The Poker Incident.
In October 1946 Karl Popper was a guest speaker at the Cambridge Moral Science Club at King's College.
He was delivering a talk on 'Are there any philosophical problems?', to which his answer was, briefly, yes.
Ludwig Wittgenstein, not widely known for his tolerance of other people, or his genteel social skills, is variedly reported as:
- Picking up a poker
- Waving a poker
- Waving a poker rather threateningly at Karl Popper.
Bertrand Russell was also present. This means that, amongst other academics, three of the most eminent philosophers of the twentieth century were present in a small room in Cambridge, yet no one can come up with definitive view of what happened.
Perhaps the most notable exchange of that evening was when Wittgenstein (allegedly) asked for an example of a moral rule, and Popper replied "Not to threaten visiting lecturers with pokers."
After this Wittgenstein was variedly reported as:
- Walking out
- Storming out
- Throwing down the poker, and barging out of the door slamming it shut behind him.
If anyone can find a moral in this I'd be glad to hear it.