDR

Celebaelin 820960. Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:22 am



This is of course all too relevant in light of the events surrounding the recent BBC documentary on the abuse of the learning impaired.



http://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1553005/bbc-panorama-care-home-investigation-four-arrested

http://www.bristol247.com/2011/06/01/four-arrested-at-bristol-care-home-after-bbc-panorama/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392892/BBC-Panorama-care-home-investigation-4-arrested-police-probe-launched.html I don't think Wiki claims to present an ultimate truth but rather merely to explain notions. Limerence , for example, is a concept not a matter of established fact and whilst it's entertaining to think that society as a whole regards science as a form of mental dysfunction the connection that Wiki is making is that mental disorders are studied scientifically. True to form Wiki presents this as fact and so largely do the psychologists, individual opinions may differ.This is of course all too relevant in light of the events surrounding the recent BBC documentary on the abuse of the learning impaired.