More on Theory and Depth

My goddamn browser crashed after writing this entire post. I'll start again. Quality not guaranteed.

Is anyone aware that Travis Pastrana did a double backflip on a dirtbike? He did. I learned how to ride dirtbikes with "Mad" Mike Jones. I was a kid at the time, but he was a friend of a friend and a nice guy. We sat around after a day of riding and discussed the possible future of motocross. Everyone agreed that a backflip would be impossible. Not enough torque. Jones doesn't do them anymore, he almost died. Pastrana has done a DOUBLE.

In 1960, two men reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench in a small vessel. That's right. Humans have been to the bottom of the ocean. The Trench is as deep as Mt. Everest is high, and we've been there.

Both of these things seemed stupid and impossible before they were done. They were laughed at. Theory has reached milestones of accomplishment as well, except that here we're talking about the flux of ideas and not the physical accomplishments of possible morons who could have died.

My favorite accomplishment of Theory, a gem for sure, is Derrida's deconstruction of the word 'is.' If this doesn't seem slippery enough a word for you, just remember "Existential Willie's" defense of his actions during his famous impeachment trial: http://www.slate.com/id/1000162/

Derrida chooses to italicize every use of the word 'is.' Because we can never be sure that anything is anything else. Every direct comparison is a simile. Just as every direct comparison cannot be a simile.

See?