# Try this **URL:** \ **Category:** Philosophy\ **Created:** [May 20, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/try-this/4316 "2015-05-20T03:27:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![loisl](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/loisl/32/18_2.png) [@loisl](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/loisl)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/try-this/4316/1 "2015-05-20T03:27:17Z")
> **[A Philosopher Walks Into A Coffee Shop](https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/01/25/a-philosopher-walks-into-a-coffee-shop/)** > > I have been really enjoying literarystarbucks.tumblr.com, which publishes complicated jokes about what famous authors and fictional characters order at Starbucks. I like it so much I wish I knew mo… They are take offs on philosophers going to Starbucks. I like the Ayn Rand one. Some I don’t get, however. Or they’re not particularly funny. See what you think. Lois ---
**Author:** ![timb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@timb](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/timb)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/try-this/4316/2 "2015-05-23T20:05:42Z")
To understand most of these jokes, one would need to be pretty knowledgeable in the field of philosophy, and ALSO have a sense of humor. Good luck finding a large population of such folks. ---
**Author:** ![loisl](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/loisl/32/18_2.png) [@loisl](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/loisl)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/try-this/4316/3 "2015-05-24T04:57:59Z")
> To understand most of these jokes, one would need to be pretty knowledgeable in the field of philosophy, and ALSO have a sense of humor. Good luck finding a large population of such folks. Most would understand some of them and you could look others up to find clues. One you start, it's like a game or a puzzle. I particularly enjoyed the Ayn Rand one. Perfect parody. Also Thomas Malthus. I missed a lot, but a friend provided this to explain a few of them. Parmenides is about change being impossible and existence being eternal. Pythagoras, which is a weak joke because it has nothing to do with philosophy, is about the story that he was not only a vegetarian but eschewed beans too. Thales said that water is the first principle. Leibniz and Newton both claimed to have discovered calculus first. Kant kept diaries where he noted the exact time to the minute that he spent doing various things. Lois ---
**Author:** ![timb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@timb](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/timb)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/try-this/4316/4 "2015-05-24T19:12:41Z")
> ... Kant kept diaries where he noted the exact time to the minute that he spent doing various things. That sounds weird at first glance, but it might be interesting to a modern day behavior analyst to review those diaries. You never know where you might find knowledge that could be useful. Perhaps I should take some time to learn enough to appreciate these philosophy jokes. ---
**Author:** ![loisl](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.centerforinquiry.org/loisl/32/18_2.png) [@loisl](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/loisl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/try-this/4316/5 "2015-05-25T20:04:54Z")
> ... Kant kept diaries where he noted the exact time to the minute that he spent doing various things. That sounds weird at first glance, but it might be interesting to a modern day behavior analyst to review those diaries. You never know where you might find knowledge that could be useful. Perhaps I should take some time to learn enough to appreciate these philosophy jokes. Parodies are a perfect way to reveal aspects of their philosophies that we might have missed just reading their works. Very often philosophical works are so dry and dense that most people give up. Throw in humor and it can make things much clearer and more fascinating to contemplate. Lois