Which Came First – The Chicken Or the Egg?

Are you familiar with the chicken and egg paradox?  Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

If you said the egg came first, how can that be because you need a chicken to lay the egg.  If the chicken came first, how can that be because it needs to hatch from an egg, which obviously would need to come from a chicken, which then …. yea it keeps cycling back and forth.

It is a very cool paradox, because thinking about it will make your head hurt.

Per Wikipedia, the history of this dilemma goes as this:

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History of the dilemma

Ancient references to the dilemma are found in the writings of classical philosophers. Their writings indicate that the proposed problem was perplexing to themselves and was commonly discussed by others of their time as well.

Aristotle (384–322 BC) was puzzled by the idea that there could be a first bird or egg and concluded that both the bird and egg must have always existed:

If there has been a first man he must have been born without father or mother – which is repugnant to nature. For there could not have been a first egg to give a beginning to birds, or there should have been a first bird which gave a beginning to eggs; for a bird comes from an egg.

The same he held good for all species, believing, with Plato, that everything before it appeared on earth had first its being in spirit.”^[2]

Plutarch (46–126 AD) referred to a hen rather than simply a bird. His is Moralia in the books titled “Table Talk” discussed a series of arguments based on questions posed in a symposium. Under the section entitled, “Whether the hen or the egg came first,” the discussion is introduced in such a way suggesting that the origin of the dilemma was even older:

…the problem about the egg and the hen, which of them came first, was dragged into our talk, a difficult problem which gives investigators much trouble. And Sulla my comrade said that with a small problem, as with a tool, we were rocking loose a great and heavy one, that of the creation of the world…”^[3]

Macrobius (395–423 AD), a Roman philosopher, found the problem to be interesting:

You jest about what you suppose to be a triviality, in asking whether the hen came first from an egg or the egg from a hen, but the point should be regarded as one of importance, one worthy of discussion, and careful discussion at that.”^[4]

Stephen Hawking and Christopher Langan argue that the egg came before the chicken, though the real importance of the question has faded since Darwin’s “On The Origin Of Species” and the accompanying Theory of Evolution, under which the egg must have come first.^[5][6]

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Now we today have real life Chicken vs Egg references.  See this example below:

• Fear of a recession causes people to spend less, which reduces demand, causing a recession.
• Fear of violence/war can make people more defensive/violent, the resulting tension/violence will cause more fear (see security dilemma).
• More jobs cause more consumption, which requires more production, and thus more jobs.
• IPv6 content is not widely provided because of lack of support, but ISPs do not provide IPv6 support because of lack of content.
• An increase in production to feed a growing population leads only to a further increase in population.
• An actor cannot join the actor’s union unless he has played a role in a union film, but a non-union actor cannot get a role in a union film because he isn’t in the union.

Pretty interesting, right?  Welcome to Egg.

Source

Recipes for the soul. [and for the gut]

Stepping outside of the box, the traditional blog post you would find here, as part of life, comfort food is something almost all of us, whatever interests, culture or backgrounds we originate from. So for whatever it is you do, here’s a list of some of the best tasting stuff I’ve made for events I’ve been to in recent months. Note that I did not create any of these recipes, but only compiled those that I’ve made in the past which everyone enjoyed. For the ones people did not enjoy, please leave a comment of request.

So, why not start with dessert?

Root Beer Float cookies (with root beer glaze) – average time 15 minutes (depending on oven)

http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/07/root-beer-float-cookies.html

With or without the glaze, served soft and warm, these are very relaxing. You can take a couple or down 10 and you’ll still feel satisfied. Hardly filling and taste very well like a root beer float. I recommend adding way more powdered/confectioner’s sugar, enough to make the glaze gooey that dries sort of shell like. Following the recipe will make a more watery and runny glaze.

Puppy Chow (with peanut butter) – average time 20 minutes

http://www.recipezaar.com/9370

Something about Puppy Chow, especially with peanut butter. Not quite sure what it is, but tons of people I know can’t stop eating this, even when they start to get sick. Please, do not feed to any actual animals, especially puppies and dogs.

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke dip – average time 35 minutes

http://www.recipezaar.com/1209

This is a great appetizer for people who want something that tastes great but makes them feel like they’re eating healthy. Great for parties or small hang out sessions, LAN parties, you name it. You can set it to cook in the oven and go for a few frags against your buddies or get the house ready for a movie night. Also, a nice versatile dish for vegetarians, instead of platters of meats.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (with bacon!!) – average time 35 minutes

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/04/recipe-update-easy-chicken-cordon-bleu.html

For something that sounds so fancy, the flexibility of this dish is invaluable. As the recipe page mentions, you can quickly prepare the ingredients in 5-10 minutes and freeze it over night and save it for later in the week. Great for kids and family dinners, and come on. What carnivore doesn’t love bacon?

God speed, and Best wishes. (and bon appetit!)

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