The Four Men

Wednesday, 28 March 2007.

---

I was thinking today, and had the chance reflection upon a previous thought I'd since forgotten. (As an aside, I find most of my discoveries in life are merely rediscoveries of that which I've already known. Sort of a sad realization, but life plays with us in such ways, I suppose; and in any case, it allows me to enjoy the thrill of discovery many times for the same idea.)

It went roughly as follows: there are four types of men (that is, humans, not human males), each who have learned a different way of puzzling out this curious existence in which we find ourselves:

• The artist, who seeks to duplicate the world;
• The philosopher, who seeks to question it;
• The scientist, who seeks to measure the world;
• And the mathematician, who seeks to define it.

I think these four are general enough to cover all cases of people; although, it would be impossible to test such a hypothesis in one lifetime. (I suppose there might also be room for the hedonist, the collector, and the apathetic, though I'd have to think about it a bit more.)

I, of course, see myself as the artist; I create my own worlds, in order to compare to our own, to entertain myself or others, to understand beauty, to play God, to escape. While this comes close to the actions of the mathematician (that is, definition), the attitude and manner in which it is conducted is, I believe, what sets it apart.

I find that when I am denied the ability to create worlds, then I am far less joyful as a result. I am curious if that holds true for the other men as well.