Flaws in Karl's reasoning: Difference between revisions

From [[Main_Page|Pilkipedia]], the Karl Pilkington encyclopaedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Reverted edits by Simonus (Talk); changed back to last version by ArtVandelay13)
Line 11: Line 11:
Pretty much all of [[Monkey News]] also fits this description.
Pretty much all of [[Monkey News]] also fits this description.


==Valuing the interesting over the true==
==Valueing the interesting over the true==
Karl is seldom interested in whether a fact is true or not - he tends to believe things if they interest him, if they're "a bit weird". As such he's usually scpetical of any of [[Ricky Gervais|Ricky]] and [[Stephen Merchant|Steve]]'s facts, but completely credulous when it comes to any ghost stories off the internet.
Karl is seldom interested in whether a fact is true or not - he tends to believe things if they interest him, if they're "a bit weird". As such he's usually scpetical of any of [[Ricky Gervais|Ricky]] and [[Stephen Merchant|Steve]]'s facts, but completely credulous when it comes to any ghost stories off the internet.



Revision as of 21:22, 25 March 2009

As we know, Karl has a rather idiosyntratic view of the world. His understanding usually falls down for one, or many, of the following reasons:

Inability to see the bigger picture

Karl is particularly quick to dismiss things without considering how they are applied. For example, he dismissed Newton's explanation of gravity with, "if we were floating around, I'd be worried about it".

Looking at everything in relation to himself

More specifically, Karl fails to consider how things may affect people other than himself - as evidenced by the quote: "MC squared (sic), I've never used it, whereas the guy who invented the video, I watch one a day."

Applying human characteristics and consciousness to everything

Karl has a tendency to anthropomorphise. The main reason he can't get his head around the Infinite monkey theorem, is that he can't get over the idea of monkeys not understanding Shakespeare. Similarly, many discussions of creatures include the line "whoever made them...". Pretty much all of Monkey News also fits this description.

Valueing the interesting over the true

Karl is seldom interested in whether a fact is true or not - he tends to believe things if they interest him, if they're "a bit weird". As such he's usually scpetical of any of Ricky and Steve's facts, but completely credulous when it comes to any ghost stories off the internet.

Fear of variety

Karl has an unusual obsession with cutting down waste and variety on the planet. He is continually trying to cut down the number of animals, people, plants, shops, etc. This was most promiment in the Do We Need 'Em? feature.

Lack of thoroughness

Karl tends not to investigate his stories and facts too deeply, believing that the headline gives you all you need to know. As a result, he often misses the flaws which Ricky and Steve pick up on, and he is usually unable to answer any questions they might have.

Extrapolation

The above leads to a lot of gaps in Karl's stories, and in filling them his imagination runs wild. A lot of the more outlandish stories in the shows have come from Karl's guesswork or wishful thinking.