Is a Stapler still a "Stapler" if it is incapable of stapling?

[Prawblems]

wat

[There]

Since there is no universally accepted definition, the question is basically open to personal interpretation. As for me, I believe an object is defined by its function, and not outward appearance. If something looks like a cell phone, but is unable to even turn on (because you dropped it in the pool or something), then I believe that object is no longer a cell phone. if I use that object to hold papers from being blown away by the wind, then it becomes a paperweight. Since I am a person of action, this definition has worked best for me, and continues to work. Each is entitled to his or her own opinion.

 

Thus, to answer the question, I do not believe a stapler is still a stapler if it is incapable of stapling.

 

You're joking, right? If a cell phone is off, is it no longer a cell phone? If a stapler does not have staples in it, is it no longer a stapler? I'd would honestly be surprised if you referred to a broken cell phone as something other than a cell phone IRL.

[wallywalrus_]

holy fuck, you just blew my mind

[~shenanigans]

You're joking, right? If a cell phone is off, is it no longer a cell phone? If a stapler does not have staples in it, is it no longer a stapler? I'd would honestly be surprised if you referred to a broken cell phone as something other than a cell phone IRL.

A cell phone that is off does not mean the cell phone is broken. If I am an educated person, and let us assume that I am, the first response I would have to a cell phone that is not working is to try to turn it on. If that does not work, I would try to charge the phone, then turn it on. If it still does not work, I would say the phone is probably broken. Because the phone is beyond a point at which I can repair, since I am not a phone technician, I would not think of it as a phone. My definition of a phone is an object which, among other things, is able to make calls. If a phone is broken and can no longer do that, it loses its defining function. I may still call it "phone" or "ex-phone" for ease of classification, but i could not use this "ex-phone" to make a call. I could, however, use the "ex-phone" as a paperweight.

[There]

A cell phone that is off does not mean the cell phone is broken. If I am an educated person, and let us assume that I am, the first response I would have to a cell phone that is not working is to try to turn it on. If that does not work, I would try to charge the phone, then turn it on. If it still does not work, I would say the phone is probably broken. Because the phone is beyond a point at which I can repair, since I am not a phone technician, I would not think of it as a phone. My definition of a phone is an object which, among other things, is able to make calls. If a phone is broken and can no longer do that, it loses its defining function. I may still call it "phone" or "ex-phone" for ease of classification, but i could not use this "ex-phone" to make a call. I could, however, use the "ex-phone" as a paperweight.

 

When a phone is off, it cannot make phone calls. What is the difference between pressing a button to power-on the device and opening the device and doing weird tech shit to make it work again? For some people, not a huge difference. 

 

So, when a phone is powered off or broken, it:

 

1) Cannot make calls.

2) Some work must be done before it can make calls once again.  (or maybe for the first time, who knows )

 

The level of expertise required to press a button vs opening a phone and doing weird tech shit is different, but each do require a level of skill, coordination, etc.

[~shenanigans]

When a phone is off, it cannot make phone calls. What is the difference between pressing a button to power-on the device and opening the device and doing weird tech shit to make it work again? For some people, not a huge difference. 

 

So, when a phone is powered off or broken, it:

 

1) Cannot make calls.

2) Some work must be done before it can make calls once again.  (or maybe for the first time, who knows )

 

The level of expertise required to press a button vs opening a phone and doing weird tech shit is different, but each do require a level of skill, coordination, etc.

 

The thing here is, what people consider broken. My definition of broken is that it cannot be fixed by my knowledge, and must be repaired by a professional or discarded. Like I've said before, an object's essence may be different for everyone, so you may not agree with my opinion.

 

Thus, when the phone is beyond a state that I can get it to make a phone call, it is broken and no longer becomes a phone.

[There]

The thing here is, what people consider broken. My definition of broken is that it cannot be fixed by my knowledge, and must be repaired by a professional or discarded. Like I've said before, an object's essence may be different for everyone, so you may not agree with my opinion.

 

Thus, when the phone is beyond a state that I can get it to make a phone call, it is broken and no longer becomes a phone.

 

Hmm. Say you're a car mechanic. You accidentally drive your car into a pole. The car will not start, but you know you can fix it. Is the car broken? 

[»BiGB☆Y«]

[There]

If said mind has been blown, is it still a mind? I think that depends on your definition of blown. 

[Rhys13th]

If said mind has been blown, is it still a mind? I think that depends on your definition of blown. 

 

Consider your mind like my penis: Blown.

[~shenanigans]

Hmm. Say you're a car mechanic. You accidentally drive your car into a pole. The car will not start, but you know you can fix it. Is the car broken? 

If I were a car mechanic, and the crash is severe enough that the car can no longer function as a car (transport people from one place to another), then I would call it broken. I can then proceed to fix the car with my mechanic knowledge, in which case it returns to being a car. I guess I should amend my previous post, since a powered off phone isn't really a phone, but once I power it on it becomes a potential phone. Other factors that affect it include cellular reception, minutes left in the service, etc.

 

If I were given a saxophone, and since I do not possess the knowledge of how to play said instrument, it would be nothing more than a fancy piece of metal in my hands. Should I give it to my talented jazz-playing friend, he would be able to utilize the saxophone and play music. I would say that in his hands, the fancy metal becomes the instrument known as a saxophone, but in my hands it remains as metal.By the same example, if a luddite picked up a perfectly normal but powered off phone, he would not know it to be a phone as much as it is a block of something. In which case, even if he is holding what normally would be considered a phone, it is not a phone to him.

 

To summarize, my position is that function defines an object's identity. A collection of printed words on sheets of paper, bound by a seam would be considered a book. A collection of printed characters on papyrus, bound by a string, can also be considered a book, if it serves the function of being intended for reading. If, however, I do not understand the characters, then it would not be classified as a book by me. Anything that is able to staple, including things like my stapler/tape dispenser combo apparatus, can be classified as a stapler. Something which cannot staple, like a brick, is not a stapler.