Octavious, I think you went full retard.

Best clearly doesn't mean healthiest in this context. The word best encompasses all attributes of the fruit. Considering taste, nutrient content, prevalence, ease to grow, ease to prepare, aftertaste, aesthetic value, colour and pest control, it is obvious that the best fruit is the orange.

PE, I did object at the time, and nobody listened to me because there was no reason to. I can, however, make my point again with my vote, and that is what I intend on doing. The Homeric works are better and more influential, but I really like Adams and I take issue with Homer's definition as an author. I'm allowed a vote, and this is what I'm doing with it. It's very possible I'll vote for Homer in later rounds against authors I don't particularly like, and you can pull a krellin and call me a hypocrite.

"if your favorite author isn't also an author you think is the best, i don't know what you do with your time that you find fruitful."

"Like, look, I get that everyone has different opinions, but if you vote Adams just because you enjoyed reading his books more than the Iliad in school, you're a bit of a short-sighted person."

You're contradicting yourself there. If I had voted for Adams because I don't like Homer, I'd be rather annoyed at you.

Although I have to say this whole author competition has been absurd (I mean Camus-level absurd) from the beginning to the end. I'm surprised Jacqueline Wilson hasn't won it after you guys vote out Homer because he's not an author and Tolstoy because "I sure loved Feet of Clay more than War and Peace". This thread is going to hell with all of your souls.

The difference is that "Best" may be based on a variety of factors, such as influence, popularity, morality, technical ability, and so on, and everyone defines it slightly differently. "Favourite", on the other hand, is based entirely on personal preference. For example, depending on how you define best, bread might be the best food, because it has been incredibly important to the development of humanity, but that doesn't mean it also has to be your favourite food.

Never mind, I think I missed a few posts between what I was replying to and when I actually posted.

Make that several posts.

But the best food is clearly chicken, and it is also my favorite food.

You're confusing best with being an objective word. If you think that bread is the best food, then it's your favourite. If your favourite food is ice cream, you clearly think it's the best (your most favourited). How is this a difficult concept to grasp?

That's just plain wrong. Like I said, everyone defines "best" differently, and there's plenty of room for it to not overlap with "favourite".

You're not thinking four dimensionally. My favorite author fluctuates based on what I am currently reading. It's a shift scale based on mood life events and what I've read in the past. On any given day my favorite author will be the one whose books I am looking forward most to reading next. That hardly means I would consider them an objective "best" author. Would I choose to have the complete collection of Homer over the complete collection of Douglas Adams on a desert island, hells bells, yes. But that doesn't mean I'm going to vote for him in the context of this tournament. With infinite time, Homer far outstrips Adams, but that's not how I've been voting nor how I will continue to vote.

"PE, I did object at the time, and nobody listened to me because there was no reason to."

Ah, ok, gotcha.

"My favorite author fluctuates based on what I am currently reading."

You clearly don't understand favorite.

"Favourite" is a matter of preference, and preference can fluctuate, so why can't one's favourite author fluctuate?

What I am saying is that it's a special madness not to align your "favorite" with what you honestly judge to be best.

The best news magazine I know of is the Economist. The Economist also happens to be my favorite news magazine. Coincidence??? lmao. Come on.

Anyway, removing the stupid semantics, what I am asking you to do is stop for a second and think a little more broadly. If we are voting here to elect an author that speaks for us as a forum, I think we would be poorly served not to vote for someone truly notable and rich.

Douglas Adams is... light. Even his fans have to admit that. He doesn't inspire the kind of passion Homer has. We should be voting for someone truly great, not glorified popcorn lit.

I think Adams is a bit better than you're giving him credit for. Authorship issues aside, I'd still be voting Homer over most people.

Plus, it doesn't matter because Vergil's gonna win anyway, and he's very notable and rich.

I'm still hoping for Byron to beat Virgil. He's also "very notable and rich", and as a plus, his work is in a language that I can actually read.

Douglas Adams is a brilliant satirist, Thucy, in the vein of Jonathan Swift.

I know, I'm just downplaying him in comparison to Homer. It's too bad the guy had to face one of the top 10 greatest writers ever.

@obi,

"I'll use Christie for my point here, as I think she fits well--

"The thing with Christie is that there's something of a pre-set formula to the detective story. You can fiddle with that formula (and she does) but still, having that formula pre-set for you allows you to churn out works faster."

Christie fiddled with it to the point of changing the genre, at times. "Endless Night" and "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" and "And Then There Were None" are good examples.

If Adams managed to beat Homer, it would be Homeric.

Is the vote still open? ##VOTE Homer

adams: 8
homer: 9

No need to fight.

"Best" can have a lot of meanings, personal or by some set standard.

"Favourite" is personal, though. You can judge your favourite by your standard, but you can't tell me what my definition of favourite is, or what my favourite is. Well, you could, but then you'd be an idiot.

My definition of favourite fiction could be the best read I've had balanced with what it took to get that book to where it is - Homer or whomever. Someone else's definition of a favourite fiction book might be the colour of the binding, typeface, or the introduction. That's a legitimate definition of favourite, too. You might not like it, but that's not your choice.

All of your opinions are wrong and I'm right about everything I've ever said. Also, I'm the smartest and wisest person on the forum.

God bless

^And I'm the most concise...if only I quoted Dead White Guys a bit more...

Like that English dude, the one who wrote all those funny-sounding plays.

Homer wins, I believe?

Yep. Congratulations are in order to the ancient Greeks.

Yep, Homer comes from behind late to beat Douglas Adams 9-8.

But more importantly tonight...

THE ANAHEIM DUCKS CAME BACK FROM 2 GOALS DOWN WITH 3 MINUTES TO PLAY TO SCORE ONCE! TWICE! AND THEN THRICE IN OVERTIME TO WIN 5-4 AND TAKE THE SERIES FROM THE DALLAS STARS...AND NOW IT'S ON TO THE SECOND ROUND TO PLAY THE WINNER OF THE SHARKS/KINGS MATCH-UP! #GODUCKSGO! #WEWANTTHECUP!

Or, as Homer would say, "WOO HOO!"

...Well, *a* Homer says that, anyway. :p