Brian Weatherson has a little experiment he'd like you to try, and I have a dumb joke I'd like to make about it. My dumb joke may spoil his experiment if you read it first, so do his experiment first--it only takes a bit of mouse-clicking, and is congenial to non-philosophers (in fact they're particularly encouraged to take it)--and then, if you like dumb jokes, come back and click my extended entry button.
And if you don't like dumb jokes, how is it that you're still reading my weblog? This is a dumb joke about football.
So Brian's experiment involves testing your intuitions about this question: If you're supposed to meet someone a little after midday, when are you late? According to new New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin, the answer is 11:56:
Three players have filed complaints with the NFL Players Association for being fined by coach Tom Coughlin for not being "early enough" to team meetings. LBs Carlos Emmons and Barrett Green and CB Terry Cousin were fined $500 apiece for arriving only a couple of minutes early for a recent meeting.Coughlin wants players at meetings five minutes before their scheduled start.
"Players ought to be there on time, period," Coughlin said. "If you are on time, you are on time. Meetings start five minutes early."
I particularly love Coughlin's use of "if you are on time, you are on time," given that these players seem to have been on time, yet not on time. If you're going to be a dialetheist have the courage of your convictions!
Posted by Matt Weiner at September 15, 2004 10:09 AM