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Curious
Half-elven
Jul 12 2010, 10:32pm
Views: 1155
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that you were arguing that anything was definite, I said that there is weak support for such an argument. Thank you for confirming that is not your argument. Apparently you are simply arguing that there is room for an interpretation that Faramir was tempted and Aragorn was not. I'm okay with that as one of the possibilities, although I think that to the extent anyone was tempted, it had more to do with their internal desires than the power of the Ring. Unfortunately, the language you use when interpreting Faramir's motives seems rather, er, definite. Faramir, on the other hand, has only just realised what "the answer to all the riddles" is. His response is immediate and spontaneous, and there's no reason whatsoever for him to think this is an appropriate moment to jest with the hobbits, or mislead them in any way. If he finds himself blurting out his thoughts about having the hobbits in his power, then I see no reason to believe those thoughts aren't sincere.
That doesn't leave room for other interpretations. While you could be right about Faramir's internal thought process, we aren't privy to it. We do know that Faramir has a very good guess at the nature of "Isildur's Bane," which he has thought about for many months, with good reason. He's a smart cookie, and I don't think he is surprised by Sam's revelation that the dark instrument in question happens to take the form of a ring. The revelation only confirms what he has already guessed. He's been duelling Frodo with words, and he's well aware of the hobbits' distrust, yet he wants to impress upon them that they are in his power. So he plays with them yet again, briefly implying that he may take the Ring. But it is brief, and he quickly changes his tune -- so quickly and easily that it is not clear he was ever tempted in the first place. After all, if he was really tempted, what stopped him? Not the hobbits, to be sure. At least I think there is room for that alternative interpretation of the scene. I just don't think we know whether or not Faramir was truly tempted. What I am arguing elsewhere is that if he was tempted, or if anyone who did not bear the Ring was tempted to take it, it was not because the Ring manipulated people from afar, but because it is normal to be tempted by an object as powerful as the Ring. (Although in the case of Smeagol, I think he would have been just as tempted by an ordinary piece of gold.)
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Subject
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User
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Time
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why was Faramir not tempted by the Ring?
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TheNazgul
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Jul 12 2010, 5:11am
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Faramir was more aware of the dangers of absolute power
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elostirion74
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Jul 12 2010, 6:52am
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What makes you so sure
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FarFromHome
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Jul 12 2010, 9:07am
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I disagree.
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 12:14pm
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Disagreeing with disagreement :)
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CuriousG
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Jul 12 2010, 12:37pm
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I would say
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 3:28pm
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The Nine Kings were not necessarily "corrupt" in the beginning
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squire
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Jul 12 2010, 4:56pm
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As ringbearers,
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 5:11pm
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Elrond's weakness is revealed
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FarFromHome
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Jul 20 2010, 1:03pm
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Excellent point
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CuriousG
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Jul 20 2010, 1:23pm
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Completing the set
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squire
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Jul 20 2010, 4:19pm
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The Ring starts with the good natures, then leads to evil
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CuriousG
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Jul 13 2010, 1:44pm
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Sam was wearing the Ring
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 3:10pm
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"So no, the Ring didn't corrupt Boromir."
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squire
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Jul 13 2010, 3:24pm
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I was simply repeating
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 3:32pm
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I do agree with this distinction
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CuriousG
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Jul 13 2010, 3:55pm
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It's possible
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 4:16pm
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Saruman and Denethor were never close to the Ring
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 13 2010, 5:52pm
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That's a good point.
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 7:16pm
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background
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Arwen Skywalker
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Jul 13 2010, 8:00pm
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It is precisely because
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 8:15pm
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So simple
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squire
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Jul 13 2010, 6:38pm
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I'm dubious too!
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 7:31pm
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Yes, desire for the Ring
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Curious
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Jul 14 2010, 11:21am
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Sam was not wearing the Ring
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dernwyn
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Jul 15 2010, 2:30am
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Okay, but Sam was
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Curious
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Jul 15 2010, 3:25am
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Bearing vs. wearing
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dernwyn
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Jul 15 2010, 11:34am
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Wearing is different anyway
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FarFromHome
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Jul 15 2010, 12:33pm
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Do you mean,
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dernwyn
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Jul 15 2010, 4:13pm
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mmmmm
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Curious
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Jul 15 2010, 5:56pm
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Good point.//
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Curious
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Jul 15 2010, 1:50pm
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Clear as...
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FarFromHome
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Jul 15 2010, 9:23am
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I love your Ring/donut comparison!
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dernwyn
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Jul 15 2010, 10:36am
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Faramir's reaction
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elostirion74
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Jul 12 2010, 4:40pm
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Why wasn't anyone other than Boromir and Gollum tempted by the Ring?
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 12:30pm
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Aragorn, Faramir, Gandalf, Galadriel and Sam are all tempted by the Ring
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Voronwë_the_Faithful
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Jul 12 2010, 1:30pm
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One's reaction to the Temptation of the Ring
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 12 2010, 1:49pm
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To take that analogy further,
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 8:09pm
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So much better
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 3:13pm
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What is temptation?
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FarFromHome
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Jul 12 2010, 4:06pm
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What is magical temptation?
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 4:33pm
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magical temptation
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elostirion74
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Jul 12 2010, 5:04pm
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Hmm.
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 6:21pm
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The function of the Palantirs
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elostirion74
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Jul 13 2010, 6:48am
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It's possible
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 11:45am
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The One Ring's functions are more complex.
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 12 2010, 5:07pm
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So you agree that Faramir was not tempted?
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 6:24pm
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I would say that he had the resolve to resist whatever the temptation was.
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 12 2010, 7:20pm
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What you describe
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 8:04pm
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Elrond says otherwise
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squire
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Jul 12 2010, 8:32pm
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I see no contradiction.
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 9:04pm
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No point in tempting other hobbits
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CuriousG
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Jul 13 2010, 1:26pm
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I guess you mean
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FarFromHome
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Jul 12 2010, 2:02pm
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I don't understand why you think that Aragorn was not tempted by the Ring
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Voronwë_the_Faithful
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Jul 12 2010, 2:09pm
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You mean at the Prancing Pony?
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FarFromHome
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Jul 12 2010, 3:36pm
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I don't see a basis
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 8:13pm
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Well, I do see a basis
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FarFromHome
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Jul 12 2010, 9:40pm
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I didn't say
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 10:32pm
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I agree with
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FarFromHome
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Jul 13 2010, 8:35am
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"I agree, but ..."
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 11:57am
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Got to quibble.
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FarFromHome
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Jul 14 2010, 1:27pm
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"I do not think that Frodo's was a moral failure."
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Curious
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Jul 14 2010, 2:06pm
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Thanks for the quote
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FarFromHome
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Jul 14 2010, 5:31pm
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I think I give up.
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Curious
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Jul 14 2010, 6:37pm
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Magic vs. mechanical devices
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CuriousG
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Jul 14 2010, 6:20pm
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The Rise of the PCs:
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 14 2010, 6:31pm
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No, I meant what I said, but
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 3:42pm
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The Ring Tempts: Individuals react: It is a test
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 12 2010, 3:52pm
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It's remarkably ineffective, then.
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 4:03pm
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A remarkable set of test subjects:
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 12 2010, 4:50pm
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Are the hobbits that exceptional?
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 4:59pm
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Hobbits are exceptional: at least Gandalf says that they are remarkable
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 12 2010, 7:23pm
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Then it is the non-hobbits who are not exceptional?
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 7:53pm
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Those in the story that are in the position to be tempted by the One Ring
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 12 2010, 9:25pm
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The hobbits do not violate the principle of only high powers being tempted by the Ring
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squire
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Jul 12 2010, 10:21pm
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There is also the temptation
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 10:46pm
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It is precisely because they are exceptional that they are
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Curious
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Jul 12 2010, 10:40pm
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Isildur?
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Hamfast Gamgee
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Jul 13 2010, 8:46am
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Isildur is a ringbearer.
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 12:00pm
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Denethor and temptation
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PhantomS
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Jul 12 2010, 2:25pm
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The All Purpose Ring of Wonder: It does everything its creator wanted it to do.
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 13 2010, 7:50am
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"Temptation" defined
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CuriousG
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Jul 13 2010, 1:54pm
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Tolkien said
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Curious
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Jul 13 2010, 3:25pm
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He was
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xy
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Jul 13 2010, 5:53pm
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Gimli, Legolas or Merry and Pippin weren't apparently tempted
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 13 2010, 6:19pm
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well
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xy
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Jul 13 2010, 6:32pm
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Isn't there a difference
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Curious
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Jul 14 2010, 11:16am
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Free will and determinism are both equally true. It is the great paradox.
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 14 2010, 11:57am
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Maybe.
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Curious
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Jul 14 2010, 12:05pm
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So I concede that the ring is very powerful
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Kangi Ska
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Jul 14 2010, 12:26pm
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Possibly.
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Curious
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Jul 14 2010, 1:53pm
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How does that work?
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squire
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Jul 14 2010, 3:11pm
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You think Galadriels' tranformation
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Curious
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Jul 14 2010, 4:34pm
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I'm willing to contemplate that we are getting nowhere
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squire
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Jul 14 2010, 5:16pm
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Why do you think Legolas and Gimli
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Curious
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Jul 14 2010, 6:25pm
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wait...
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xy
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Jul 15 2010, 3:09pm
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Apparently everyone agrees with you.
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Curious
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Jul 15 2010, 4:02pm
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innocence
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PhantomS
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Jul 14 2010, 5:33pm
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