Three Wise Men

reply to post by EnlightenUp


Thanks for the eloquent reply EnlightenUp,

I do although disagree with you and stand by my earlier assessment that the metaphor is incorrect..

Nothing is really implied about the correctness or betterness of any route.

Maybe I am translating this wrong (which is a very much a possibility) but in the English language, when someone says:

not at this hour

or

not at this time of day

in the context of this story, wouldn't say that the only reason these men are suggesting different routes is because of the time of day and the possibility of traffic jams...??

Does this then not result in the absolute correctness of one of these statements? After all one of the suggested routes will result in the least delay.

Peace

reply to post by operation mindcrime


Would it help if we called it an allegory instead of a metaphor?

reply to post by operation mindcrime


Only two hinted at the time of day being a factor and nothing was disclosed about particularly why it was a factor, nor were all the details from each about why their route was best even though they apparently spent years justifying it. We don't really know why from the allegory; we just know they ventured out to speak about their reasons. But, apparently these reasons were not convincing enough for them to agree upon a definition of "best", its parameters, and an error-minimizing solution, which may still not be ideal.

It might have been preferrable if they all took their own cabs, told noone of the reasons, and instead taught how to hail one's self a cab.

Damn. I hate to do this again, but you are freaking brilliant, sir.

Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us. Outstanding story. I am posting it elsewhere to spread the truth of its message. (with a source here, of course).

I thought it had to do with the 3 usual wise men we hear about


Anyway great story , love it !

What makes us so hesitant to trust others, that we know best? No room to comprise. That each gentlemen's route is not only the best but its the only route? Perhaps its the way their fathers took, and their fathers before them, the routes were handed down, and if they had been passed down each one of the men felt as if their assigned routes were infallible. When really perhaps they should have asked the cabbie for input? I mean he is there every day in the thick of it.


right?

reply to post by Lysergic


If only a cabbie were available all these years later.