[Ayoob_Reloaded]

Two boys (A and B) to share a piece of cake. All other things being equal, Mom would normally cut the cake in two fairly equal pieces, one for each boy. On this occasion, though, boy A says he wants half of the piece of cake. In a bold move, boy B says he wants the whole cake.

Let's freeze it here and see what we've got. What is a fair distribution of cake between the two boys? That's not really discussed here at all. It's simply two sides to an arguement. One wants half, the other wants all. We never delve into how much each needs, or whether both boys are fat and shouldn't have any, or boy A didn't do his homework and B did and it's a small piece anyway. We never dig into any of this. All we do is take two sides of the arguement as presented and say OK, let's split the difference. One wants half, one wants all, so what do we do? Back to the analogy.

Mom hears both (BOTH, mind you. There are only two sides, and both are fully represented in this analogy. There's no possible other solution, like the daughter would like some too. We never find out whether there are other petitioners to the cake.) sides of the issue and splits the difference. Boy A gets one third, boy B gets two thirds.

Neither gets what they wanted, both think themselves slighted, and no other sides are represented.

Did I get it right? Is that the Hegelian Dialectic?

[PenultimateManStanding]

Sure enough, that's how it works. Then comes round two. Boy B, smug in his victory, asks for the whole cake again with a grin. Boy A, however has learned his lesson, asks for none of the cake and that a whole bottle of castor oil be soaked into the cake and that boy B be forced to eat the whole thing.. Naturally they split the difference and soak only half a bottle of castor oil into the cake and boy B only has to eat half of it. What happens round three? That's the beuaty of it: its dialectic

[Ayoob_Reloaded]

Now to don the tinfoil hat:

Mom always liked the 2/3 boy better and told him in advance to ask for all the cake so she could give him 2/3rds.

The outcome was decided before the debate ever took place.

Skull and Bones. Bush and Kerry. Recount never done.

[PenultimateManStanding]

Ah hah! So thats the agenda. I should have known. Hegel Schmegel, Have a Bagel.

[trespam]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ayoob_Reloaded', '
')Did I get it right? Is that the Hegelian Dialectic?

[PenultimateManStanding]

Doesn't appear to be about the dense hard to follow Herr Doktor Professor anyways, Trespam.

[Jack]

(Sigh) I try and try...and still, so little progress.

Boy B needs to break a lamp and make it appear that Boy A is the guilty party.

Then he can get the entire cake.

Simple, when you do it the right way.