If you ever decide to start a podcast under the impression that your early efforts will be protected by a cone of anonymity, do yourself a favor and pretend that you already have an audience in the hundreds of thousands. And operating on that premise, diligently scrub your episodes for any trivial factual errors that -- while they may seem harmless to you at the time -- could return to haunt you to the end of your days.
In one of our early episodes I said that Camus died in a motorcycle accident. In fact, he died in an automobile accident. I know that now because I am periodically reminded of it by diligent listeners for whom this error seems to have ruined the whole show. What a difference two wheels can make. (These listeners seem unaware of the irony of their focus on factual trivia when listening to the more abstract musings of a philosophy podcast).
I'm publicizing this error now just so that those who feel tempted to correct it in the future will understand that after three years, we've already been made aware of the mistake. Several times. It's just that Mark hasn't gotten around to editing the episode and overdubbing an incongruently voiced "automobile" wherever anyone says "motorcycle."
I am also thinking of incorporating a more profane version of this correction into my epitaph.
(P.S.: I also once said "per capita GDP" where I meant to say "GDP." As far as I know that covers all sins of fact).
-- Wes
Camus? wasn’t that guy executed for murdering some Arab guy on a beach? I vaguely remember this from reading his autobiography, Nausea.
Your confusing him with that guy Sartre that WROTE the song “Killing an Arab.” http://youtu.be/uTV3S-eM_Hg
Wasn’t Sartre an Arab? Speaking of which, has the US declared war on him yet?
Absurd
-Camus
Hopefully there won’t be any such mistakes during the discussion of Pirsig’s book, “Zen and the Art of Automobile Maintenance”.
P.S. Buddy Holly died in a blimp crash.
The blimp did not crash; it asphyxiated.
and then it turned into a plane and crashed.
It’s awesome you made that mistake…
I have been imagining Camus as a wisdom-loving Evil Knievel ever since 🙂
Maybe all this confusion is a result of the Sisyphus’ love of two-wheelers.
Here we have Sisyphus and Mrs Phus making a get-away following one of his many attempts to cheat death:
http://www.studiolum.com/wang/indrikov/robert-weigand-ancient-greek-motorcycle.jpg
I know that I’m late to the party but I have to say, Camus clearly died as a result of speeding down the highway on two motorcycles adhered to one another by absurdity, hence his death and the confusion surrounding it.
I should have said that his accident turned an automobile into a motorcycle.
I prefer it as a motorcycle–didn’t Seth say in the same ep that you all were confusing Camus with James Dean? I love that image–Camus, the danger loving bad guy that all the girls swoon over.
I would have thought that such errors were covered by the ground rules – ie, we will shall be rigorous and exact except in cases where not doing so will be more entertaining.
I mean, who gives a flying f*** if Camus died via auto-erotic asphyxiation or rode a Segue off a cliff.
Still doesn’t tell us why we shouldn’t top ourselves.
Wes, as your attorney I advise you to point out that a pivotal scene Camus’ great novel The Fall has the protagonist fantasizing about driving a motorcyclist off the road. This was clearly on your mind when you committed such an otherwise unforgivable lapse: http://youtu.be/x1dtnBUzewU
Ha, yes I thought of Fear and Loathing as soon as I saw “as your attorney.” And it’s good to know the origin of The Lapse.
I could have sworn that he died during The Plague.
So it’s a Myth that he died of Sisyphus?
Very much enjoying all these responses.
Just what makes you think it was an “accident”?
First attempt went to spam, but let me try again, as you raise a good point!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/07/albert-camus-killed-by-kgb
interesting — thanks!
That’s a very nice photograph of a car accident, as far as photographs of awful things go. Where did you find it?
Just Google; video here: http://www.ina.fr/economie-et-societe/vie-sociale/video/CAF90037025/accident-albert-camus.fr.html
Incredible footage.
Can you please post the emails that all of the know it all nerds sent you. 😀
One of them is in an (otherwise complimentary) review on iTunes, one is in the comments on the ep post itself (linked above, plus that guy felt strongly enough about it that he emailed us too and accused us of being anti-French as all Americans evidently are according to this guy), and most recent Wes linked to above directly.
Well I guess we know what really happens when the Rebel hits the road.
Although I enjoyed the podcast and the discussion here, I was reminded once again that philosophers do not understand suicide. The causes for suicide are not philosophical and can not be analyzed from a philosophical point of view. A person who commits suicide is being driven mad by something that seems out of their control. They lose the ability to look at life abstractly as a philosopher might, or even reasonably as a sane person might, and then react in a rash way to escape the dark hole they’ve fallen into.
No one here is claiming that people become suicidal because of philosophical problems or that philosophical reflection will cure them of suicidal impulses. But that doesn’t mean that suicide and its causes can’t be reflected upon philosophically, or that philosophical problems are unrelated to psychological ones.
I have to somewhat disagree with the original poster’s comments. I believe that if more people did take the time to reflect philosophically, they would have a better grasp on those issues that do seem overwhelming and realize that a good number of people have experienced the same sort of anxiety, come up with ways of dealing with it and put it into some sort of perspective. I believe it is our unexamined lives that are more to blame than we realize. This may also be why the practice of consulting a philosopher instead of a psychologist is growing in Europe. Anxiety or apathy may need perspective more than they need medication. Granted not in all cases but perhaps in more than we realize.
I’m relieved that you decided to post this acknowledgement. However, you should not be surprised that people like myself would rush to this site to correct you, considering you spend a few minutes using your error to examine whether Camus was a suicide. However much those arguments might have been in jest, you must understand how one who listens to your debate in earnest would want to make certain that other listeners were not misled by your ‘trivial’ error and the subsequent diverting humor.
I am relieved that you’re relieved.
I’m relieved that Wes is relieved that Benjamin is relieved.
Thanks for manning up about your mistake on how Camus died. Considering he was already booked on a flight that day and really didn’t want to drive, it is incredibly sad that his life was cut short the way it was. I just found this site and am really enjoying your podcasts.
Welcome Martha! Glad to hear that you’re enjoying both the podcast and the site.