Philosofical Question

[Shymer]

@Lyx. Well ouch. You got me at the end there. Thanks for playing. *8)

 

[fates_puppet13]

it is unless it's primary function is changed

 

[fordneagles]

If someone tried to kill me with a broken sword whilst exclaiming:

'I will kill you with my sword!'

I would have to let them know that it's not a sword...

'That's merely a handle...'

What if it was the blade?

I like this answer better:

No ... a broken sword would either just be a hilt, guard, grip and pommel or a combination thereof... or assuming there was fragments still attached to the haft and guard, a dagger if a double edged sword, or a knife if single edged.

Assuming if you were holding the sword by it's blade and all else had broken away, it would be an 'edge'.

OP: Go back to your spelling homework before you start on philosophy please.

 

[Lyx]

@Lyx. Well ouch. You got me at the end there. Thanks for playing. *8)

To be fair, i skipped over a true issue, that indeed borders on ontological: The concept of "purpose". People tend to think, that purpose is an integral part of the tool. It isn't. It's simply "a desired way, what something is to be used for", or at most "a task for which a tool has been optimized". Neither of both excludes using it for something else. And something may be optimized for more than one task - intentionally or unintentionally.

So, someone finding a sword, may indeed come to the conclusion, that it's "purpose" is something entirely different, simply because coincidentally, it's also efficient for some other task, and "killing beings" is not something of much relevance to that persons life.

So, you could indeed argue, that the concept of purpose - or at least how it is popularily understood - is highly misleading and indeed much more multi-facetted. Or to phrase it less accurately: Since tools usually can be used for more than one task, purpose indeed leaves much room for "taste/opinion".

 

[smearyllama]

I thought this would be a pun-tastic thread about pastry. I am disappointed.

OT yes.

Filo dough is delicious.

Fancy some baklava?

OT: I'd say that it's now a broken sword, but still a sword.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Oh OP i may have to give you the title of "BEST THREAD TITLE EVAR!"

Also WTF is this?! This isn't Philosophy! This is madness!