Friday, March 14, 2025

Aristotle on Intractable Problems

 In general, it is safe to suppose that, whenever any problem proves intractable, it either needs definition or else bears either several senses, or a metaphorical sense, or it is not far removed from the first principles; or else the reason is that we have yet to discover in the first place just this -- in which of the aforesaid directions the source of our difficulty lies: when we have made this clear, then obviously our business must be either to define or to distinguish, or to supply the intermediate premisses: for it is through these that the final conclusions are shown. 

 Aristotle, Topics VIII.3

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Anonymous
0 points
7 years ago

Shades of Northanger Abbey! Tell me Scone also has a chest filled with mysterious papers and an old housekeeper named Dorothy.

Are you a member of the National Trust for Scotland USA because you have Scottish ancestry? How does one become a member of a National Trust?

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branemrys
0 points
7 years ago

I wouldn't be surprised; Glamis and Scone are still lived-in castles.

The NTS USA is basically just a way to raise American funds for preserving Scottish historic sites. Most major Scottish historic and conservation sites are run either by Historic Scotland or by the National Trust for Scotland; the latter is a conservation charity. National Trust for Scotland USA is a distinct but affiliated charity -- basically a 'friends of NTS' organization that regularly hands over part of its membership dues and fundraising to NTS in exchange for the same benefits NTS members in Scotland get (including free admission to NTS-run sites like The Georgian House and Falkland Palace). You can just sign up on the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA website. They have different kinds of membership; individual membership is $65 a year. I signed up when it first was possible that we might be doing this trip -- I figured I'd see what it would allow, and even if it wasn't usable for the trip, I could just treat it as a donation for a good cause. (I probably only got back a third of it in free admission, but we also didn't organize the trip to focus on NTS properties.) And I do have Scottish ancestry, which, as you say, gives an additional reason. If you ever go to Scotland, the two handiest things to have are NTS access and a Historic Scotland pass.