I like this post, but it feels like it’s missing something to motivate the clever title. You didn’t seem to identify a “grue” (presumably, some horrible consequence from not being luminous), which doesn’t seem terribly difficult to do in this case. Perhaps it doesn’t belong in this post, but surely the title demands one.
Also, is “luminous” a modifier for beliefs, people, or both? Should there be two different words? Did I miss that discussion along the way?
You are walking around without a light source. Unless you change that you are (in actuality) likely to be eaten by a grue. What exactly a grue is is (at least in some versions?) unspecified.
is “luminous” a modifier for beliefs, people, or both?
Both—it’s just easier that way. A luminous person has lots of luminous brain-items (not necessarily just beliefs); a luminous brain-item is known to the person who has it, even if they’re not generally very luminous.
I like this post, but it feels like it’s missing something to motivate the clever title. You didn’t seem to identify a “grue” (presumably, some horrible consequence from not being luminous), which doesn’t seem terribly difficult to do in this case. Perhaps it doesn’t belong in this post, but surely the title demands one.
Also, is “luminous” a modifier for beliefs, people, or both? Should there be two different words? Did I miss that discussion along the way?
The title seemed obvious to me: lacking luminosity you lack light, and, as the immortal text adventure Zork so memorably told us, when...
The implication is pretty clearly that you ought to pay attention to this problem.
So, for those of us who haven’t tasted the exquisite pleasures of text adventure games, what is the context of the quote?
You are walking around without a light source. Unless you change that you are (in actuality) likely to be eaten by a grue. What exactly a grue is is (at least in some versions?) unspecified.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grue_(monster)
Both—it’s just easier that way. A luminous person has lots of luminous brain-items (not necessarily just beliefs); a luminous brain-item is known to the person who has it, even if they’re not generally very luminous.
It feels like the title could have been saved for a follow up post. Such a waste!