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Explanation for The Final Problem--BBC Sherlock in Reference to the Nativity Quote from Moriarty

What's interesting about this joke is that it is, ironically. the KEY to the entire episode - and likely the entire series.  It ties into and explains the Eurus reason/good/evil/emotions theme.

To recap the scene:  when Moriarty first enters Sherrinford on Christmas Day, he plays with nativity decorations and tells Mycroft:

"I wrote my own version of the Nativity when I was a child: The Hungry Donkey.  It was a bit gory.  But if you're going to put a baby in a manger, you're asking for trouble."

Now I burst out laughing when he said this - that is REALLY funny.  But it wasn't until I went to write it down here that I realized The Hungry Donkey is actually a reference to an example used in philosophy pertaining to morality and its use as a guide to human actions.  It is more commonly known as Buridan's Ass.  And the example is that of a hungry ass placed equidistant between two bales of hay.  In the example, the donkey starves because it has no means of choosing between the equal bales.  It can't choose and thus dies.

Buridan summarized the problem thusly:

Should two courses be judged equal, then the Will cannot break the deadlock, all it can do is to suspend judgment until the circumstances change, and the right course of action is clear.

— Jean Buridan, c. 1340

In other words, in the face of equal alternatives (of alternatives between which there is supposedly no difference), reason cannot guide one's choice.  No -rational- choice can be made.

Reference to some OTHER standard must be made.

That certainly fits with Eurus and her personal dilemma, as well as all the games she sets up.  To her, there is no difference between the choices in the world (not even moral differences - she's too "clever" to fall for those 'subjective' - ie unreal - differences).  So reason cannot tell her what to do.  THAT is why she is stuck in the plane and cannot land.  She needs something OTHER than her intellect - something other than her reasoning - to guide her.  She needs emotion to help her.  But she doesn't know how to use emotion AS her guide in these circumstances.  And, in fact, the only emotions she's acutely aware of (loneliness and fear) leave her helpless.  She's -stuck- Existentially. This is what the existentialists identify as the individual's 'starting point' in life.  It is sometimes called "the existential attitude": "a sense of disorientation, confusion, or dread in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world." (THAT is why this episode looks and feels like a Horror Film - and in fact draws from many of them - because that is supposedly the 'natural' condition of the individual - the one we face from the time we are children [which is why we are shown Eurus as a child - she's still stuck in that condition.  She is like that ALL the time.  So what we are seeing in her is NOT a split personality at all, nor a mental illness, but the state into which all humans are supposedly born into].)

The episode goes on to show the solution to this "Final Problem" - this existential angst and despair - is the love of others.  That IT is the only thing which provides meaning - provides "context" for action - for life.  And that is neither good nor bad.  It just "is what it is"

So it turns out, this episode (likely the entire series) is about the 'existential problem' and how to deal with it.

I have to think this part through (and rewatch 2.3 again), but, given the above, I suspect Moriarty is the existentialist who accepts reality as meaningless and stops there, rejecting anything as able to provide life with meaning ("context").  His only answer to the "Problem" of life - the problem of existential dread (and the nauseating boredom of its 'sameness' - ie no differences between anything) is death; Eurus is the existentialist who accepts reality as meaningless, knows love/others can  provide it with meaning ("context"), but has no one who will give it to  her, thus leaving her lost and desperate to be saved; and Sherlock is the existentialist who begins like Moriarty and is bored because of it, but who ultimately learns that love/others provide life with meaning ("context") [and it essentially doesn't matter WHO that other is, be it Irene, a hit-woman, etc as John says in The Lying Detective] and is thus saved by it (by his love for, and from, John and the others].

-----Rad4Cap from TVFanatic.com

http://disq.us/p/1fcbrsj   (link for the explanation post)

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I’ve realized something...

I’ve realized lately, that whenever anyone asks me a question like: “Have you ever had one of those long walks with someone?” I automatically respond “yes” when it’s not even in the right context.  And by that, I mean that when I say “yes” or “no” I’m referring to the fact that yes, I have had long walks with someone; that someone being my dog.  So in retrospect (holy crap, that’s a pretty big word for me), I’ve never done anything with a human.  I’ve only ever done stuff with my dog because I’m a lonely human being and can’t be bothered to deal with social interactions with actual humans. I prefer my dog more, because he’s nicer, and he doesn’t judge me because the only thought on his mind is “food. play. sleep. cuddle. love.” and I’m okay with that.  So basically, if you ever ask me if I’ve done something with another human being such as laughed with them, had a deep conversation with them, etc. and I respond with an answer that a normal person would say that actually has friends, I’m most likely referring to the stuff I’ve done with my dog. Because he’s all that matters. Explanation over.

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Sherlock: No you know what fuck love it’s so useless like why would I want to care about anyone besides me-

John: *breathes*

Sherlock: Okay new plan

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Procrastinating is killing me, but I can’t stop

I’m procrastinating a very huge essay that’s worth one half of my grade, but I want an “A”. Do you see my problem here?! It’s like a wall has been put up blocking my way to good grades, and the wall is just the giant fucking logo of Tumblr.

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A bit late, but oh well; thought it better late than never!

because johnlock

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When the writing session doesn’t go well:

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📚📚❤📚

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Me : yeah I can finish my homework in 5 minutes

Lemony Snicket : Many things can be done in five minutes including enjoyable events such as confessing your love, opening a gift, or eating a delicious meal, as well as miserable events like death, a violent crime, or a severe anxiety attack... one thing that cannot be done in under five minutes is a ten page essay, a word which here means "a student's worst nightmare", and while I can assure you, dear viewers, that the boy would achieve one of these feats within five minutes, I am sorry to say it was not the essay, but rather the anxiety attack.

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All Things Are Made Of Four Elements