Is there no such thing as a fish? | QI - BBC

Stephen Fry asks unanswerable questions about hoaxes, with Sean Lock, David Mitchell, Danny Baker and Alan Davies.

[josemaria]

Sean Lock might have just been the newest exponent of german idealism with his theory of fish-concept preceding the existence of a fish-object

[brigitkarlsen]

I would love to understand the process of pairing the yellow

[KristopherBel]

I didn't know Ryan George did a fish skit.

[sandbergius]

The thing with studies is: if done correctly, the result will always be a simple yes or no or a very simple statement to the initial question. Most people expect a complex and complicated answer, but no, it's often very disenchanting. :)

[RobertFallon]

The question becomes one of semantics—but not in the pejorative sense. In the late medieval period, it was a central concern and was called the question of universals. Does “fish” exist at all, or do only specific types exist? If you’re like Gould, you’re a nominalist, claiming that there is no reality to “fish” beyond it being a name, a mere word.

[bxlis]

what we eat is fish the rest is up the discussion

[vvv]

in some languages counterpart of word "fish" is reserved only for vertebrates: cyclostomata and pisces.
So it is only the issue of English language, where nearly all marine creatures are something-fish 🙂

[SaltBayGull]

I reckon if you're going to say "there's no such thing as a fish, the category is meaningless" then you forever give up your right to say "A starfish isn't really a fish, technically".

[thefrom]

Is this what bigtugg was talking about?

[nothanks]

Why is this the only channel uploading QI clips that has closed captioning available?

[GGGriggs]

This being uploaded after Trout Lady goes viral...

[martingonzalez]

I major in biology and took some ecology classes, and I have to say I dislike the idea of no such thing is as a fish. Even for the laymen its easy to explain the difference between a starfish and what we perceive as a fish. I think if it has gills and no legs or arms then its a fish. From a taxonomic standpoint, one additional way to describe them as belonging to the infraphyla agnatha, gnathostomata, and excluding the classes Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Mammalia.

[sstills]

We should go by smell then. If it smells like a fish, it's a fish. A flying lizard isn't going to smell like bumblebee or a vulture. But a hagfish is going to smell like swordfish. I am really just writing this to lead into a nasty joke about something else that may smell like fish, but on 2nd thought I think I will spare the reader the revolt.

[russbuttypennyblackblade]

Watch & share this explosive edition of the most banned broadcast in the world:

[blackbird]

Its too funny they get wrapped up in this odd issue of definition. There's fish, of course there's fish, perch, trout, salmon, they're all fish. So sorry Fry, fish exist.🐟🐬🦈