Eclectic Lunchbox of Delights
A Meeting of Minds... welcome to The Mind Moot
Some time ago, Steve Allen put out a rather pretentious show for PBS titled, Meeting of Minds. This page is not about the show, per se, but rather about the intriguing concept behind it. What Stevie did was put some of history's great thinkers around one table, and interviewed them. They bantered back-and-forth for a while, expressing vehemently their views on politics, religion and fast food preference. I thought to myself, "Hey, if Steve Allen could do that, why can't I?" Unlike many of my potentially dangerous thoughts, I decided to flirt with the idea... and what began innocently enough developed into the page you see before you.
Using my formidable connections, I put together a team of some of the greatest minds in history, and otherwise. The forum so developed has been called the Mind Moot. "Mind," of course, from the rich diversity of talent and intelligence found in its constituents, and "moot" from the ancient English provincial meetings that discussed issues of importance. Topics of discussion may be suggested by our readers, and our wise panel will render their thought-through opinions. Sometimes you'll find their responses pithy and useful, other times you'll think the heightened ethereal vapor that halos them must have hallucenogenic qualities. Either way, it's sure to be a ride... and, hey, it's free fun!
With the best of intentions,
The Mind Moot Moderator
Let the moot begin... please present your queries to the judges in an orderly manner...
 Mark Twain |
 William Shakespeare |
 Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
 Aristotle |
||
 Sherlock Holmes |
 King Louis XVI |
 Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz |
 C.S. Lewis |
The Rules
Submit Query. Before our distinguished panel of
judges can discuss your question, you have to ask the question. Submit
your question to the Mind Moot Moderator; if it is deemed worthy, it will be
posed to the panel. The answers you will receive will range from faceitious
to deadly serious - it depends a good deal on the nature of the question.
Please keep your question pure, clean, and decent - we have sensitive members
on this moot (We all know who I mean, Rousseau.)
Running Gags. Members of the Mind Moot may refer
to previous meetings in their discussion, although it should be clear from their
context what the heck they're talking about. Also, there are judges who just
don't work very well together; it should be glaringly appearent when this is the case.
In short, read a few different questions to get a taste for the panelists' personalities.
Special Guests. Sometimes, there's just no helping a question,
but to bring a "special guest" out of the woodwork. A special guest is not a regular
contributor to the Mind Moot, but is brought in to speak on his or her area of expertise.
Minutes of Previous Meetings
Meeting 1, 14th May 1998. Why do peaches have pits?
Meet the Seats
Mark Twain (Author, Humorist): A codgy, cadgy, cantankerous, crotchety old coot. Known for his vivacious wit and legendarily rambunctious sarcasm.
William Shakespeare (Poet, Playwright): A brilliant poet and dramatist; one
of the greatest writers in the English language.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Philosopher, Composer): Political theorist and writer of operas.
Aristotle (Philosopher, Great Thinker): One of the fathers of modern philosophy, his ideas have moved millions over the millenia. One of Ancient Greece's proudest sons.
Sherlock Holmes (Deductive Logician, Detective): Fictional character, but for a fictional character, he has an absolutely amazing intellect.
Louis XVI (once-King of France): Former King of France, when it was at the height of its imperial power.
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (Philosopher, Mathematician): Laid some of the foundations of calculus, and a brilliant thinker in all fields.
C.S. Lewis (Author, Theologian): Author of Mere Christianity and Miracles.
LOOKING FOR A MATHEMATICIAN
So far, the only renowned mathematician on the Mind Moot is Gottfried Leibniz. We at the Meeting of Minds think that this is an unfortunate, shameful deficiency, and are currently hoping to right this wrong by hiring another mathematician. Please review the suggested qualifications below.
Winner of Nobel Prize or Fields Medal recipient
Preferably has at least three branches of mathematical theory named after him/her
Willing to work for food
And, does anybody know Goethe's phone number? If so, please let me know.
