When will this suffer from over experiences we the machine we will be intact and none of us can fail. Therefore it is to bad such attitudes is seen as far to rugged for our government sake

Very profound in a witty comical way. He was a true master!

Thanks, beautifully read!

Should I comment on a 10 year old video to compliment, and thank, the reader for doing such a wonderful job? Yes

Both Bradbury's wonderful Illustrated Man anthology and the excellent subsequent movie adaption inspired my creation of the shared-world anthology, SHA'DAA: INKED. www.amazon.com/ShaDaa-Inked-Michael-H-Hanson/dp/1943690111?fbclid=IwAR25ZYMPPgO2rXq_CBjmJzjS7FoHVCRaON9m7QbuWvoHND1vlYGU5PaTpvI

Dads making me read this because he hates me

If neither man nor machine "creates" anything (because they are guided by external influence) - then what does create?

Poorly done.

Sad to dee so few new comments here. Are these great works of the masters like twain doomed to go by the wayside?. I don't worship things just because they're old but this one was so far ahead of his time it reminds me of the neuroscientist Steven Pinker and what he says about genes. It's all in the genes.

Thanks for sharing the debate... "Man is even as steel, the essence of which is hidden: through admonition and explanation, good counsel and education, that essence will be brought to light. If, however, he be allowed to remain in his original condition, the corrosion of lusts and appetites will effectively destroy him.” ~Baha'i Faith

when he does the female voice it kills me

when he does the female voice it kills me

He would not have done so if it does not first secure his own spiritual comfort.

can´t tell the difference between the 2 voices.

Its a shame this guy couldn't SLOW DOWN and actually make the two voices different - a lot of this is rushed, despite being a great debate.

Downloadable at LibriVox.org :D

I think I know who that man was "wink wink"

Thanks for sharing.

Good outside influence ;) love looking at the world different

he was an atheist, in the USA that was abnormal in those days

Your words are as empty as your soul. Mankind ill needs a saviour such as you!

a miserable little pile of secrets

I don't know if Sam Clemens ever met Oscar Wilde, but I wonder what their conversation would be like? LOL!!

It was not meant to be 'pretentious' or make you feel contrast of any sort Jairo? I was expressing myself in the best way I knew/know. Peace <3

joo haz gud vocaboolary :|

He's referring to the TLC cable show called "Miami Ink" which was renamed for a few episodes to "Miami Skin Illustrations," but the show's producers went back to "Miami Ink," since the longer title didn't fit Comcast's On Demand interface based on complaints by Comcast-addicted TV whores. He's right, this is the scene from The Illustrated Man that spurred 'Miami Ink's producers to want to change the name of the popular tattoo reality series to 'Miami Skin Illustrations,' but fans didn't like it.

No wonder people hated Mark Twain; he's a god damn genius.

The beauty of it though, once one (ego) gets though 'the perceived selfishness' of self approval is that the more one evolves and becomes a joy-seeking being and truly loves the 'self' (which simultaneously becomes aware it is 'non-self' and in effect 'all') the more natural and benevolent it becomes and is more likely to serve and help others, albeit still through 'self-serving' conscience appeasement.

I really enjoy the way this has been acted.

Yes. It is a simple idea but one with implications that strikes blows at the egotistic edifice constructed by many who, whether stated publicly or not, deem themselves especially righteous in deed because they act with "others in mind".

So... Is Twain essentially saying that "People only do things for themselves"?

ty :)

This was referenced by my college minority groups professor. You did a great job.

This is the first time I've come across Mr Twain's work, (I'd only heard his name) thanks for making this available!

Thank you! What a wonderful thing to say :) Believe me, it's entirely inadvertent. If you look at my other stuff, it's all original creative products -- this was for a 10th grade English class because we read Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver. I really wish now that I had been asked to include citations for all the images because several people have asked where I found some of the more shocking ones and I can't find them through Google searches anymore.

I was linked to this video by my anthropology professor, just thought you might like to know you created something good enough that it's being referenced by college professors 6 years later!

When purpose is everything to someone, or their culture in more general terms, what more reason need there be? When the presence or absence of purpose is the sole cause, there is no need for drive, it is simply the next step in the chain of cause and effect.Obviously it's an exceptional cause, especially in Western Culture, however that does not deem it an impossibility.

Suicide in many is caused by an imbalance of neuro transmitters. SSRI drugs like Paxil and Prozac induce suicide. As to altruism, I have seen it in dogs. Dog is god spelled backwards and just the opposite. Perhaps it is an instinct but it is altruism none the less. Humans evolved to be for the most part Machiavellian. Mitt Romney would be a prime example of that. If there is a god is it most certainly evil and deserves to be destroyed.

Thank you for doing this.

I'm a pale face and found this funny too.

@Rebdomeine23. I disagree with your assessment of suicide. I do not believe that a lack of purpose alone can drive a person to suicide. Suicide is a choice. Some are to avoid pain (physical or psychological). Some suicide attempts are to gain attention. I think that you can easily explain suicide in the framework explained by Twain in this essay. A lack of purpose only indicates that the person does not see strong positive advantages to living; this is only part of the equation.

lol 'a wreck', not 'erect'

You had to watch THIS video? What class/where?

Naw, it's chill, don't worry about it

Don't be such a nit picker, I for one very much enjoyed this reading and thank the gentleman for his efforts to bring the wisdom of Mr Clemens to a wider and hopefully a younger audience. My God they need it! if fact we all need it.

I had to watch this video for class, wtf did I just watch?

Well it's my Twain in old age impression. When the Young Man is talking, that's my regular voice. Two characters are speaking, so the Young Man has my regular speaking voice and the Old Man has my Twain impression (which also wavers at times). It's not focused on sounding southern so much as distinctive. Sorry if you had difficulty understanding it, but it also wouldn't make sense to do the whole thing in one voice.

An interesting theory. But not what Twain argues in this essay.

The recording not tje song

Mark Twain stated that humans and all other animals are mere machines (the former only being a more complex one). However a rat, an ape, a dog, a cat - whatever, will never seek purpose. Perfectly fit, healthy men and women often kill themselves when they conclude there is NO PURPOSE in living. No animal - ever has killed itself due to being utterly confused and anxious about its very existence. Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going? - these questions are INNATE in ALL of us.