tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52270746926417875352024-03-12T19:15:37.878-07:00Searching for MeaningDr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-74443423697288302932021-04-23T19:29:00.000-07:002021-04-23T19:29:03.022-07:00Thinking through the Imagination<p> <span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: medium;"><b>Aesthetics in human cognition (Pt. 1)</b></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oBdc4bCQHrk/YEXQZjv657I/AAAAAAAAHOg/_18hDY-pREouYquzOPoqWB0w13xIqvhQACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210308_171621.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1320" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oBdc4bCQHrk/YEXQZjv657I/AAAAAAAAHOg/_18hDY-pREouYquzOPoqWB0w13xIqvhQACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210308_171621.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Human imagination</b></span></span></div>Human imagination is an essential element of the human psyche, it empowers us to interpret artworks, create music, envision the future and enables science to continue progressing in order to improve our lives. Above all it is a unique aspect of our humanity: as a thinking process it facilitates the interaction of <b>sense</b>, <b>emotion</b>, and <b>creativity,</b> fostering fertile ground where new ideas and forms of human endeavour can grow and flourish. </span></span>It has the power to transcend beyond our <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">embodied existence</span></b>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>In modern Western culture <span style="color: #3d85c6;">imagination </span>has often been marginalised in favour of pure reason and embodied sensual experience. Too often the imagination has been relegated to mere fantasy and emotionalism. This notion can be traced back to Socrates's suggestion that imaginative poetry does not enliven but rather corrupts young minds. Modernism has separated affective and <b>emotional components of cognition </b>from the logical, analytic, and rational processes of thought. This emphasis on separation can be largely attributed to <span style="color: #3d85c6;">Descartes</span>' 'Meditations' in a type of mind-body dualism which underpins much of Western modernist thought. This is what became known as <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Cartesian mentalism</span></b> that represented thought as an abstract mental impression of the natural world as experienced by, but separated from our embodied sensibilities. Thus, in </span></span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Western Enlightenment thinking</span>, <span style="font-family: inherit;">there is a disjunction of sensibility and understanding; a dualism of body and mind.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><b>Thinking through </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>It must be emphasised that the outgrowth of imagination in Western thought has remained an enigma but is essentially a part of a process of<b> '<i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">thinking through</span></i>' </b>conscious experience<b>.</b> </span></span>The German philosopher, <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Immanuel Kant, in his '<b>Critique of pure Reason</b>', initiated a radical departure from this separation of sense and understanding, or reason and imagination. Although Kant highlighted the 'imaginative imperative' he failed to realise imagination's full creative potential. Moreover, he failed to understand its central role in creativity. </span></span>The natural world has order and continuity and, as such, gives certainty, which enables us to make inferences, such as predictive inferences, about what is and what can be. Thus, human embodied experience is fertile ground for the growth of abstract conceptualisations to grow. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Carrying across</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Abstract conceptualisations are characterised by spacial, temporal, and visceral relations. For example, analogies and </span><span>metaphors play a vital role in human construction of imaginative concepts and abstract meaning. For example, <b>metaphor </b>and <b>analogy</b> are mental devices that </span></span>'<b><i>carry across</i></b>'<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> ideas to other situations that are different but have some similarity to embodied experiences. This <b>transference</b> allows the human mind to generate associations from embodied experience to generate novel symbols, signs and relationships. In most instances they will give clarity and give depth of meaning by way of comparison. For example, when you say that, "I am feeling down today." the statement imposes a temporal and spacial dynamic to this abstract </span></span>expression of <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>language . Thus, the human mind structures the imagination by using forms of <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">space and time</span></b> to make sense of the seemingly random stimuli. </span></span>Our interaction with the world is not just a matter of <b> 'knowing', 'thinking,' and 'understanding' </b>but is an outgrowth of embodiment: of thinking through sensual interaction with objects. Our minds use forms of space and time to gather and organise what would otherwise be random stimuli in the environment. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Organisation</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kant, maintained that imagination was a schematising process. <b>Schema</b> are products of imagination, they mediate between the world of objects and concepts. Concepts are essentially the <b>imagined rules</b> by which schema are constructed.</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Schema act like flexible structures that link images or ideas in the form of stories or scenes.</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Imagination is what comes before understanding and sense, the subject of which is both <b>productive</b> and <b>reproductive</b>. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, our empirical observations are not necessarily pure because we use <b>judgement </b>and schema to render thoughts in terms of images and concepts. Thus, schema act as a<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> bridge between</span> sense and understanding. </span><span>A </span>schema can be both a process and a product.<span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Abduction</b> is one of several types of imaginative reasoning processes that Kaag identified. It is a type of inference that moves toward a logical conclusion when presented with two arguments that both seem to be true. It relies on one's ability to listen and respond to the natural ordering of the world. It simply amounts to a type of guesswork, not necessarily based on random associations but it is more to do intuitively with what is normally expected in similar situations. Abductive thinking lends itself to the ability of the mind to bring <b>order</b> to <b>perception (</b>as anchored in embodied cognition). In other words, because there is order in nature (embodied experience) there is also order in cognition. Thus, the more one is attuned to the patterns of nature the more one is consistently more able to make inferences in the form of a viable hypothesis. Hypotheses are predictive inferences that are constructed in reference to the possible relationships that emerge from multiple embodied experiences. Thus, what the imagination necessitates is a sense of order and continuity in the natural world.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Relationship</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Kaag maintained that the dualism of mind-body of the <b>Enlightenment</b> is a false separation. In contrast there is a type of <span style="color: #3d85c6;">triadic synechism</span>, or a underlying principle of mind and being: Kaag outlines three logical/epistemological processes:' <b>sensing', 'responding', </b>and<b> 'adapting' </b>that operates<b> </b>in an organised and purposeful manner. Imaginative and complex systems can arise from simple natural systems in an organised and seemingly purposeful manner. These processes also correspond to <span style="color: #3d85c6;">Woolley's (me) three levels of cognition</span>: <b>perception</b> (sensing), <b>comprehension</b> (responding), and <b>metacognition</b> (adapting) in a likewise purposeful manner. Whereas Kaag focusses on imagination and creativity Woolley's categories relate to the ability to form mental imagery to achieve comprehension of the written or spoken word. Essentially Woolley's <b>triadic relationship</b> functions in a similar way. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Kaag illustrates another triadic relationship:</b></div><div><i>"The prologue of the Gospel of John reflects Pierce's philosophy of mind and leads naturally to a development of agape. John opens with a description of the co-emergence of logic, in the form of the Word (<b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">logos</span></b>), and being. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made ... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Here, it seems appropriate to describe the Word as the logos, the order and relation of things. If human logic has the ability to apprehend the ordering of reality, its ability rests on the logos that girds both the imaginative mind of the human being and the purposiveness of being in its most general form... Thus all matter is really mind." </i> </div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Conclusion</b></div><div>The imagination has long been the dark horse of western intellectualism, the substance of which has been relegated to Romanticism and pure fantasy. Kaag's book is a bridge that spans the spectrum of <b>language</b> from <b>metaphor</b>, <b>creativity</b> and <b>reason</b>. It addresses the short-comings of Enlightenment thinking with its separation of mind and body. At the end of the day innovation and scientific progress rely on imaginative thinking. It is in the of metaphor and image schema that moves us towards aesthetic and imaginational structures which give rise to creativity. </div><div><br /></div><div><i><b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">This current discussion should give some traction to this blog series dealing with metaphoric and </span></b></i></div><div><i><b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">symbolic meaning.</span></b></i></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The book:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">J. Kaag (2014). <i>Thinking through the imagination: Aesthetics in human cognition. </i>New York: Fordham University Press.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My books are listed and hyperlinked on the side panel on the right of this blog. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-90930080111764948692021-04-17T02:50:00.029-07:002021-04-17T05:29:44.847-07:00Propaganda<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMELJfUqaEg/YHpex_gqtvI/AAAAAAAAHUI/ySdCKujo_PoaFB2jgmGjgUavLD6naC6-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210417_135021.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1263" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMELJfUqaEg/YHpex_gqtvI/AAAAAAAAHUI/ySdCKujo_PoaFB2jgmGjgUavLD6naC6-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210417_135021.jpg" /></a></div>My motivation in reading this book was that I am interested in social memory and how perceived meanings/propaganda can influence people to make changes to deeply entrenched beliefs. I have noticed in the last two years how public opinion can quickly change over a very short period of time, particularly when people's fears are exploited, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Take for example, the recent shootings in America. If the perpetrator of a mass shooting is black, Hispanic or Arab the mainstream media tends to ignore it, but if the perpetrator is white the popular media will exploit and dramatise the event. As the Western Civilisation mythos is under attack and history is being rewritten one can assume that there is some political advantage in fanning the flames of racial hatred and fear through the channels of popular MSM. <p></p><p>Another example of public opinion <b>manipulation</b> is the recent shooting of a teenage boy at night in an alley. MSM made a point in showing the youth with raised hands in a gesture of surrender before he was fatally shot by a white officer. What they did not show was the broader context in which the incident took place. The <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/cbs-news-cropping-bodycam-footage-adam-toledo-shooting-chicago" target="_blank">footage from the police body cam</a> showed the police chasing the youth down a dark alley way, the young fugitive stopped with his body side on and shielding the gun from the view of the camera. As the boy turned he dropped his gun on the ground out of view of the camera lens. As he raised his hand it was not clear whether or not he was going to shoot. The officer who allegedly shot him would have had to make a split second decision to pull the trigger in self defence. Only a thorough investigation will reveal the truth. What is apparent is that the media selected an edited (purposely?) still from the footage to support their view of the story. Remember the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/10/22/926627083/judge-drops-a-murder-charge-against-former-officer-who-kneeled-on-george-floyds-" target="_blank">George Floyd incident </a>that set the world on fire in 2020? <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11715440/four-cops-fired-george-floyd-neck-death-video/" target="_blank">A brief video </a>clip was sent across the internet - no context - and delivered the needed content to activate BLM marches and worldwide protests and the call to Defund the Police. Eventually the whole video revealed a very different story to the one MSM pushed. But few people would even be aware of it as it does not suit the contrived political narrative.</p><p>And again <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/01/08/ashli-babbitt-shooting-video-capitol/" target="_blank">the shooting of Ashli Babbitt</a> on 6th January at the so called siege of the Capitol in Washington DC. Ashli was an ex-military intelligence officer who was unarmed at the time of the shooting. She was supposedly a conservative Trump supporter and was allegedly shot in the neck at a very close range by one of the guards in the capitol building. The <a href="https://drrichswier.com/2021/01/16/cnn-colluded-with-antifa-blm-leaders-to-incite-capitol-siege/" target="_blank">whole scene was recorded by John Sullivan</a>, a far left activist who was accompanied by a CNN reporter. Even though it was recorded on camera the incident has not been investigated (as yet), the <a href="https://rumble.com/vfq7dj-why-is-her-killers-name-secret-sebastian-gorka-on-america-first.html?mref=7x15j&mc=b4trb" target="_blank">name of the guard has not been released</a> and the media has shown no interest in this case. Why? Especially in light of the fact that so much has been made of this incident and it appears that she is actually the only person who was killed in the action.</p><p>These above mentioned cases may or may not be referred to as examples of deliberate propaganda. However, the word 'propaganda' has not always been used as a pejorative. Certainly at the time of Edward Bernays' (the author) writing in 1928 propaganda was a neutral term that referred to pubic persuasion, for good or for ill. According to Mark Crispin Miller, the writer of the introduction to this edition, it was first coined in 1622, when Pope Gregory XV, used the term to emphasise the Catholic efforts to spread the Gospel in response to the spread of Protestant missionary efforts throughout the world. It wasn't until the First World War that it was used in a derogatory term. It is well known what the German propaganda machine was capable of but Allied propaganda also used it to demonise the 'Hun'.</p><p>Bernays adds, "<b>Modern propaganda</b> is a consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea or group. This practice of creating circumstances and of creating pictures in the minds of millions of persons is very common. ... It was not many years ago that newspaper editors resented what they called 'the use of the news columns for propaganda purposes'. Some editors would even kill a good story if they imagined its publication might benefit anyone."</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d6/63/79/d66379bd87ae72964870448c7d14e075.jpg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="628" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VkJHHjTM6Fc/YHqk4zsCEgI/AAAAAAAAHUY/tj5BTiXV6t4zfqY0m9_74BfHJMWh4RmZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-04-17%2Bat%2B7.04.27%2Bpm.png" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d6/63/79/d66379bd87ae72964870448c7d14e075.jpg" target="_blank">Click on picture to go to original</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Advertisers have used Bernays' ideas to convince people that they should buy their products. For example, the tobacco industry have spent a fortune on advertising (see the poster on the left) even though it was obvious that the product was causing cancer. This poster shows a cowboy lighting up a cigarette in an effort to show that smoking is essentially a masculine thing. Even though the tobacco industry had used Bernays' ideas he was exceptionally ethical and so the toxic side effects of smoking became impossible for him to tolerate. Bernays eventually gave up working for tobacco companies and lobbied staunchly (but unsuccessfully) to get the Public Relations Society of America to work against the spread of the habit.<p></p><p></p>On 15th April 2021, James O'Keefe released a secretly <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/04/15/project-veritas-records-cnn-staffer-saying-the-network-is-trying-to-help-blm/" target="_blank">taped conversation</a> with a technical director from CNN in which he admitted that their news items were deliberately biased towards Black Lives Matter. Project Veritas had also previously released 2 other segments of the undercover conversation with Charles Chester where he admitted that CNN had played up Covid death statistics and promoted anti-Trump propaganda. To make matters worse <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6248945834001" target="_blank">James O'Keefe announced </a>on 14th that he intended to sue CNN for defamation for accusing him of using disinformation (propaganda).<br /><div><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6248945834001" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1764" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EiGYzl7XsKQ/YHp1hwzwEdI/AAAAAAAAHUQ/dxDJtKLkPxM9WY9VFqkOhjNy_8BxHUruACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-04-17%2Bat%2B3.43.05%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6248945834001" target="_blank">Click on picture to go to article</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Bernays finishes with the following statement, "Propaganda will never die out. Intelligent men must realise that propaganda is the modern instrument by which they can fight for productive ends and help to bring <b>order</b> out of <b>chaos</b>." Something to think about!<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Book: Bernays, E. (1928).<i> Propaganda. N.Y.: Ig Publishing.</i></p></div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-20867947055143778592021-04-02T03:34:00.000-07:002021-04-02T03:34:29.458-07:00Beauty<p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #cc0000;">A not so very short introduction: A reflection</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KnKN_ASkaOA/YFg_0-4IcYI/AAAAAAAAHQ8/ir_YHVDEEpMiot95moLjZRcXYbsHrcH7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210322_164242.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1297" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KnKN_ASkaOA/YFg_0-4IcYI/AAAAAAAAHQ8/ir_YHVDEEpMiot95moLjZRcXYbsHrcH7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210322_164242.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">If you are asked to imagine the word '<i>beautiful</i>' chances are that you will visualise a breathtaking landscape, seascape, building or some precious object with some emotional attachment associated with it. I might suggest that most people have a different image suspended in their imagination. Most of us have an intuitive notion of what appeals to sensibility and we actually do make judgements about beauty based on comparisons using words like: 'charming', 'elegant', and 'attractive'. Order, harmony, meaning, and fittedness are examples of typical criteria that people often use to make aesthetic judgements. Most likely would think of something regarded as being good or noble. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Avant-guarde</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">However, the philosopher, Nietzsche pointed out that beauty and goodness sometimes diverge. For example, Duchamp, a French Dada artist, exhibited a urinal as a work of art at a major exhibition in France earlier last century and the artefact became a valued icon of the <b>avant-guarde</b>. Dada was an anti-art movement that would have disapproved of what became a much sort after and highly prized museum treasure. So then what is beauty? If a common and normally repulsive object can become esteemed then what can we say about an individual's judgement of what classifies as a thing of beauty? In her forward to this edition, Sperryville commented, "Hence the current 'crisis in the humanities': is there any point in studying our artistic and cultural inheritance, when the judgment of its beauty has no rational grounds?"</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">In a recent blog, <span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2021/03/zombies-in-western-culture.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Zombies in Western Culture</span></a>,</span> I wrote about the attraction of the Zombie myth exemplified by its ghoulish ugliness and human degradation. You would have to ask the question, "<i>What makes us attracted to what is normally regarded as inherently ugly?</i>" To answer this question Scruton delves into what we actually mean when we ascribe something as being beautiful. Philosophers first grappled with this question before the birth of Christ. The Greek philosophers imputed beauty to a thing's innate nature, to its <b>'telo</b>s', because they believed that all objets have an inherent purpose. They believed then that truth, beauty, and goodness were attributes of the deity and in some sense these divine virtues have been revealed to the human soul. Later, St Thomas Aquinas adapted the ancient virtues as transcendental attributes, but considered truth and beauty as being inseparable. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Enlightenment</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">In contrast, some Enlightened thinkers tended to see beauty as an appreciation of an object for its own sake. In other words, desiring the thing for its inherent attractiveness rather than for its utility. Likewise, the Enlightenment philosopher, Kant postulated, to ... "be interested in beauty is to set all interests aside, so as to attend to the thing itself." Kant also made a distinction between aesthetic interest in a thing from the position of desire or from a position of '<b>disinterested interest</b>'; from the point of view of a judge using '<b>pure reason</b>'. During this <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-enlightenment-is-this-foundation-of.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Enlightenment</span></a> period (which extends to the present) there has always been this tension between desire and reason.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-enlightenment-is-this-foundation-of.html" target="_blank">Steven Pinke</a>r</span>, </span>an<span style="color: #6aa84f;"> <b><a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/05/what-is-meaning-in-wake-of-notre-dame.html" target="_blank">Enlightenment</a></b> </span>thinker and a cognitive scientist postulated in his book, 'How the Mind Works', the notion that the human sense of beauty has evolved purely by a natural biological means. Scruton reflected on Pinker's idea with the following comment, "According to this theory the sense of beauty has emerged through a process of sexual selection - a suggestion originally made by Charles Darwin in his book, '<i>The Descent of Man'. </i>Pinker uses the Darwinian illustration of female birds being attracted by the colourful male bird's plumage in order to mate and reproduce." As an 'Enlightened' rationalist, <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-enlightenment-is-this-foundation-of.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Pinker understands the mind</span></a> merely as a soft electro-chemical machine and, as such, cannot possibly explain how the displays of birds and sexual attraction evolved randomly into the intricacies of <b>human aesthetics</b>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Triadic structure of Cognition</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>The ancient philosopher, Plato, on the other hand, thought that platonic love bore no relation to eros (sexual desire). He did, however, separate mind from embodied experience by valuing contemplation more highly over physical desire. In fact, </span>Plato was disgusted by physical lust just as many moderns are disgusted by obscenity, which is euphemistically described as an 'eclipse of the soul by the body'. Maybe the answer is somewhere else. "The love of beauty is really a signal to free ourselves from that sensory attachment, and to begin the ascent of the soul towards the world of ideas." From this statement I tend to think that Scruton is not discussing beauty</span><span style="background-color: white;"> in terms of a Platonic or <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2018/12/more-than-matter.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Cartesian separation of mind</span></a> and body. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Scruton asserts that the human condition involves a <b>triadic structure </b>of cognition. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Whether by desire or reason we take pleasure in listening, viewing or taking part in art happenings, scenes, or artefacts we can take pleasure: '<b><i>from</i></b>,' pleasure '<b><i>in</i>'</b>, and pleasure '<b><i>that</i></b>.' When we take pleasure '<i>from'</i> something we derive enjoyment directly from our senses. When we have pleasure '<i>in'</i> something we have enjoyment in the actual thinking activity inspired by the appreciation of that object, performance, or activity. When we have pleasure '<i>that', </i>we enjoy reflecting about our own appreciation in a responsive mental act. In essence, the '<i>that</i>' is a transcendent reality, it is a stepping out of ourselves and thinking about our own thinking. In other words, it is a stepping out of <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2018/12/more-than-matter.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">embodied experiential thought</span></a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Transcendence</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">Many people attest to art and beauty as being a very <b>transcendent spiritual experience</b>. In other words, a transcendent process that seeks a meditational and relationship orientation to spirituality and to that which is beyond the mind and sensorial experience. Thus, aesthetic meditation can be a spiritual state that seeks connection with the sacred. Sacred things are not normally of this world; they are set apart from ordinary reality through meditation and affect. Human beauty, nature, art, or symbolic ritual can evoke transcendence and ontological meaning. Thus, art has been an important transformative element of traditional Christian worship that encompasses a union of body, soul, and spirit. Moreover, this triadic appreciation encapsulates <b>sacred art</b> has the propensity to move one in the direction of transcendence, or contemplation on a relationship responsive to God's spirit.</span></div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OJ5giO8gGk" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7uZu0fTIuPI/YGHFpqfV3LI/AAAAAAAAHSg/Sm3fdYQ6jHA60JIQYX95-HOp2B7bsq3KwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-29%2Bat%2B10.17.11%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on picture to go to Video</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><b>Johnathan Pageau</b> is a Canadian Christian artist who specialises in traditional Eastern Orthodox iconic sacred carvings and painting. In the YouTube video 'A call to Christian Artists' (link in the picture on the left) he gives a very articulate outline of the current state of art and spirituality in contemporary Western culture. He makes a plea to Christians, in particular, to use art to portray narrative. We are all involved in story, myths, legends, movies and literacy, it is when our own story is responsive to art that we can respond to what is meaningful and transcendent. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The book:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Scruton, R. (2009). <i>Beauty: A very Short Introduction.</i> New York: Oxford University Press.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Links: </b></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10PG8VZiZaQ" target="_blank">Roger Scruton: The True, the Good and the Beautiful: </a>YouTube</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OJ5giO8gGk" target="_blank">A Call to Christian Artists</a>: Jonathan Pageau: YouTube</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fidhVu_7W3c" target="_blank">Why is there so much Beauty in the World?</a>: YouTube: Rupert Sheldrake</div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-90780827600033205092021-03-31T07:16:00.002-07:002021-03-31T07:16:27.965-07:00Ship of Fools<br /><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.litkicks.com/ShipOfFools" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="523" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-23EiufUEWWM/YF3gxGOcaHI/AAAAAAAAHR0/9FLITawP4rcL0DOkVQ4GdfC3XDOQXYRMACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-26%2Bat%2B11.24.44%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.litkicks.com/ShipOfFools" target="_blank">Click on picture to go to original source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>I thought it appropriate to post this bog on <b><i>April fools day</i></b>. You may immediately think that I am playing a trick on you, so read on and see what the punch line is. And then the inevitable, <b>April fool!</b><p></p><p><b><i>Now I wouldn't do that to you would I?</i></b></p><p>In a previous blog I discussed some recent events at the Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6th where I identified a fool in the mob, the <a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-fool-flips-reality.html" style="background-color: white; color: #93c47d;" target="_blank"><span>buffalo headed Sharman, Jake Angeli</span></a><span style="color: #93c47d;">.</span> In that article I talked about the role of the fool in bringing about change, how the fool, or joker, has the power to flip our perception of reality. </p><p>Plato's allegory of the '<b>ship of fools</b>' illustrates a ridiculous problem that he originally attributed to democracy (but seems to have a wider appeal) in Book VI of '<i><b>The Republic</b></i>'. <i>"Imagine then a fleet or a ship in which there is a captain who is taller and stronger than any of the crew, but he is a little deaf and has a similar infirmity in sight, and his knowledge of navigation is not much better. The sailors are quarrelling with one another about steering - everyone is of the opinion that he has a right to steer, though he has never learned the art of navigation and cannot tell who taught him or when he learned, and will further assert that it cannot be taught, and they are ready to cut in pieces any one who says the contrary. They throng about the captain, begging and praying him to commit the helm to them; and if at any time they do not prevail, but others are preferred to them, they kill the others or throw them overboard, and having first claimed up the noble captain's senses with drink or some narcotic drug, they mutiny and take possession of the ship and make free with the stores; thus, eating and drinking, they proceed on their voyage in such a manner as might be expected of them. ... Now in vessels which are in a state of mutiny and by sailors who are mutineers, how will the true pilot be regarded? Will he not be called by them a prater, a star gazer, a good-for-nothing?" </i></p><p>What results is a drunken pleasure cruise with one wondering whether or not they will arrive at the set destination in one piece? The allegory like his earlier cave allegory questions our perception of what is real. Likewise the ship of fools suffer from a type of cognitive dissonance and are oblivious as to the true state of reality. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/photos-maps-shows-enormous-container-171639552.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="1282" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mOY0x9TjPHo/YF7QwZ13MUI/AAAAAAAAHSM/Q6eqboa_qpgmRfXyXX6vB2pVbx4Wbu-cACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-27%2Bat%2B4.26.12%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/photos-maps-shows-enormous-container-171639552.html" target="_blank">Click on picture to go to original source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><b>The Evergreen running aground</b></div>Imagine another ship, a very large Globalist modern day cargo container ship, about the size of a 14 storey building and the length of three football fields, by the name of <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/photos-maps-shows-enormous-container-171639552.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Evergreen running aground in the Suez Canal</span></a> just a few days ago. At the time I started writing the ship was still wedged firmly between the two sides of the canal completely blocking all shipping. There were hundreds of ships waiting in line with billions of dollars worth of merchandise. <div><br /></div><div>In effect the Evergreen ship, <span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIkJMBhyyN8" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Ever Given, blocked approximately 12 percent of the world's shipping</span></a> </span>and could have been wedged there for weeks while they may have possibly had to evacuate the containers so that the ship would be able to ride higher in the water with the expectation of rescuing the container mega-ship. European leaders called it a worldwide disaster as 8 percent of the oil and 8 percent of the liquified gas was held up. It was not just a problem with supply and demand but it also caused an economic disaster, particularly in Europe. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/photos-maps-shows-enormous-container-171639552.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1056" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lbD2uSNJkgQ/YF7Q8X-LXZI/AAAAAAAAHSQ/hnFCP6-5mQwBVFhrhhP-6J6ZwicM_L4GwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-27%2Bat%2B4.26.44%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/photos-maps-shows-enormous-container-171639552.html" target="_blank">Click on picture to go to source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Would I call this a <b>modern day "ship of fools"</b>? Yes, precisely because of the erratic nature of the behaviour of the ship's pilot before and during the entry into the canal. This is an extremely unlikely accident as it is requires a deliberate turn in order to hit both sides of the bank. Some have claimed that a sand storm blew the ship off course but it was unlikely to alter the navigation of such a large ship.</p><p>While waiting in turn to navigate the canal the ship <span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/photos-maps-shows-enormous-container-171639552.html" target="_blank"><span>made a swag of manoeuvres</span></a>:</span> as it changed direction the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5IKbYcLgQA" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">satellite tracking</span></a> (see picture on the above right) recorded Ever Given's journey through the waters of the Red Sea during the waiting period. However, the recorded digital trail did not appear to be random wanderings but depicted, instead, a male genitalia motif. Were those guiding the ship drunk or was this a joke aimed at those doing the tracking? If so was the running aground in the Suez canal also a joke? A very expensive joke. Or was the whole charade deliberate? </p><p>There were some interesting synergies (or were these deliberate clues to add some further mystery to the tragedy). The call sign for the cargo ship was 'HRC'(H3RC), similar to the <a href="https://radiopatriot.net/2021/03/24/another-anon-dives-into-evergreen/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">CIA's codename for Hillary Rodman Clinton?</span></a> As if by coincidence one of the attending tug boats went by the name, 'Barak'. Stranger still was the name of the other ship that sounded like 'Mossad' (one vowel different and with one s missing but sounding the same). Was it another coincidence that an Evergreen truck blocked traffic (see below - right) on a Chinese highway on the same angle as the ship?</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/is-it-a-habit-internet-laughs-as-truck-with-evergreen-written-on-it-blocks-traffic-like-suez-canal/ar-BB1f39bv" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1096" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h3eq1LNTxCk/YGJp92Yi6cI/AAAAAAAAHSo/mdIaTmxzThka4hOm2UQkVHHuGE-_GpnEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-30%2Bat%2B9.58.32%2Bam.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on picture to go to source</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p>For a mega-ship of this size representing the Globalist order one would expect that there would not be one mistake but a series of errors for it to go off course. There would have had to be a <b>comedy of errors</b> (so to speak). Was this incident the result of tricksters playing an April fools day joke a little ahead of time? Was this caused by a <b>ship of fools</b> on a drunken binge? Was this a deliberate attempt at sabotage by the so called 'black hats' or alternatively by the 'white hats'? One wonders what is in the containers! When they are unloaded we may find out, or then again, we may not. What we know for certain is that if you take a look at the Red Sea from a satellite camera you will see the entry point looks like the two long ears on a rabbit's head. Is this an<i> omen</i> to tell us that we are going down the rabbit hole (or sewer/Suez)? The event coincides with International Waffle Day!! The situation becomes biblical occurring on the<span style="color: #6aa84f;"> <span><a href="https://www.jta.org/2021/03/25/culture/10-of-the-best-jewish-tweets-about-the-pre-passover-suez-canal-blockage" target="_blank"><span>eve of the Jewish Passover when the ancient Jewish</span></a> </span></span>(Hebrew) people escaped 400 years of slavery in Egypt (the Globalists of the day) by parting the Red Sea and crossing to the Promised Land led by Moses (an Egyptian raised ruler but of the people).<p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0K6WG54ASY/YGP9L3YMiWI/AAAAAAAAHSw/mwHKi5h96acWgBZ6t30Rg_hfLIcXKKv9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-31%2Bat%2B2.38.24%2Bpm.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0K6WG54ASY/YGP9L3YMiWI/AAAAAAAAHSw/mwHKi5h96acWgBZ6t30Rg_hfLIcXKKv9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-31%2Bat%2B2.38.24%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the picture to goto original source</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>However you look at this unfortunate and ridiculous incident, you have to ask the question in relation to the bigger picture, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq2yh9COcQw" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">What does this mean for global trade in the future?</span></a>" This situation caused major economic disaster affecting many of the world's economies especially as it comes on the heel of the recent COVID 19 pandemic that spread around the world at an amazingly rapid pace and almost brought the world to its knees. </p><p>Ironically, a week later, the ship having been dislodged is now being inspected while birthing in the <b>Great Bitter Lake</b>, which is situated along the Suez Canal. </p><p></p><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>The book extract: Plato's Republic: Bbook VI</b></p><p><b>Links: </b></p><p><a href="https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2016/03/april-fools/?fbclid=IwAR1Y0aFho0YjQ6au5e8p2UjNkhRo1eEO6NN4i6UUp4JoJLvL2YsVFG-IO70" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">April fools:The roots of an international tradition</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq2yh9COcQw" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">The truth about the Suez Canal Crisis: The supply chains breakdown</span></a>: YouTube: The Atlantis Report</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5IKbYcLgQA" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Controversial Track of the Container ship Ever Given</span></a> that Blocked the Suez Canal: YouTube</p><p><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="https://radiopatriot.net/2021/03/24/another-anon-dives-into-evergreen/" target="_blank">Another Anon dives into Evergreen</a>:</span> YouTube: Radio Patriot</p><p><a href="https://www.jta.org/2021/03/25/culture/10-of-the-best-jewish-tweets-about-the-pre-passover-suez-canal-blockage" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">10 of the best jewish tweets about the pre-passover Suez Canal Blockage</span></a>:YouTube</p></div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-88649272647315229642021-03-22T21:41:00.000-07:002021-03-22T21:41:27.374-07:00Zombies in Western Culture: A reflection/review<h3 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #cc0000;">A twenty first century crisis</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K90aFWsG1DY/YFgX3xJtlMI/AAAAAAAAHQg/2I1ppFXj3rAfMe_J648BLfNyXp-JwSb7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210322_140135.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1370" height="339" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K90aFWsG1DY/YFgX3xJtlMI/AAAAAAAAHQg/2I1ppFXj3rAfMe_J648BLfNyXp-JwSb7QCLcBGAsYHQ/w226-h339/20210322_140135.jpg" width="226" /></a></div> One of the most popular genres in movies in recent times in the West is that of the zombie. The zombie phenomenon represents a type of horror movie that has captured the imagination, particularly of 21st century audiences. In 2001, a performance art event took place in Sacramento, California and was repeated in several other US cities. In late 2011 in New Mexico over 9000 people dressed up in zombie gear and goolish make-up to parade grotesquely through the town. Since then there have been many zombie walks throughout the world. <div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cultural malaise</b></div><div>The zombie zeitgeist has now become a pervasive metaphor that has seeped its way into post-modern popular culture. The zombie would seem to have become a symbol of a cultural malaise portraying human degradation and loss of meaning in a post-Christian world. It represents the decay of moral and ontological meaning that has managed to survive after the World Wars and the threat of a nuclear holocaust. This trope has replaced the alien invasion movie genre that was popular in the 1950's when there was a sense of hope for the future after defeating the Nazi and Nipon empires. At this time America had overcome the sacrifices of the war years and was poised to enter a new era upon the back of its industrial might. However, this vision of the future began to fade with the US entrenchment [in foreign wars of questionable morality] and the sacrifice of young people to a war machine that seemed to be motivated by profit. This was the time of mass protests and the beginning of the civil rights movement. As the population entered the new millennium, the vision of the age of Aquarius, and the disintegration of the dreams of psychedelia faded and poverty reared its ugly head in the richest country of the world as the US seemingly pursued policies detrimental to its own people. There is little wonder why the zombie has become so popular. </div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FkDtIYuIUwU/YFgVgyIG6tI/AAAAAAAAHQY/uAk71s3m_14gPx-jiB3JLST2U7oRKkFpACPcBGAYYCw/s1866/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-22%2Bat%2B1.55.24%2Bpm.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1866" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FkDtIYuIUwU/YFgVgyIG6tI/AAAAAAAAHQY/uAk71s3m_14gPx-jiB3JLST2U7oRKkFpACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-22%2Bat%2B1.55.24%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zombie Walk in Stockholm 2017</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><b>The living dead</b></div><div>The image of the zombie is haunting and pervasive. They are usually referred to as the walking dead because of their typified hollow staring looks and decaying bodies. They are not alive but not altogether dead either, they are the living dead. They congregate together without connecting or communicating with each other. Their only preoccupation is to eat the brains of living human beings, because of their mindlessness they crave the thing that they do not have. They envy human life but have a consuming need to destroy it. Once a living person is taken by the 'walking dead' their fate is to become as one with this aimless and eternal cabal. There is no escape since their numbers keep increasing exponentially while the depleting numbers of the living are what sustains wanderings. The new norm becomes a nihilistic world of meaninglessness and decay with body, not only separated from mind, but also from God. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Zhi0bCFdeI/YFgVdRkJwBI/AAAAAAAAHQU/gk30cArgfnUEA8pB1YciyprHunJk50WfgCPcBGAYYCw/s792/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-22%2Bat%2B1.52.45%2Bpm.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="792" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Zhi0bCFdeI/YFgVdRkJwBI/AAAAAAAAHQU/gk30cArgfnUEA8pB1YciyprHunJk50WfgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-22%2Bat%2B1.52.45%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>To some degree it is what befalls a civilisation that is consumed by materialistic capitalism with no regard to the environment. The post-apocalyptic movies of the late 20th century portrayed a degraded world affected by a nuclear holocaust. Later, this was replaced by pandemic genres that demonstrated <b>nature's punishment</b> for the extinction of plant and animal life. In response the Zombie movie is an extension of the pandemic genre depicting mankind's self-loathing and inescapable guilt. Thus the zombie trope shows a world of <b>anxiety </b>and l<b>ack of hope</b>. This is truely a post-modern existence with no purpose, no meaning, and no grand narrative. It is a fallen reality with no hope of reconciliation and restoration. This is encapsulated in the recent series called "The Walking Dead" where we see the human survivors struggle to hold back the tide of the living dead. There is never any resolution, the narrative has no end, the series cycles though reiterations of searching for safe havens only to find human betrayal. What is presented is a <b>downward cycle</b> of decay and hopeless degradation.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Victor Frankl hope</b></div><div>There is obviously a direct relationship between hope and <span style="background-color: white;">economic</span> <b>agency</b>. <i>"... it seems apt to say that the anticipation of agency being usurped, of losing one's place in the world in the order of things, is fundamentally what drives the anxiety, depression and suicide associated with economic instability,<span style="background-color: white;"> a<span>n</span></span> effect that is amplified if one's agency in the political arena is also threatened." </i>This quote is quite pertinent, the politicisation of society in contemporary Western culture has replaced religion and has, itself been deified in the form of predatory cancel culture. This is the new emerging, but unsustainable religion that is nihilistic, tribal and unforgiving, one that ostracises others offering no pathway for atonement.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PGglfl5j_I&t=1s" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="1266" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PAk-bqE6FPA/YFg6FtFfDJI/AAAAAAAAHQw/iizXQWuNxYYwu-xT5ah816quXvvQDFnqgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-22%2Bat%2B4.32.14%2Bpm.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on image to go to video discussion<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>It is no wonder that there is an associated pandemic of youth suicide, particularly with white males. Vervaeke et. al. posit ...<i>"the rate of suicide among whites is almost four times greater than that of blacks, and three times greater than hispanics. ... People have in part, lost confidence in the institutions that are supposed to nurture both individual and collective economic prosperity." </i>Disappointingly this book does not offer hope but does give a brief mention of Victor Frankl's book <b>Man's search for Meaning(1946)</b> as a seminal work that explores the possibility of finding meaning even in the Nazi concentration camps. There is meaning to be found - but sadly not in this book. One starting place will be in a future book review in this series of Frankl's book. Another starting point will be Roger Scruton's book, Beauty, which is the antithesis of zombification.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Book:</div><div>Vervaeke, J., Mastropietro, C., & Miscevic, F. (2017) Zombies in Western culture: A twenty-first century crisis. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers.</div><div> <br /></div><div>Links:</div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PGglfl5j_I&t=1s" target="_blank">Cognitive science and the sacred:</a> Johnathan Pageau and John Vervaeke: YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PGglfl5j_I&t=1s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PGglfl5j_I&t=1s</a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PGglfl5j_I" target="_blank">Cognitive science and the sacred: </a>Johnathan Pageau interview with John Vervaeke: YouTube</p></div></div></div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-35680599826854222182021-03-21T16:15:00.000-07:002021-03-21T16:15:19.285-07:00Synchronicity<h2 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://rumble.com/veth7l-biden-falls-3-times-trying-to-climb-stairs-to-air-force-one.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=2" target="_blank"> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">Joe Biden falls up the stairs three times</span></a></h2><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7lzFQM9ibI/YFboJGI7lwI/AAAAAAAAHP8/ciK0R59SixwhQFtH6_cDyRtfQBqXyXT1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1638/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-21%2Bat%2B4.22.48%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1638" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7lzFQM9ibI/YFboJGI7lwI/AAAAAAAAHP8/ciK0R59SixwhQFtH6_cDyRtfQBqXyXT1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-03-21%2Bat%2B4.22.48%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>This morning I was listening to <a href="https://rumble.com/vetslb-sean-parnell-questions-bidens-fitness-who-is-running-the-show.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=6" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Steve Bannon's War Room Pandemic </span></a>on Rumble while driving in my car. He was interviewing Sean Parnell, a decorated-ex-captain in the US army in Afghanistan who expressed concerns about the optics of <a href="https://rumble.com/veth7l-biden-falls-3-times-trying-to-climb-stairs-to-air-force-one.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=2" target="_blank"><span style="color: #93c47d;">Joe Biden falling up the stairs </span></a>as he ascended to Airforce One earlier this week. He expressed horror as to what he saw as a humiliating incident that sends a clear message that America is weak. Media commentators are also reiterating that what we are witnessing is nothing less than a <b>metaphor</b> of the degradation of the US under the present administration. Sean alluded to a meme circulating the internet of late which shows Trump playing golf: after hitting the ball from the tee the golf ball flies into the air and the frame switches directly to the <a href="https://rumble.com/veth7l-biden-falls-3-times-trying-to-climb-stairs-to-air-force-one.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=2" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">above mentioned video</span><span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> </span></a> as if Trump's ball knocked Biden over. <p></p><p>Sean said that it was <b>not a <span style="color: #93c47d;">laughing matter</span></b> because the Commander-in-Chief needs to show that he is strong in the face of his enemies. Of course one should be mindful of the fact that Biden is 78 years old and that is what you could expect from someone in that age group. However, he ascended the stairs unassisted - possibly for the sake of optics. This would be consistent with the careful media concealment of Biden's feebleness before and after the election: basement video interviews, crafted questions, etc. This particular incident is important as there are many US troops overseas and their safety depends upon the appearance of strength. This comment is particularly relevant this weekend as the a top diplomat representing the CCP in discussions in Alaska gave the US Secretary of State an embarrassing rebuke, "The US does not have the qualification to talk to China from a position of strength." This does not seem to be coincidental.</p><p>While Biden's fall was alarming it is significant that his fall happened <b>three times</b> (I will explain the significance of this number in a future blog) while going <b>up</b> the <b>steps</b>. Normally people fall while going down stairs, the fact that it happened this way is noteworthy. Also noteworthy is the fact that it happened three times in a row. Most media pundits downplayed this by explaining that the wind blew him over even though there was only a slight breeze (see the two Rumble videos below). This situation reminds me of a New York Times article entitled "Trump's haunting walk down the ramp raises new health questions" by Maggie Haberman published on 14th June, 2020 (see link below). In this article she affirms:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>"President Trump faced new questions about his health on Sunday, after videos emerged of him gingerly walking down a ramp at the U.S. Military Academy at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/nyregion/west-point-cheating.html"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #326891; font-family: inherit, serif; padding: 0cm;">West Point</span></a> and having trouble bringing a glass of water to his mouth during a speech there. </i></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Mr. Trump — who turned 74 on Sunday, the oldest a U.S. president has been in his first term — was recorded hesitantly descending the ramp one step at a time after he delivered an address to graduating cadets at the New York-based academy on Saturday. The academy’s superintendent, Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, walked alongside him. Mr. Trump sped up slightly for the final three steps, as he got to the bottom."</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It is interesting to note the biased "reporting" reflected in Haberman's false</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> assumptions but also by most of the legacy mainstream media. People normally do not walk quickly down a slippery ramp wearing leather soled shoes. And avoiding water splashing onto your expensive silk tie while drinking is a given. As far as Trump's health was concerned he showed that even Covid 19 could not keep him out of action for more than a few days. When the reporting does not match the facts one begins to wonder what reality actually is!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b>Jung's Synchronicity </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">What really caught my attention was the <b>synchronicity</b> that has presented itself, particularly, since posting <span style="color: #6aa84f;">"<a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2021/03/donald-trump-and-biblical-symbolism.html" target="_blank">Biblical symbolism of shapes and numbers</a>:</span> Trump and symbolism" in a recent blog. In that blog I talked about the mystical language of symbolism, or rather, Donald Trump's apparent intentional use of Biblical symbolism and its significance. I also made the analogy of traversing stairs and escalators by travelling up or down (and sometimes the wrong way). The example of Biden's fall was obviously accidental but it would appear, at times, that even seemingly random occurrences may not be merely coincidental.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">This latest presidential incident is a segway into a book that I had intended reviewing next: "Synchronicity" by Carl Jung. Rather than reflecting or reviewing his work I will share with you some very pertinent quotes (and hopefully you can see the synchronicity for yourself).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7yQ3aksmYVY/YFbsVhl_gcI/AAAAAAAAHQE/mQis-ACBPAcbhSdNxvtnllhpJ0Y0x3IagCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210321_164525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7yQ3aksmYVY/YFbsVhl_gcI/AAAAAAAAHQE/mQis-ACBPAcbhSdNxvtnllhpJ0Y0x3IagCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210321_164525.jpg" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>"The philosophical principle that underlies our conception of natural law is causality.</i> ... However, ...<i>"the connection of events may in certain circumstances be other than causal, and requires another principal of explanation. "... </i>He goes on to question our very understanding of space and time as it relates to causality. "... <i>space and time have a very precarious existence. They become 'fixed' concepts only in course of his mental development, thanks largely to the introduction of measurement. In themselves, space and time consist of 'nothing'. They are hypostatized concepts born of the discriminating activity of the conscious mind, and they form the indispensable co-ordinates for describing the behaviour of bodies in motion. They are, therefore, essentially psychic in origin, which is probably the reason that impelled Kant to regard them as a priori categories. But if space and time are only apparently properties of bodies in motion and are created by the intellectual needs of the observer, then their relativization by psychic conditions is no longer a matter for astonishment but is brought within the bounds of possibility. This possibility presents itself when the psyche observes, not external bodies but <b>itself</b>."</i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Jung's argument is that the very notion of causality and even our notions of time and space cannot always explain the sometimes unexplainable, so called coincidences. What Jung calls Synchronicity makes psychic connections to other entities beyond the individual psyche.</span></p><p>The Book: C. G. Jung (1960) <i>Synchronicity.</i> New Jersey: Princeton University Press.</p><p>Associated Videos: </p><p>Rumble: <a href="https://rumble.com/veth7l-biden-falls-3-times-trying-to-climb-stairs-to-air-force-one.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=2">Joe Biden falls up the steps 3 times</a></p><p>Rumble: <a href="https://rumble.com/vetctt-biden-falls-three-times-while-boarding-air-force-one.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=3" target="_blank">Biden falls three times while boarding airforce one</a></p><p>Rumble Commentary: <a href="https://rumble.com/vetslb-sean-parnell-questions-bidens-fitness-who-is-running-the-show.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=6" target="_blank">Sean Parnell Questions Biden's Fitness: "Who is running the country."</a></p><p>New York Times Article: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/us/politics/trump-ramp-water-glass-health.html" target="_blank">Trump's halting walk down ramp raises new health questions</a></p>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-56829120620648387632021-03-16T19:43:00.000-07:002021-03-16T19:43:07.911-07:00Life After Google<h3 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-size: medium;">The fall of Big Data and the rise of the blockchain economy</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P-QuO3lN870/YEBAZd_c80I/AAAAAAAAHM4/6dS8rhpYnaMJoVESucUBcwM1J__rIajpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210304_120004.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1317" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P-QuO3lN870/YEBAZd_c80I/AAAAAAAAHM4/6dS8rhpYnaMJoVESucUBcwM1J__rIajpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210304_120004.jpg" /></a></div>According to Gilder and other researchers the digital industry is rapidly approaching a "moment of singularity". Supercomputers and the cloud are becoming much more powerful and intelligent with accumulated multi-sensorial data banks that are appropriating data from our brains and bodies with the increasing power to even make many decisions for us. Added to this is the growing realisation that Silicon Valley seems to be merging a neo-Marxist political ideology with their expanding technological vision for the world. Historical Marxist vision for mankind was one of redistribution of the scarce resources of the society, whereas <b>Google's vision</b> would seem to be one of redistribution of an abundance. However, rather than thrusting us into a utopian world of prosperity, the reality would be an 'algorithmic eschaton ' that 'renders obsolete not only human labour but the human mind as well.<div><br /></div><div><b>Chimira</b></div><div>This would-be doomsday scenario has been rendered possible by a redefinition of what it means to be human. After the introduction of the seminal 'On the Origin of Species' by Charles Darwin man was re-conceived as just another animal, an ape that has evolved to be just a smarter product of random natural selection. Google's techno-Marxism has taken this development beyond natural selection to the point that it views technology not just as a creation of man but a superior <b>chimera</b> to mankind. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fiat system</b></div><div>Abundance is normally measured by accumulated wealth, and in today's information society wealth is a product of knowledge. Moving on from our previous review of circular and linear time (see previous blog - <a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-fourth-turning-american-prophecy.html" target="_blank">The Fourth Turning</a>) knowledge can be seen as a product of an accumulation of wealth over linear time. Isaac Newton, like many other alchemists finally discovered that gold could not be produced from other elements, nor could it be reducible. For this reason it was seen as an ideal basis for the tangible accumulation and storage of wealth. This notion reinforced Newton's view of the world as a homogenous conception of one universe, one money and one God. However, Google would have us believe that this view has been eclipsed by the notion that money, like the cosmos can be viewed as relativistic and reversible. Under president <span style="background-color: white;">Nixon in 1971</span> the gold standard was replaced by a <b>fiat system</b> that meant that the world financial system was linked to the American dollar, a system that relied on printed paper and trust that the American dollar could be a measure by which other currencies are valued.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Judeo-Christian world view inspired a notion of progress that was linked to human creativity and free will. The Google conceptualisation of progress is also a religious one in that it sees the purpose of mankind as a blend of human and machine cognition that combines technology with metaphysics in a type of cyber singularity. What emerges from this is a creation of a new world order that redefines the very nature of mankind. The apple CEO, Tim Cook envisioned a digital space where everything would be free. However, the reality of this relationship is that if everything is free then you are not the customer but the product. Thus, the accumulation of personal information is the currency of advertisers and corporations. From your perspective, as a personage, you pay in time. Google <b>aggregates your personal information</b> and advertisers use this accumulated data. What is important to techno-conglomerations is that they want you to be kept online and involved for as long as possible. However, what could be Google's demise is its lack of personal security. This is the same problem as our current fiat money system with its lack of trust, particularly when America decides to print more dollars than their accumulated wealth should dictate.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Emergence of the blockchain</b></div><div>What is emerging, instead, is a revolution in the digital universe in the form of a distributed peer-to-peer technology that could spell the end of Google as we know it. This new cryptocosm builds on trust and transaction security. Every entry in the <b>crypto-ledger</b> is time-stamped and decentralised, it is, therefore, a deterrent for information theft. The main difference is that Google is hierarchical or a top-down entity. This means that information (accumulated wealth) makes it way to the the top of the digital hierarchy: consolidating wealth to the controlling techno-oligarchs. What is emerging, however, is a newer system that is bottom-up or <b>heterarchical</b>. This bottom-up cryptocosm will enable future users to control their own information and thus retain their identity, knowledge and wealth. </div><div><br /></div><div>"<b>Consciousness </b>is who we are, how we think, and how we know. It is echoed in religious institutions and in the form of psychological identity. It is the essence of mind as opposed to machine. It is the source of creativity and free will." Essentially the human mind is not defined by electrical impulses and digital algorisms and it is not determnistic but creative and independent. The machine is part of the deterministic order and, as such, confined to human interpretation and moderation. The emerging cryptocosm is built on the notion of the blockchain platform that supports this type of human intelligence and ownership. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Cryptocurrency</b></div><div>What has emerged is a <b>cryptocurrency</b> that is enabled by the secure blockchain ecology. As transactions are recorded and timestamped immutable transactions become a form of currency which are much more reliable than the current paper fiat currency. The advantage is that it is also more transportable and more dynamic than gold or paper. <i>After all, gold is merely dug out of the ground and placed in another hole dug into the ground to keep it safe! </i>Just as gold is proof of work (knowledge) the <b>blockchain</b> is also secure and therefore, valuable. Cryptocurrency, like gold, is limited and therefore precious. <b>Bitcoin</b>, a type of cryptocurrency, is an artificially limited commodity, which, means that as more people use it the value increases. Fiat paper currency on the other hand can be printed at will and so the value decreases as more US dollars are made available.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of the day Google will have to change or fall by the way as it relies on the false narrative that machine learning and the '<b>singularity</b>' can improve human quality of life. However, what human kind needs is a dynamic platform that enables individuals to retain their identity, free will, and independence while at the same time empowering them to achieve more than they could by themselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gilder, G. (2018). <i>Life after Google: The fall of Big Data and the rise of the blockchain economy.</i> New Jersey: Regency Gateway.</div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-78140141650769852912021-03-16T00:10:00.001-07:002021-03-16T00:20:51.686-07:00The Fourth Turning: An American prophecy<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">What the generational cycles in time tell us about America's next rendezvous with history</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Essr9w2ESic/YDC_R_CbvYI/AAAAAAAAHMQ/JXLE40NLfi0tywiDl-dR5a_B7L42gM3XQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210220_174649.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1363" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Essr9w2ESic/YDC_R_CbvYI/AAAAAAAAHMQ/JXLE40NLfi0tywiDl-dR5a_B7L42gM3XQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210220_174649.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">In the last two blogs I discussed the notion of patterns and numbers that reoccur in our society. Signs and symbols have been useful across time and space to convey multiple levels of meaning. </span><span style="font-family: times;"> Strauss and Howe identify a fascinating cluster of generational patterns of behaviours that enable the reader to understand our current cultural zeitgeist.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Natural structures</b></span></p><span style="font-family: times;">Our lives, in many ways, are defined by certain rhythms and cycles that intersect and converge in many ways. For example, each day is governed by a cycle of waking, rising, working, eating, and sleeping. Our daily routines harmonise with the regular rhythms of our clocks. In nature we observe the life cycles of butterflies and experience the rhythm of the water cycle. In many instances time itself is conceptualised as cyclical in that it is geared to the rotation of the earth. <span style="font-family: times;">T</span>he number 4 is<span style="font-family: times;"> related to the seasons of the year, we also think of the four directions (four corners of the earth) of north, south, east and west. Thus, the number 4 is linked to the Earth's rotation as well as the notion of cyclical time.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: times;"> </span><div><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Ancient cosmology</b><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Ancient cosmologies reflected these natural patterns, they had a cyclical understanding of what it meant to be human and part of the natural world. It also gave them a spiritual connection and ontological meaning. From stone age tribal societies to ancient Greece and Rome patterns and rhythms were put in place by mythological gods and spirit-like beings of ancient times. For them, to be fully human meant that they were part of the cosmological patterns which gave purpose and meaning to their existence. Their cultural lives also reflected the natural patterns and those patterns were incorporated into their festivals, holidays and ceremonies through music, dance and design.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In the Greco-Roman civilization cyclical reality was supposedly punctuated by ‘inklings of human improvement" but the overall members were locked into a purposeful hierarchical position in society. In other words, a noble man is born into a high position and likewise a slave fulfilled the purpose for which he/she was made. In the same way they also viewed the material world as being imbued with this same ‘Telos’, the idea that all objects are directed towards a specific end. Thus, the entire universe was set in endless cycles and specified purposes to sustain society and to avoid 'chaotic time'. <br /><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p><b>Cyclical and linear time </b><br /></o:p>The spread of the Judeo-Christian monism changed the cosmology of time and space. It created a sense of 'linear time' whereby humankind was no longer fated to 'cyclical time' with its endless patterns and fixed class roles. Linear time had a beginning and an end, it had a purpose and a grand narrative. This was given impetus by the Protestant Reformation and the Age of Reason. Humankind was no longer cast into a fixed pattern of chaotic or cyclical reality but could become a creative entity using reason and inventiveness to move forward beyond the ancient moulds. The key notion was that mankind was created in the image of God and as an image bearer could be creative like the creator of the universe. However, this cosmological view was dependent upon the idea that God is relational and that the divine being had a purpose for the world. In the ancient world the Jewish people had a unique sense of history and an understanding of progress toward higher values and human creativity and improvement. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">In Europe, at the end of the Middle Ages the hermetic fields of alchemy and astrology were abandoned as archaic branches of non-linear space. Technology was developed during the industrial revolution and cyclical time was flattened and no longer completely reliant on seasonal variations. Enlightenment and scientific method reduced the whole into parts and projected modern man beyond the confines of the natural order of things. In the New World, the prevailing view was that, “Unless there was progress there could be no God in history.” </span><span style="font-family: times;">The number three symbolised masculine or linear time that prepresented the progressive narrative structure with a beginning, middle and end. Cyclical time, however, had more or less the same three-part structure but was punctuated with a fourth element that cycled back to the beginning.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p><b>History is cyclical</b><br /></o:p>Strauss and Howe contend that history is not directionless and not wholly linear either, but can be understood as reoccuring cycles or seasons that progressively move forward in history. In other words time is a series of cycles that move through turnings that follow seasonal patterns. The sacculum is a seasonal segment that is roughly the length of a long human lifetime and eventually culminates in a turning. Each sacculum segment is comprised of a constellation of 4 generations that exemplify 4 Jungian (Based on the 4 generations of the Biblical exodus to the promised land) archetypes: prophet, nomad, hero, and artist. However, periodically there will inevitably be a turning or a new sacculum (4 generations) as each generation adopts different values according to their generational characteristics and proclivities. “A turning is a social mood that changes each time the generational archetypes enter a new constellation." </span><span style="font-family: times;">These turnings will eventually reach crisis point, particularly at the fourth turning. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"> <br />The First turning is a High – an upbeat era of strengthening institutions and weakening individualism, when a new civic order implants and the old values regime decays. (Nomads enter elderhood; Heros enter midlife; Artists, young adulthood; and Prophets, childhood).<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">The second turning is an awakening- a passionate era of spiritual upheaval, when the civic order comes under attack from a new values regime as Heroes enter into elderhood, Artist, mid-life; Prophets, young adulthood; and Nomads, childhood. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The third turning is an unravelling - a downcast era of strengthening individualism and awakening institutions, when the old civic order decays and the new values regime implants. Artists enter childhood; Prophets, mid-life: Nomads, young adulthood; and Heroes, childhood. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The 4th turning is a crisis - undecisive era of secular upheaval, when the values regime propels the replacement of the old civic order with a new one. Prophets into elderhood: Nomads, mid-life : Heroes, young adulthood: and Artist, childhood. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>A crisis point</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">At this present time in American (and possibly in other Western countries such as Australia and Canada) we are approaching a crisis as exemplified by a peak at the fourth turning. Modern societies too often reject the notion of natural cycles: believing that we are inherently more advanced and progressive than our ancestors. We are also increasingly rejecting the history of Western culture and our Judeo-Christian heritage. Our society is no longer anchored to the past, it is often characterised as being chaotic and purposeless, it seems to have no direction and no meaning. In contemporary culture it is expressed in phrases like, ‘if it feels good – do it’ or 'my truth'. In academia this relativity is usually expressed in terms of deconstructive nihilism or postmodernism. It often manifests as a fractured amalgum of chance experience where space and time are viewed as haphazard and events are without purpose. Tribalism and hated for difference is now endemic and chaotic.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In the past chaotic time has been discouraged in favour of civil society and the fostering an ordered relationship to the cosmos. In the present time it has been dominated by critical theories and postmodern fractionalism. Assuming the authors are correct it would appear that this present age is a time of change crisis. When you consider time as seasonal in terms of turnings the huge spans of time will become more comprehensible and history become more important to us. When you view time as cyclical you can see patterns emerge in predictable ways. The end result will be that the culture is eventually renewed and old difficulties will be resolved.<br /><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p><b>Seasons of life</b></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;">At the end of the book the authors quote Ecclesiaties 3: 1-8</span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">To everything there is a season,</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">and a time to every purpose under heaven:</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to be born, and a time to die;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time tio kill, and a time to heal;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to break down, and a time to build up;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to weep, and a time to laugh;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to mourn, and a time to dance;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to get, and a time to lose;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to keep, and a time to cast away;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to rend, and a time to sew;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to keep silent, and a time to speak;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time to love, and a time to hate;</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><i><span style="font-family: times;">a time of war, and a time of peace.</span></i></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"><i><b>The Book:</b></i></span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;">Strauss, W., Howe, N. (1997). The fourth turning: An American prophecy. N.Y.: Three Rivers Press.</span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-26935279217400627572021-03-16T00:01:00.003-07:002021-03-16T00:06:15.943-07:00Biblical Symbolism of Shapes and Numbers<p> Trump and Symbolism</p><div><a href="https://www.thesun.ie/news/6441620/donald-trump-joe-biden-inauguration-mar-a-lago/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGbNgo0AovQ/YC8UKG3yYoI/AAAAAAAAHMA/AsVP0246rBIW37CU9JSzNO6cvbsUsjPxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-19%2Bat%2B11.25.56%2Bam.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Ascending and descending</b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">When Trump left Washington on Biden's Inauguration day there appeared an unforgettable media i<a href="https://www.thesun.ie/news/6441620/donald-trump-joe-biden-inauguration-mar-a-lago/">mage of President Trump descending the staircase with Melania</a> on his way to Mar-a-Lago. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The 'Conversation', a left-leaning Australian academic think tank, noted the significance of this imagery (see adjacent photo). </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The 'Conversation' made an analogy to another media image of Trump and Melania descending the escalator symbolically heralding his decision to run for the presidency of the United States of America in 2016. He would often refer to this presidential beginning as, "When we descended the escalator". Thus, Trump was seen going downward from a higher state to a lower state - into 'the Washington swamp'. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">This illustration was in stark contrast to when Justin </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/from-trump-to-trudeau-the-escalator-is-a-favorite-symbol-of-political-campaigns-146911" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Trudeau ascended an escalator</a>:<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">traversing it (the wrong way) and giving the impression that he was ascending to a high position against the </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-escalator-ad-commercial-twitter-1.3212676" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">downward movement of the escalator</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Maybe Trump's descent from Airforce 1 was a type of inversion or transformation (Who knows?). In any case, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">at first glance,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> the dress that Melania wore resembled the apparel of the joker (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(playing_card)">see below</a> - right) as shown on the <b>joker card</b>. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Following on from my previous blog where the fool or the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(playing_card)" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">joker</a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (the wild card) can <b>flip the fortunes</b> in a game of cards. In Euchre this card is the highest card, it can be extremely beneficial or very dangerous. In poker it is referred to as the wild card.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hTxKojmze_w/YESLY10EaBI/AAAAAAAAHN4/bc8iEK9gCx4Y77LGdT8AeJU1wyZPNnO2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s755/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-01-30%2Bat%2B1.14.21%2Bpm.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="543" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hTxKojmze_w/YESLY10EaBI/AAAAAAAAHN4/bc8iEK9gCx4Y77LGdT8AeJU1wyZPNnO2QCLcBGAsYHQ/w126-h176/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-01-30%2Bat%2B1.14.21%2Bpm.png" width="126" /></a></div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>The hexagon</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Consider the possible symbolism: Mar-a-Lago was originally gifted to the US government as a <b>Winter White House</b>. Also consider that Melania's outfit maybe highly symbolic. The shapes on her dress became progressively larger from the top of her dress to the the hem. The enlarging size of the patterned shapes tended to emphasise this descent as the larger shapes were closer to the viewer.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> The </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">dark blue at the top (the Swamp) transmutes into the yellow orange at the bottom possibly emphasising a movement towards the light of day, a higher element, or gold. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWLYsv4E7nE/YC8Oq7RN_kI/AAAAAAAAHLo/cRiTMraH__0htJUlHRI5WiWQCbrScLjtACLcBGAsYHQ/s1538/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-19%2Bat%2B11.02.00%2Bam.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1538" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWLYsv4E7nE/YC8Oq7RN_kI/AAAAAAAAHLo/cRiTMraH__0htJUlHRI5WiWQCbrScLjtACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h141/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-19%2Bat%2B11.02.00%2Bam.png" title="Basalt formations in Iceland" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.theculturemap.com/geology-rocks-basalt-columns-iceland/" target="_blank">Basalt formations in Iceland</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Not only were the enlarging shapes and contrasting colours strategic but the hexagon shapes suggest a progressive movement in the direction of stability and permanence. The <b>hexagon</b> is a shape found in nature from minute structures such as DNA, snowflakes, beehive cells, and formations of basalt rocks. In the natural world hexagons usually form strong and stable constructions. It is a very powerful geometric shape, which Biblically symbolises harmony, structure, strength and balance. On Melania's dress snowflake like symbols are also positioned between some of the hexagon shapes making a direct link to <b>natural</b> structures and <b>order.</b> </span></div><div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>The number 17</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Not only do shapes have Biblical significance but the language of spiritual semiotics also includes other signifiers such as: animals (e.g. sheep and goats), colours, shapes and directions such as high low, right and left. Numbers are also very important in the Bible cosmology, whenever numbers are mentioned they often have significant spiritual meanings embedded. For example the New Testament story of the unsuccessful fisherman bring together other symbolic relationships to suggest the reality of transformation and resurrection. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fe6dPZLZn1I/YC8P88DXLrI/AAAAAAAAHL0/4HlTOIYYRT0lkXnFiRBSBJ84w7zCwqZAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1042/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-18%2Bat%2B11.53.35%2Bam.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1042" height="171" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fe6dPZLZn1I/YC8P88DXLrI/AAAAAAAAHL0/4HlTOIYYRT0lkXnFiRBSBJ84w7zCwqZAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h171/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-02-18%2Bat%2B11.53.35%2Bam.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK47z2QBV0Y" target="_blank">C17 decked out as Airforce 1 </a></td></tr></tbody></table>The symbolic meaning of the <b>number 17 </b>in biblical cosmology is associated with transformation and resurrection, overcoming the enemy and having complete victory. For example, God overcame the rebellion of Noah's day when the rains fell from the heavens and the waters below the earth flooded the earth on the <b>17</b>th day of the second Hebrew month. Noah's ark with its 8 passengers (meaning of 8 - new beginning) came to rest on Mt Ararat, again, on the <b>17</b>th day of the 7th month. What emerged was a world that had been transformed with the survivors having, in a sense, been resurrected from the chaotic flood waters. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In the New Testament another life changing encounter involving Jesus of Nazareth took place at the Sea of Galilee. At that time the sons of Zebedee were beginning to despair after fishing all night in their boat without catching a single fish in their net. However, when they came close to the shore Jesus commanded them to cast their net on the right side of the boat instead of casting on the other (left) side. This time, to their amazement, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">their net was so full that it was difficult for them to haul the catch in over the side of their vessel. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">To their surprise they caught 153 fish, this was significant particularly when you consider the Biblical symbolism of the number <b>17</b>. Each consecutive number from 1 to <b>17 </b>can be added (1 + 2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 ) to get to a total of 153 fish. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">This miraculous event was life transforming for the fisherman. They would, hence forth, become fishers of men that would, in turn, transform the world across space and time. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There are many similarities to the story of Noah's Ark. Noah and his family were resurrected from a world of chaos (represented by water). </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The number </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">17 is also made up of 1 + 7 = 8, in the Bible 8 represents a new beginning (think about the symbolism of the 8 people inside Noah's ark). </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">President Trump appears to use biblical symbolism to convey his message. What is certain is that the number 17 figures highly in his <b>symbolic lexicon</b>. Earlier during Biden's Inauguration Day he made his farewell speech with <b>17</b> American flags positioned strategically behind him. </span></div></div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-1716548111497040392021-01-13T14:19:00.006-08:002021-01-21T22:47:46.904-08:00The Fool Flips Reality<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bOd3sCISV4/X_5LluX3BCI/AAAAAAAAHI4/qXa_YfkSD5YHQkKLZ96sO4N3SvfbRjPywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1294/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-01-13%2Bat%2B11.22.45%2Bam.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--bOd3sCISV4/X_5LluX3BCI/AAAAAAAAHI4/qXa_YfkSD5YHQkKLZ96sO4N3SvfbRjPywCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-01-13%2Bat%2B11.22.45%2Bam.png" width="320" /></a></div></div>The extraordinary events of January 6th this year (2021) will probably live in our minds for a long time to come. The so called storming of the Capitol building in Washington DC was an event likened by the mainstream media and some congressmen as an insurrection that will go down in history as a day of infamy. <p></p><p>Was it a 'storming', an 'insurrection', an 'affront' to the American Republic, or was it a false reality enacted on mass media and FaceBook? Was it a circus that would up-stage all other performances to become the greatest show on earth? If there were no human tragedies leading to tragic deaths, would it seem like just some fantastic theatrical event staged in one of the most iconic venues on the planet.</p><p>In the picture above we see <a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/who-is-the-horned-man-who-stormed-the-capitol/news-story/de6853d19e8681a04aa0ee50c6e52b10" target="_blank">Jake Angeli </a>on the mezzanine level of the congressional chamber wearing a buffalo/Viking hat complete with horns and animal fur. This is a Man (Oops! - not supposed to say gendered pronouns in the congressional chamber) who looks like he is a refugee from "Burning Man" (Oop, did it again). Jake proudly displayed a conglomeration of tattoos emblazoned across his half naked body. In his hands he clasped the Stars and Stripes on one side and a megaphone in the other. </p><p>He is a not so successful actor often frequenting Stop The Steal rallies and ANTIFA riots. It would seem that he is someone full of contradictions; he is sometimes called 'Antifa Jake' and sometimes a 'QAnon Shaman'. What is certain is that he does not fit the typical profile of either identity. It would seem that he is the proverbial fool or the jester in the King's (Oops) court who, like the modern political cartoonist, ironically depicts the antics of the powers-that-be. The jester uses the ridiculous in such a way that it breaks through the serious reality of the moment with laughter and bewilderment. </p><p>Normally, I would review a book in this blog but this time I will be using some of the ideas that I have gleaned from two Johnathan Pageau videos (follow the hyperlinks below) on YouTube. In each of the videos he discusses the symbolism and role of the jester, joker, fool and comedian in modern and historical contexts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjJ7UrU5bUw/X_2U1r2-uzI/AAAAAAAAHIo/q5iL2opcoVM0AEJXVh0T521DDTPA6PZ4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210112_124953%2Bcopy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjJ7UrU5bUw/X_2U1r2-uzI/AAAAAAAAHIo/q5iL2opcoVM0AEJXVh0T521DDTPA6PZ4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210112_124953%2Bcopy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When the world seems to be upside-down and nothing seems to make sense the <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m3Vo9efMv0">joker</a>,</b> jester, fool, or even the comedian can flip reality in such a way that our contradictory, post-modern world can be flipped over. Consequently, there is a possibility that a new reality can break through the masks that we often wear (so to speak - LOL) and real change can be realised. Thus, the role of the <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxltkn90Qag">fool</a> </b>can be for better (or for the worse). <div><br /></div><div>For example, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vuT8ki9yM4" target="_blank"><b>Ricky Gervais</b>, at the 2020 Golden Globe awards</a> gave the opening epic monologue that stunned the celebrity audience with jests like "So if you do win an award tonight don't use it as a platform make a political speech. You're in no position to lecture the public about anything." And then, "You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time at school than Gretha Thunburg." While many of the celebrities in the audience looked like they had been struck by a frozen mullet many viewers applauded his honesty and bravado by uncovering the hypocrisy and false virtue.<div><br /></div><div>In the card illustration above there is a typical joker prancing around in clownish apparel. You can imagine the King watching and laughing with the audience while taking their cue from the king as to whether or not is is safe to laugh along with the monarch. Again, notice that the double image of the king can be flipped so that it can be viewed top-down or bottom-up. Is this like the story of the 'Emporer's new clothes' - no one would dare to disagree with the king. Only the jester could do this with laughter and when the emperor realises the truth he can go along with the joke and save face. But, what is certain is that his reality will have been changed.</div><div><br /></div><div>In many card games the joker actually becomes the 'trump' card. The question at this time is (12th Jan, 2021), is Donald Trump the joker card that flips the great game. Is he the one that begins to flip the up-side down world that we inhabit. Certainly, he was made to look the fool by the biased media but, like Ricky Gervais, will he in essence, turn things around and enable us all to see reality differently.</div><div><br /></div><div>Johnathan Pageau demonstrates how the symbology of the story of Christ on the cross. Jesus is whipped and stripped of his clothes and nailed to the wooden cross. A crown made of thorns is placed on his head and he is mocked and his clothes are divided by lot amongst the soldiers. In a strange way he becomes the fool that flips the world view of that time in such a way that his death and resurrection becomes the source of eternal life for believers and empowers the change needed to create a new world order. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-71064647390338077332020-03-30T00:48:00.000-07:002020-03-30T02:21:31.572-07:00Hidden tribes: Social dysphoria in the time of uncertainty and polarisation <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Hidden tribes: A study of America's Polarised landscape.</b><br />
<br />
The report (November, 2018) outlines the findings of a large scale national survey of Americans about the current state of civic life in the United States. The report was conducted by 'More in Common', it was designed to identify and promote resilience in the face of mounting political polarisation and social division. Consequently, the researchers conducted research across a wide diversity of the population with varying lines of social division.<br />
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Today many Americans (and other Westerners) feel that they are financially insecure, are socially isolated and suffer from a loss of identity and belonging. Many others suffer from injustices stemming from race, sex, gender, religion and other facets of their identities. These issues have been even more exacerbated by the advent of the Corona Virus. As a consequence, many people would surmise that American society (possibly including the rest of the Western world) are deeply divided, such a sentiment would posit that there is approximately 50%/50% divide, aligning with the two major political tribes.<br />
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However, their research uncovered a completely different story. The researchers, in fact, identified seven groups (tribes) that were defined more by their core beliefs, than identified by a popular perception based on politically correct notions of race, gender, class, etc. Furthermore the research undertaken claimed that these groups were classified as:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Progressive activists - 8%</li>
<li>Traditional liberals - 11%</li>
<li>Passive liberals - 15%</li>
<li>Politically disengaged - 26%</li>
<li>Moderates - 15%</li>
<li>Traditional conservatives - 19%</li>
<li>Devoted conservatives - 6%</li>
</ol>
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Each segment have distinguishing characteristics that show internal consistency of political and social issues. The commonality of the views within each group predict political trends better than demographic, idealogical or partisan affiliation. Despite the differences, interviews conducted with a large sampling of American society on a wide range of social issues showed that Americans have more in common than views that should divide them. </div>
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It would seem that in the current age social media and partisan news media outlets emphasise differences that would divide people. Many commentators overreach with claims of racism, homophobia, sexism and a whole host of other dehumanising pejoratives. In a pluralistic society one would expect that debate and the open sharing of ideas would generate much needed innovation and social progress. However, sensible debate is often shut down due to the overreach of political correctness. The danger is that creativity and considered reflection will also be shut down as a result. </div>
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This social atrophy is not, however, insurmountable and will eventually pass. The researchers of this report aim to give hope to a society that has more in common (particularly tribes 2-6) than we have been led to believe and that with a renewed sense of national pride these positive and essential social qualities may come to the fore.</div>
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Gold Coast based political and social media commentator, Daisy Cousens ('<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTTvM6L3qFU" target="_blank">Is this the end of social justice</a>'), has recently positioned this report in the context of the Corona Virus Pandemic. She seems to infer that the virus might generate a coming together in a time of a world wide crisis. It is a time when people need to work together to fight an invisible but a real and formidable enemy. As a result political correctness and other trendy views may pale into the background as common sense and innovation is needed to overcome COVID-19 pandemic within our fragile humanity. </div>
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Links:<br />
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Hawkins, S., et al. (1918). <i>Hidden Tribes: A study of America's Polarised Landscape. New York, N.Y.: </i>More in Common <a href="https://hiddentribes.us/">https://hiddentribes.us</a><br />
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see also<br />
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<a href="https://heterodoxacademy.org/social-science-hidden-tribes/" target="_blank">Heterodox</a>: https://heterodoxacademy.org/social-science-hidden-tribes/</div>
Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-74655572277778076342019-05-08T18:14:00.001-07:002019-07-06T19:34:22.175-07:00The Coddling of the American Mind: A review and reflection.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>The Book</b><br />
Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2018). <i>The coddling of the American mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure. </i>N.Y.: Penguin Press.<br />
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<b>Changes</b><br />
As recent as 2015 and up till the present there have been powerful and disruptive forces at work in Western society typified by widespread unrest, the depth of which has not been seen since the 60s. During this period we have witnessed the fragmentation of society as formerly shared core beliefs are challenged and discarded, institutional child abuse, Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Terrorism, Trump, Far right protests, and the progressive left's disruption of free speech on campuses. For the young, future economic prospects are uncertain with many changes brought about by globalisation, wage stagnation, high University fees, and artificial intelligence. These changes have meant that many of the jobs that exist today will be automated and redundant.<br />
<br />
<b>Overprotection</b><br />
Against this backdrop is the modern obsession of parents in overprotecting their children. Lukiaoff and Haidt believe that this obsession with the <a href="https://m.soundcloud.com/spikedonline/jonathan-haidt-fragility-and-division" target="_blank">overprotection of children</a> is one cause contributing to a rapid rise in the number of adolescents suffering from depression, anxiety, and suicide. Nietzsche once said that "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." However, the children of the iGeneration are not getting this message. The message that iGens have been reared to believe is "What doesn't kill me makes me weaker." This is an unconscious slogan that reinforces the concept of safetyism: the widespread notion that children need to be protected from the harmful effects of unsafe spaces, bullying, child abuse, and hurtful words. Instead of producing a generation of healthy young adults our society has nurtured a generation of young adults who are susceptible to depression, anxiety and, in some cases are more prone to suicide than previous generations. The unrealistic hyper-concern for safety promotes emotionally fragile young people who exhibit traits of unreasonable fear and a tendency for a lack of sufficient resilience to ward off mental distress.<br />
<br />
<b>Victimhood</b><br />
Students today, for example, are more likely to believe that misogyny and rape culture are endemic on college and university campuses. They are more likely to be immersed in an academic culture that propagates the notion of masculine toxicity and the poisoning effect of white male privilege. This heightened cultural perspective assumes that a person's privileged upbringing or tribal identity may prevent them from empathising with those that are viewed as belonging to a victimised group or groups. Often the so called people of privilege may inadvertently say things that are commonly referred to as microagressions that hurt others (see previous blog: <a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/04/victimhood-culture-my-thoughts-and.html" target="_blank">Victimhood culture </a>). Universities in many Western countries foster a culture of safetyism that seeks to protect students from ideas that may challenge their beliefs and attitudes. Many of these campuses provide safe spaces where students can go to feel protected from harmful ideas. Another common strategy is to de-platform speakers with dangerous ideas that could be upsetting to students. This protected culture is so sanitising that it provides the conditions that enable a form of emotional bracket creep. Such a situation as this fosters the notion that almost anything can be perceived as harmful or violent.<br />
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<b>Social media</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">'</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.399999618530273px;">Those ascribing to victimhood culture see themselves as individuals or as disenfranchised group members who often take offence to opposing views of some privileged person or persons who use their position to disenfranchise their supposed victim or victims' </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">(</span></span><a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/04/victimhood-culture-my-thoughts-and.html" target="_blank">see a previous blog</a> - Victimhood Culture).<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.399999618530273px;"> A</span></span>nything that can be considered as an attack on student groups or as being offensive in any way may be an opportunity to exercise collective punishment by ostracising or stigmatising, often by labelling someone as being racist, or cis white males, for example. Social media has become an effective tool used to appeal to and influence group-think (or mob) mentality (see Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying's harrowing experiences at Evergreen State College - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vyBLCqyUes&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">PART THREE: The hunted individual</a>).<br />
<br />
The digital social behaviours are often confrontational, adherents are inclined to be less inhibited in saying what they think about social issues. Those with opposing views are often shamed by using unsavoury language or specified derogatory labels. Those that are shamed in this way can incur the wrath of the mob and suffer an avalanche of citiscism for the perceived offence. Not only does this promote a group think mentality but also an intersectional reality whereby groups or tribes of victims intersect and support one another against the perceived oppressive opinions or violent ideas. The premise is that the more intersectional that you are the more social prestige you gain, for example, a trans person who is black will have more social and tribal credit that say a white, conservative male. The perception is those who are considered as belonging to more than one intersectional tribe may need more protection, affirmation and affirmative action by some compensatory process.<br />
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<b>Over-parenting</b><br />
The ME generation were fed on a diet of Dr Spock who emphasised that children should be permitted to develop at their own pace. This was often executed in a protected and scheduled fishbowl environment. However, when their children left home they would often feel like fish out of water and not cope with the diversity of ideas in the real world. 'Always trust your feelings' is a typical phrase that iGenners would have heard time-and-again. The focus on feeling rather than reasoned thought makes this generation susceptible to conflicting emotions and an intolerance to the ideas of others. <br />
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<b>Expanded view</b><br />
Lukianoff and Haidt give some suggestions as to how this situation can be alleviated with some creative thinking from parents, educators, schools and university administrators. We need to foster a sense of adventure and resilience by gradually giving our children freedom to venture beyond the over protective environment of the home. More opportunities to play with others rather than just through organised play dates. Schools need to have plenty of recess time so that children can learn how to socialise with diverse individuals. Parents and teachers need to limit the amount of time spent on screens and increase the child's experience of the outside environment; they should be taught how to manage risk.<span style="background-color: white;"> I<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">n terms of coping with others is the notion that when they draw a circle to exclude them they should draw a wider circle that includes them.</span></span><br />
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<b>Links that you may find of interest:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://areomagazine.com/2019/04/17/listening-at-the-great-awokening/" target="_blank">Listening at the Great Awakening</a>: Areo<br />
<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/2vyBLCqyUes" target="_blank">PART THREE: The hunted individual</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/04/the-scruton-tapes-an-anatomy-of-a-modern-hit-job/" target="_blank">The Scruton tapes: an anatomy of a modern hit job</a>: The Spectator<br />
<br />
Interview by Brendan O'Neill with <a href="https://m.soundcloud.com/spikedonline/jonathan-haidt-fragility-and-division" target="_blank">Johnathan Haidt: Fragility and Division</a>: Sound Cloud</div>
Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-59220163533406457852019-05-05T23:21:00.001-07:002019-05-05T23:29:58.224-07:00What is Meaning in the wake of Notre Dame?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notre Dame-watercolour & acrylic-G. Woolley</td></tr>
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<b>Recap and going forward</b><br />
In my other blog "<a href="http://reading4meaning.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Reading Comprehension</a>" I have been concerned with the teaching of reading comprehension. Many of the ideas presented were associated with research for books that I had written. In contrast, this blog, focuses on a future book that I am in the process of planning and researching. At this point it does not have a name but it will focus on the essence of meaning and how, we as human beings, construct meanings as we interact with other beings and objects in our world. It will be concerned with perception, understanding and ontology.<br />
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To understand the meaning making process we need to dig deeply using fundamental religious, philosophical and scientific understandings. After all, comprehension is basically the act of gaining answers to questions that we like to ask ourselves. To ask foundational questions will enable us to begin to understand what is meant by meaning itself and what we mean when we ask what we or others mean. How do we interpret and construct meaning when we perceive something that elicits our attention during a particular instance?<br />
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<b>Light bulb memories</b><br />
The images that were firmly etched into our collective western mind with, for example, the shooting of John F. Kennedy and destruction of the twin towers in New York, could easily be recalled by those that are old enough to have seen the media pictures of the time broadcast around the world. These stark images are often referred to as 'light bulb' memories because they are almost as vivid as when we first saw them. Most people my age share those same images. Likewise, the recent burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral captured the collective attention of millions people, not only in the West but all around the world. I have painted (above) my impression of the destruction of this great icon and I am sure that you will instantly recognise it even though it is just a rough sketch. The burning of Notre Dame, no doubt is one of those light bulb moments that are etched into our collective minds. The vividness of that image in your mind is related to the intensity of the emotional impact of the event and its relationship to your world view.<br />
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<b>Cultural understandings</b><br />
We may all have a slightly different understanding of the significance of the burning of this great building but it has created a great deal of heightened interest and commentary via the news media. Whatever we make of these individual images it will, no doubt, position us all with some point of reference or shared meaning. History also records to some degree a shared understanding for those who have visited the Notre Dame Cathedral or for those that have studied French history, art history, history of Western Religion, or even the history of Western philosophy.<br />
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<b>Significance of Notre Dame</b><br />
The cathedral has an historic, religious, artistic, philosophical and <a href="http://Why did the onlookers weep while they watched the cathedral burn? Was it because they sensed that Europe had lost its soul or was it a relic of a forgotten past?" target="_blank">cultural significance</a> that goes far beyond the borders of modern France. It was built in the<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">twelfth century</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;">(started in the year 1163) </span>during a time when Christianity had spread throughout Europe and beyond the city dwellers and into rural peasantry. The building represented incredible engineering and scientific achievement. It took over one hundred years for it to be finished with an enormous amount of money, time and dedication. Those who designed, engineered, and started building would never see the results of their efforts in their lifetime. For many the dedication came from the idea that it would be a beacon to show the world the glory of the God of the Bible. At this time virtually the only literate people were the monks (certainly the only ones that could read latin) in the monasteries that proliferated throughout Western Europe. Monasticism during the Dark Ages reflected '<b>revelation</b>' and '<b>reason</b>' in partnership. The Monasteries became the storehouse for understanding revelation, exploring known knowledge while applying and modelling democratic social structures. It was the educated class of monks that introduced Western civilisation to Greek scientific learning and encouraged the scientific enquiry of 'God's creation' hence giving birth to modern science and democracy (see previous blog - <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/inventing-individual.html" target="_blank">Inventing the Individual</a>).<br />
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The Cathedral, more than any other icon still standing, was the epitome of the combination of revelation (scripture) with reason (Greek thought) (see Ben Shapiros book, 'The Right Side of History' for a broader understanding - future blog). Not only did this building exemplify two great understandings that would eventually become the root of the Enlightenment but it brought the the teachings of the Bible to the common man (mostly illiterate at that time) through the visual stories and images in the stainless glass windows, art works and statues that adorned the building. The building itself was intentionally designed so that when you stand inside (or even outside) your eyes were directed to the ceiling, the spire, and beyond so that it gave the viewer a sense of eternity and transcendence. During this time the medieval church became the centre of learning and established the first universities that would give momentum to revelation and reason. This Gothic building had the power to take us back in time to remind us of the roots of our civilisation and of the great leap forward in human progress.<br />
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<b>Humanist Enlightenment</b><br />
Look to the left beyond the edge of the picture (in real life as if you were standing there) you would see the Eiffel Tower nearby. This more recent structure epitomises the peak of Enlightenment engineering and together with the advent of Darwin's Origin of the Species, exemplified the partial severing of '<b>revelation</b>' from '<b>reason</b>'. Together, the Eiffel Tower and Darwin's theory highlighted man's ingenuity and the beginning of a separation from Europe's spiritual foundations. Two world wars and the deaths of tens of millions of innocent people during the last century led to disillusionment with modernism and humanism (I will explore this idea extensively in future book reviews).<br />
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<b>Separation and decline</b><br />
Even though scientific humanism (reason) has been dealt a near fatal blow, much like Christianity (revelation) before it, there have been some attempts to revive this philosophical root. Since the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11 the new atheists and the neo-humanists have attempted to regain the initiative by claiming that science contradicts or is in opposition to revelation. However, the majority of Americans, for example, do not believe in evolution: postmodernism has now replaced humanism as the dominant philosophical force. Waning interest in STEM subjects reflects a general lack of interest in Science. Could this be a result of reason being divorced from revelation? Study of the material world without purpose and meaning is sterile.<br />
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<b>How the Mind Works: Book review and reflection</b><br />
This has been somewhat of a long introduction to my present book review but it is also a condensation of the previous reflections. This book is the second book that I have recently read written by the neo-Enlightenment thinker, Steven Pinker. In his book Enlightenment Now (see an earlier blog) he endeavours to posit the idea that the Enlightenment was the sole foundation that produced the benefits of modern human progress. After reading extensively, I found this naive and misinformed (for example see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVD0xik-_FM" target="_blank">Ben Shapiro: YouTube</a>). The book is entitled, 'How the Mind Works'. 'The Times' comment on the cover stated, 'How the mind Works will change the way your mind works'. Well for me, it didn't! It was very unconvincing. Pinker refers to himself as a cognitive scientist (as I do) so I was hoping to gain a better understanding of my own research area. Unfortunately, Pinker's book seemed to be some sort of justification for the Darwinian notion of natural selection. There is no doubt that all creatures are designed with a facility to adapt to their environment otherwise existence on earth would be difficult (obviously some species are not able to adapt sufficiently or quick enough when there are environmental stresses). But to suggest that the human brain and physiology, in all its biochemical and biophysical complexity, is entirely the result of natural selection is a huge leap of faith and is restrictive to further exploration.<br />
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<b>Shaky ground</b><br />
This book is over 600 pages long and when your foundational premise (natural selection) is based on very shaky ground (which I will point out shortly) it is very hard to stay focussed. It was like reading a never ending story. In essence, he relies on Darwin's theory, Sam Harris's neo-Atheism, and Dawkin's flawed thinking. Shapiro (see future post: Right Side of History: Part <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">1</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">)</span></span> </span>claims that he uses circular thinking because he assumes that this assumption is correct he bases his subsequent arguments around that premise. An example Page 166) is what follows - "readers young enough to have had sex education or old enough to be reading articles about the prostrate may have noticed that the seminal ducts in men do not lead directly from the testes to the penis but snake up into the body and pass over the ureter before coming back down." <i>Now, wait for it! This is where the Big Crunch comes! Let's continue! </i>" That is because the testes of our reptilian ancestors were inside their bodies. The bodies of mammals are too hot for the production of sperm, so the testes gradually descended into a scrotum."<br />
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<b>Natural selection</b><br />
You might be convinced by this argument, I nearly brushed over it (maybe that is why I put the bush in the picture above) but I had recently had a radical robotic prostatectomy and I know that there are quite a few good reasons why the vas deferens is so long and why it snakes around. He goes on to say, unlike a human engineer, selection is incapable of good design. "Animals are clunking jalopies saddled with ancestral junk and occasionally blunder into barely serviceable solutions." The main idea behind this claim is that natural selection is random and there should be some residual evidence of natural accidents, or changes, such as the one imagined above. The argument is that there should be evidence of successful changes, unsuccessful changes, and changes that are in the process of a long transformation. The tonsils, the tail bone, and the appendix were proposed to evidence this notion until it was found that they actually did have important functions - the search goes on and no residual body elements appear. It should be noted, however, that there is evidence from the genome that we carry faults within the genes structures <span style="background-color: white;">(see YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY98io7JH-c&t=&fbclid=IwAR3bKSZUR2AdkuS6ATdjMu7C-wwqF0HBlyRcYLbaxnmWTlg4TSegzdnvpv8" target="_blank">interview with Dr John Sanford</a>) </span>but they are redundant and generally do not affect the characteristics of the species (except in the case of some diseases). The length of the <a href="https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j26_3/j26_3_60-67.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">vas deferens </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">d</span><span style="background-color: white;">o</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">e</span></span>s not prove natural selection</a>.<br />
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Thus Pinker provides a very faulty argument for natural selection, which is the foundation for all that follows in his book. There is a lot of backward reasoning starting with natural selection. It is easy to take something that exists in a particular environment and then do some backward engineering. For example, lets say that humans developed language because our ancestors, who were apes needed ... etc. Without evidence that can be replicated in the laboratory it allows for some interesting stories that sound incredible and often illogical.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
Coming back to the Notre Dame Cathedral, what has this got to do with - How the mind works? <span style="background-color: white;">Since Pinker's book seemed to be more about natural selection and a justification for humanism without faith,</span> the Cathedral tells us a lot. After the French Revolution when the Humanist Enlightenment gained ground on the headless bodies of thousand that had been guillotined they seized many churches and cathedrals including Notre Dame, which they made into the Temple of Reason in which they placed busts of Greek philosophers in place of the crucifix and statues of Mary. However, this only lasted a couple of years until the guillotine caught up with them also, just as the horrific events of the twentieth century caught up with the Enlightenment.<br />
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<b>Other links that may be of interest:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://Why did the onlookers weep while they watched the cathedral burn? Was it because they sensed that Europe had lost its soul or was it a relic of a forgotten past?" target="_blank">Rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral Contradicts Everything Secular Europe Stands For</a>: Rebel Priest<br />
<br />
<a href="https://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j26_3/j26_3_60-67.pdf" target="_blank">Vas deferens: Refuting 'bad design' arguments</a>: Journal of Creation</div>
Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-82578707656001308862019-05-01T15:11:00.001-07:002019-05-29T06:48:00.524-07:00War against boys: Book review and reflection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8leQgVvbTc/XKhDICt43EI/AAAAAAAADHo/FL5devVDLPITNUfpqmQkwPRVWhqYjjwvQCLcBGAs/s1600/20190406_160757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8leQgVvbTc/XKhDICt43EI/AAAAAAAADHo/FL5devVDLPITNUfpqmQkwPRVWhqYjjwvQCLcBGAs/s320/20190406_160757.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
Hoff Sommers, C. (2000). <i>The war against boys. </i>NY: Simon & Shuster Paperbacks.<br />
<br />
<b>The war against boys</b><br />
What ever happened to 'let boys be boys'? The following anecdote from Sommers book highlights the situation in schools today. "A sixth-grade boy, whose mother asks to be identified as Dan, squirms as his teacher tells his parents he's not trying hard enough in school. He looks away as the teacher directs his parents to a table of projects the class has done on Ancient Greek civilisation. Some projects are meticulous works of art, with edges burned to resemble old parchment. Dan's title page is plain and unillustrated, and he's left an 'e' out of 'Greek'. "You'll never get anywhere if you don't try," says Dan's father as they leave the classroom. "I don't understand," says Dan's mother, whose two older daughters got straight A's in school without her intervention."<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The gender gap</b><br />
It became apparent in the 1990's girls were falling behind in math and science and this revelation gave momentum to the movement to focus more on girls' education. This movement in education overlooked the obvious fact that boys, too, were failing in other areas <a href="https://blog.oup.com/2019/04/why-girls-outperform-boys-reading-tests/" target="_blank">such as reading</a>, writing, and school engagement. The push in girls' education was so successful that they now outnumber boys entering higher education institutions. "Today women in the United States earn 57% of bachelor's degrees, 60 percent of master's degrees, and 52 percent of PhDs. One can only assume that the gender gap is real and it has a negative effect on boys' education and life opportunities." What alerted parents and others was the observation that girls were collecting the majority of honours and awards in high school.<br />
<br />
<b>Pay gap</b><br />
There has been much said about the gender pay gap in the news media. Almost daily there are calls for equality in the work place. However, in most Western countries it is illegal for employers to pay women less than a man doing the same job. There has been a concerted effort in OECD countries to make sure that women have equal opportunity and equal pay. It is disingenuous and discriminatory in our modern society to have it any other way. If this was not so it would be the most logical thing for an employer to hire women rather than men because it would be cheaper and more efficient. However, there does not seem to be any evidence that this is happening. What is certain is that in Australia and in other western countries employers will face heavy fines if they do otherwise. What then is the problem with the so called gender wage gap?<br />
<br />
<b>Gap driven by choice, lifestyle, and hours worked</b><br />
The gender pay disparity is driven more by choice of occupation and lifestyle, hours worked, and length of employment in the work force. Sommers suggests that female doctors are more likely to be paediatricians than higher paid cardiologists. In General, women dominate lower paid occupations such as child care, teaching, nursing and other jobs within the service industries. This is because women, on the whole make life style choices by electing professions that tend to be nurturing and caring roles. Many women, who choose to have a family, will prefer to stay at home longer to nurture their family. Jobs like teaching, for example, enable women to be more available outside of school time including school holidays. Furthermore, women tend to look for jobs that allow them to be more agreeable while men tend to be more competitive and seek more aggressive and competitive occupations. Some would posit that gender stereotyping actually coerces women into lower paid positions.<br />
<br />
Countries like Sweden have for a long time implemented affirmative action policies whereby they use quotas to try and redress the imbalance in some occupations. However, <a href="http://www.epicenternetwork.eu/blog/the-swedish-gender-equality-paradox/" target="_blank">Affirmative action in Sweden</a> has been very disappointing. Despite the fact that the Nordic countries have taken the lead in gender equality the results indicate that there are more women in the work force but fewer Swedish women reach top executive positions than more conservative countries like the United States of America.<br />
<br />
<b>Merit or equity</b><br />
There are problems for <a href="https://areomagazine.com/2019/04/10/why-traditional-masculinity-is-good-for-academia/" target="_blank">men entering the workforce</a> as well. As already alluded to above there are more female college and university graduates available for employment. Some affirmative action policies will mean that women will be selected as more suitable because the employer may need to fulfil a certain equity quota. Logcally, one would expect that the most qualified applicant for the job should be selected, but this is often not the case. All people should have equal opportunity to pursue the career of their choice regardless of race, gender, or age. However, if applications for positions are judged according to equity of outcomes it creates an unfair advantage and leads to poorer quality applicants securing higher levels job. In contrast, contract selection according to merit is fair and will lead to better creativity and productivity.<br />
<br />
<b>Schools and boys</b><br />
The worrying problem in schools is that male underachievement is feeding the growing college and university entrance gap. In the last twenty or so years there has been a concerted effort by teachers to lift the performance of girls but the same effort has not been applied to boys. There may be other reasons for this as well. In the past boys have tended to perform at each end of the achievement spectrum while girls were more likely to congregate in the centre. However, particularly in primary and preschool education there are few role models for boys as nearly all teachers in primary schools (elementary schools) tend to be female. Added to this is the fact that it is more common for boys to grow up without a father present at home, particularly in black American homes. Many other fathers are at home but are disengaged and do not provide what is needed. Boys are more likely to have a learning disability or ADHD. Boys all favour a different style of learning but since most teachers are women they will prefer a more feminine teaching style.<br />
<br />
<b>Staking the deck</b><br />
What is more concerning is that it would seem that the deck is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68EiD_LzmWY" target="_blank">being stacked</a> against giving boys 'a fair go' in education. Sommers asks the question, "What is the answer? More boy-friendly curricula? More male teachers? More single-sex classrooms? Special preschool classes to improve boys' social skills? Extra recess where boys are allowed to engage in their characteristic rough-and-tumble play? More engaging schools like Aviation High? ... these are all promising solutions-and all are strenuously opposed by the women's lobby." Furthermore, boys are generally noisy, rowdy, and hard to manage. They are often messy, disorganised, and will not sit still. Boys like action, risk, and competition. They also tend to do less well with group work and are not as good with language as girls. They tend to think that reading is a feminine activity. Since the 1970s there has been a decline in the amount of time given to recess and structured outdoor activities. It is unsurprising that obesity has become a problem for girls, but even more so for boys. Boys are give more suspensions for minor acts. What is more concerning is that there has been a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-kxdyJs6y8" target="_blank">deliberate push to make boys less masculine </a>because male traits are seen as being less virtuous.<br />
<br />
<b>Second sex</b><br />
Britain and Australia have raised concerns for the gender gap and a more equitable education of boys. For example, in 2002, the Australian House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Training published <i><a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/house_of_representatives_committees?url=edt/eofb/report.htm" target="_blank">Boys: Getting It Right: Report n the Inquiry into the Education of Boys.</a> </i>The report called for a change away from just a focus solely on the needs of girls for gender equality and deterred calls for the transformation of boy's masculinity. There is much to be done in most Western countries otherwise boys will become the second sex. This is particularly concerning due to the likelihood that the economy will drift further toward a knowledge based society and will attract more women.<br />
<br />
I would recommend this book as essential reading for those that are concerned with real equality of opportunity for all.<br />
<br />
<b>Other links of interest:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFpYj0E-yb4&t=5s" target="_blank">The war against boys</a>: Prager U<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-kxdyJs6y8" target="_blank">Make men masculine again</a>: Prager U<br />
<br />
Tucker Carlson interview with Jordan Petersen: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68EiD_LzmWY" target="_blank">The lefts toxic masculinity label to blame for the crisis.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blog.oup.com/2019/04/why-girls-outperform-boys-reading-tests/" target="_blank">Why do girls outperform boys on reading tests throughout the world?</a>: OUPblog<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/upshot/the-gender-achievement-gap-starts-later-for-asian-american-students.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes" target="_blank">Asian American boys</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://fee.org/articles/harvard-study-gender-pay-gap-explained-entirely-by-work-choices-of-men-and-women/" target="_blank">Gender pay gap explained</a>: Harvard<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/aug/29/women-in-20s-earn-more-men-same-age-study-finds" target="_blank">Gender pay gap</a>: Guardian - 20-29 year old women earn more than men<br />
<br />
<a href="https://areomagazine.com/2019/04/10/why-traditional-masculinity-is-good-for-academia/" target="_blank">Why Traditional Masculinity is Good for Academia</a>: Areo<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/understanding-the-inescapable-reality-of-masculinity/" target="_blank">Masculinity and Poway Synagogue</a>: Culture<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46929/woman-said-man-who-stopped-help-her-when-car-broke-amanda-prestigiacomo?utm_medium=email&utm_content=050819-news&utm_campaign=position5" target="_blank">Woman said man who stopped to help her when her car broke down assaulted her</a>: Daily Wire<br />
<br /></div>
Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-2862037217168628822019-04-24T23:43:00.001-07:002019-04-25T22:59:29.495-07:00The Enlightenment: Is this the foundation of progress and meaning?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Pinker, S. (2018). <i>Enlightenment now: The case for reason, science, humanism and progress. </i>UK: Penguin Books.<br />
<br />
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<b>Progress</b><br />
Steven Pinker has written a rather large, interesting and easy to read book about <b>human progress</b> since the enlightenment. There certainly has been a lot of progress and that progress seems to be gathering momentum. In my own life time I have seen many improvements and innovations. I remember (fortunately I don't have Alzheimer's) living as a young child in the western suburbs of Sydney. We had an ice box for a refrigerator and the ice man would come regularly in his horse and cart to deliver a block of ice to keep our food fresh. We did not have a car, a telephone or a television. When I was married my wife and I had a car but we waited several years before we could afford colour TV and phone. My children and their partners acquired these devices as soon as they moved to their first home. May grandchildren haven't even left school and they have their own mobile phones, iPads, Playstations and watch Netflix using their own channels to access their favourite shows.<br />
<br />
Pinker uses a lot of print, paper and graphs to painstakingly show how the Enlightenment has enabled this progress, not only with technology but in many other social and environmental domains in Western countries and beyond. For example (in a similar fashion to the web site - <a href="http://humanprogress.org/">HumanProgress.org</a>) he shows how we have progressed in areas such as health, lifespan, wealth, equality, environment, peace, safety, and so it goes on for another 300 pages until you get to the meatier chapters of 'Reason', 'Science' and 'Humanism'. There is only one problem, this progress did not start during the Enlightenment, most of the ground work was laid during the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqzq01i2O3U" target="_blank">Dark ages</a> (also see previous blog - <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/inventing-individual.html" target="_blank">Inventing the Individual</a>) when Christianity permeated into most of Europe. No one doubts that the momentum picked up after the Renaissance and the development of modern <b>scientific method</b> even though the interest in Greek philosophy and scientific method was nurtured in the monasteries of Europe (see future blog - The <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=the%20book%20that%20made%20your%20world&search=Find+book" target="_blank">Book that Made Your World</a> - listed below). Through the centuries the momentum has gathered pace to the point where human knowledge doubles every few years and technological advancement rapidly alters how we interact in almost every aspect of modern living. One would expect that progress should gain momentum, as knowledge and technological innovation are cumulative. But to presume that somehow this began during the Enlightenment is wishful thinking and overstated.<br />
<br />
<b>Reason</b><br />
Pinker contends that, the ideals of the Enlightenment were products of <b>human reason</b>. Human nature itself has always struggled with rationality by using argument to justify belief. People automatically act on their feelings and use reason to support their presuppositions. It is often quite difficult to attempt to change the beliefs of another person particularly if those beliefs are well entrenched. Pinker seems to think that all Enlightened people need to do to create a better society is to have diverse groups that engage in rational debate. The presumption is that eventually the great questions that plague mankind will somehow be solved by human reason. Until recently most people in the West had been enculturated with Judeo-Christian teachings and therefore expect to treat others as they would want others to treat them. Until recently sharing a common core of beliefs such as this created a climate of trust enabling the coming together of minds.<br />
<br />
In recent times, following the devastation of two world wars, this core set of beliefs has been brought into disrepute and replaced with ideologies: multiculturalism, globalisation and post modernism with their embrace of diversity and relativism. What we are now experiencing is the rise of tribalism and polarisation of belief on the far right and also on the far left. Rather than using informed argument and debate, the protagonists prefer to label and condemn (see a previous blog - <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/review-righteous-mind.html" target="_blank">The righteous Mind</a>). Terms such as 'hate speech', 'privileged white males', 'toxic masculinity' and 'shouting down speakers' who present different ideas silence freedom of thought and reason itself. There appears to be no recognisable or agreed upon 'common ground'.<br />
<br />
<b>Science</b><br />
As mentioned above, modern scientific inquiry and rigorous research began in the European monasteries and was the catalysts for a plethora of new ideas. Modernism embraced Enlightenment ideals but sidelined the foundation of faith. <b>Postmodernism</b> has sidelined both faith and reason by asserting that truth is relative. The danger is that the flowering of reason, new ideas and harmony will wither if the roots of our <b>Judeo-Christian heritage</b> are severed completely. Humanism without the faith foundation, has failed to bring in a golden age of harmony and understanding. The postmodernists have recognised this but have instead sowed division instead of harmony. Yes, many aspects of our modern world are getting better, people are getting richer, living longer and healthier lives but there is a <a href="https://humanprogress.org/article.php?p=1223" target="_blank">crisis of meaning</a>. There is evidence of an existential angst; people are feeling <b>lonelie</b>r and <b>suicide rates</b> are climbing rapidly (see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI6rX96oYnY#TheCoddling" target="_blank">interview with Johnathan Haidt</a>) despite Pinker's claim that the lives of the ordinary person has improved exponentially.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
This book is worth reading because it acknowledges what most of us take for granted. Living in the contemporary world has become so much better in so many ways. The concern is that we do have a crisis of meaning and that all the mod cons that we are privileged with do not necessarily make life more meaningful. If we, as a society ignore our Judeo-Christian roots, the soul of our civilisation will wither at our <b>peril</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Other book reference:</b><br />
Mangalwadi, V. (2011). <i>The book that made your world: How the Bible created the soul of Western civilisation. </i>Nashville: Thomas Nelson.<br />
<br />
<b>Internet links </b>(some hyperlinks above)<b>:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://quillette.com/2019/02/09/punishing-the-crime-vs-blacklisting-the-soul/" target="_blank">Punishing the crime vs blacklisting the soul</a>: Quilette<br />
<br />
<a href="https://quillette.com/2019/01/14/enlightenment-wars-some-reflections-on-enlightenment-now-one-year-later/" target="_blank">Enlightenment wars: Quilette</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqzq01i2O3U" target="_blank">Prager U: Dark ages</a><br />
<br />
Pinker is wrong about the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPaP1wVs5wU" target="_blank">Enlightenment</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://humanprogress.org/">HumanProgress.org</a><br />
<br />
Are we suffering from a <a href="https://humanprogress.org/article.php?p=1223" target="_blank">crisis of meaning</a>?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://quillette.com/2019/01/14/enlightenment-wars-some-reflections-on-enlightenment-now-one-year-later/" target="_blank">One year later</a>: Steven Pinker addresses his critics.<br />
<br />
Also consider: <a href="https://www.thepostil.com/wealth-of-the-one-percent/?fbclid=IwAR0BlMvqqadsUaE-OoloREhdG3mujS5DEmB8kBGUzZXoaqNo5TxNSUBA_Ig#.XGosuS1L1QI" target="_blank">The wealth of the One Percent</a> - human progress and the myth that the one percent are robbing us all.<br />
<br />
The <a href="https://quillette.com/2019/03/10/the-french-genocide-that-has-been-air-brushed-from-history/" target="_blank">French genocide</a> that has been air-brushed from history:Quillette</div>
Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-38478011284096904912019-04-12T20:22:00.000-07:002019-04-12T20:22:01.634-07:00The mess we are in: A review and reflection.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Keane, B. (2018). <i>The mess we're in: How our politics went to hell and dragged us with it</i>. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.<br />
<br />
<b>The mess</b><br />
Most of Bernard Keane's book is devoted to the current political and cultural 'mess' that Australian liberal democracy is finding itself in during this transitional period of history. Due to the reach of globalisation and the influence of the internet the rest of the world is also mired in one way or another. Some of my previous book reviews have addressed these cultural issues that have arisen over the last couple of decades so I will focus more on Keane's last couple of chapters where he examines some of the underlying ideas and meanings that have filtered through Western thought, particularly in relation to the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment.<br />
<br />
<b>Emotion versus reason</b><br />
Keane believes that Western modernity emphasised the role of the individual and there has been a long tradition of using scientific reasoning since the Enlightenment. He goes on to say that the Reformation was probably the most important movement in Western civilisation as it focussed on the direct relationship between man and God. It overturned the idea that we need a priest as an intermediary but, instead, places the responsibility for the important decisions on the individual (see previous blog: <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/inventing-individual.html" target="_blank">Inventing the Individual</a>). As a consequence, individualism was embedded into the "very fabric of European life" and gave impetus to Democracy and individual creativity. The <b>Enlightenment </b>took reason and science to a new level but in so doing it made the error of separating its foundation of faith from reason. The danger is that <b>reason</b> without <b>faith</b> can lead to a mechanistic and materialistic world devoid of human feeling.<br />
<br />
<b>Rousseau and the rise of emotion</b><br />
Keane claimed that the French philosopher, Rousseau thought that mankind would be far better off without reason. This view was essentially anti-Enlightenment because, instead of celebrating reason, Rousseau believed that the path to knowledge was through examining one's own <b>feelings</b>. Rousseau's philosophy of suppressing reason in the name of the emotional truth of the masses places him at the start of an intellectual tradition that leads deep into twentieth-century (and twenty-first-century). This philosophical perspective inspired Romanticism and resonated with many people in today's society experiencing fear, confusion, loneliness and loss of meaning. Rousseau provided a <b>feelings foundation</b> for the rise of notions of victimhood, tribalism and rage within our post-modern culture. It would seem that <span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">many<span style="color: lime;"> </span>people in our contemporary world</span> are not only experiencing <b>feelings of alienation</b> but also <b>envy</b> as they are confronted with flagrant displays of wealth and power through the electronic media. These are the kinds of sentiments that Trump exploited so effectively in his bid for the Whitehouse with his passionate <b>rejection of reason</b> and the deliberate blurring of the factual information (see <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/how-rousseau-predicted-trump" target="_blank">How Rousseau Predicted Trump</a>).<br />
<br />
<b>Renaissance and homogenous thinking</b><br />
Keane echoes Marshall McLuan's argument that the invention of the printing press inevitably led to <b>nationalism</b> by homogenising national languages and thereby minimising the notion of the tribe within states. Thus, the consolidation of a national language brought people together and consolidated the nation state. The printed book is also viewed as an extension of the visual faculty that intensifies perspective and the fixed points of view. Thus, the moveable type reinforced the notion that space is "visual, uniform and continuous". This provided a stable platform that provided a shared <b>grand narrative</b> that gave impetus to industrial growth, capitalism, and economic prosperity.<br />
<br />
<b>Postmodernism and the internet</b><br />
Just as the printing press had a profound effect on Western civilisation during Renaisance the <b>internet</b> is now having an even greater impact on human knowing, memory and meaning. In our present postmodern situation the grand narrative has been replaced along with reason itself. <b>Truth</b> is no longer seen as absolute but all truth is considered as being <b>relative</b>. Today's digital citizens tend to read less even though they may spend a lot of time on the internet. They are able to multitask more easily and more effectively than the previous generation. They are likely to be more concerned with knowing how and where to find information rather than remembering important facts. On social media they are constantly rewarded with 'likes' and being linked with those that are more inclined to agree with their own thoughts and feelings. Social media users are more inclined to provoke <b>outrage</b> and the venting of anger as it elicits more rewards in the form of likes, sympathetic responses, and repostings. Keane believes that digital users are spending more time alone with their devices and are more likely to develop a lack of empathy for those with differing viewpoints. This narrowing social interaction allows the user to express ideas with some degree of <b>anonymity</b> without having to explain or justify ideas. Often the intent of the user is to stir up rage and elicit shared emotional reactions.<br />
<br />
<b>Political dissociation</b><br />
Even though humanity as a whole is doing better than at any other time in the history of the world social media constantly bombards users with a supply of social issues to worry about. "The internet is the great dislocator of our time, disrupting us psychologically, socially and economically." For many, this situation has lead to the distrust of politicians and feelings of alienation, anxiety, and outrage.<br />
<br />
<b>Other useful links:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1577043065"></span>Post-truth in an age of Authenticity<span id="goog_1577043066"></span></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://quillette.com/2019/03/02/why-we-should-read-rousseau/" target="_blank">How should we read Rousseau</a><br />
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Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-19433730910399740212019-04-05T22:04:00.000-07:002019-04-24T21:24:31.365-07:00Victimhood Culture: My thoughts and reflections<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NYlwhSNOznA/XGpjqpM0xKI/AAAAAAAADAU/W1dKt9SLXSgsaKqWdIpZOOeghfu8V9RDwCLcBGAs/s1600/20190218_174832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NYlwhSNOznA/XGpjqpM0xKI/AAAAAAAADAU/W1dKt9SLXSgsaKqWdIpZOOeghfu8V9RDwCLcBGAs/s320/20190218_174832.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Campbell, B., & Manning, J. (2018). <i>The rise of victimhood Culture: Microaggressions, safe spaces, and the new culture wars. </i>Los Angeles: Palgrave Macmillan.<br />
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In my previous blog <span style="color: #9fc5e8;">(<a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/02/kindly-inquisitors-book-review.html" target="_blank">Kindly Inquisitors</a>)</span> I discussed a dangerous principle that threatens our civil liberties. In this blog Campbell and Manning take up the challenge by identifying some trends within Western societies that relate to cultural identity and meaning.<br />
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<b>Language</b><br />
We have all come across the phrase, 'Sticks and stones may beak my bones but names will never hurt me'. As a young child I would use this to minimise the impact of unwanted name calling and put-downs. Language expressions can be hurtful at times even when they are said in jest or when they are well intentioned but inappropriate for a particular situation. L<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-size: 15.399999618530273px;">anguage expressions in the form of </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.399999618530273px;"><b>micro-aggressions </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.399999618530273px;">are, however, viewed by a certain moralistic sub-cultural group as not being mere</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.399999618530273px;"> slights but are seen as offensive and aggressive acts in themselves (also see a previous Blog - </span><a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/review-righteous-mind.html" style="font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.399999618530273px;" target="_blank">The Righteous Mind</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 15.399999618530273px;">). </span><br />
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<b>Microagressions</b><br />
Microagressions are often ordinary and brief verbal expressions (see a previous blog - <a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-limits-of-critique.html" target="_blank">Limits of Critique</a>) of environmental or personal indignities that intentionally or unintentionally communicate hostile insults to persons or groups of people. Often these slights convey hidden attitudes that may have been inherited or culturally appropriated and have a negative racial, gender, sexual or religious bias.<span style="background-color: white;"> </span>Some <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-life/201011/microaggressions-more-just-race" target="_blank">examples</a> of miocroagressions are as follows: A white man or woman clutches purse or checks his wallet as a black or latino passes by them. Whistles or cat calls are heard as a woman walks down the street. Two gay men walk down the street holding hands and are told not to flaunt their sexuality.<br />
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<b>Nomenclature</b><br />
Having labels for verbal harms can make people more mindful of prejudice and insult and can help then avoid offensive language. Expressions such as 'mansplaining', 'whitesplaining', 'slut shaming', 'fat shaming' and 'cultural appropriation' are also terms that highlight perceived biases in the language. Some other terms are not so subtle such as 'transphobia', 'homophobia' or 'hate speech', for example. As a result, our understanding of abuse has now been expanded to include trivial and ambiguous instances. It is important to be aware that some public behaviours may be inappropriate and that some people may not even notice that they are being offensive to some.<br />
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This form of <b>moralistic labelling</b>, according to Cambell and Manning often stems from people assuming the moral high ground. They tend to focus on language or gesture without taking into consideration the actual intentions of the speaker. This type of labelling is essentially a <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/review-righteous-mind.html" target="_blank">self-righteous</a> act that magnifies small offences and marginalises the offending groups within our society. The propensity to call out faults and label others may seem virtuous but there is the real danger that the caller may become blind to their own inappropriate behaviours while calling out others. As a consequence, those that are exposed to such extreme <b>stereotypical</b> and <b>judgemental </b>labels for trivial offences may be prevented from voicing their opinions and may stop engaging in the public space altogether. The Biblical injunction to 'take out the log from your own eye before looking for the speck in another's eye would seem to put this type of behaviour into perspective.<br />
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<b>Victimhood culture</b><br />
Cambell and Manning have identified three types of subcultural trends that can be seen operating within modern Western cultures: victimhood culture, honour culture and dignity culture. Honour cultures dominated the pre-Christian era in Europe. Honour cultures are also prevalent throughout the Arab world and are commonplace within gang cultures in present-day Western societies. They are overly sensitive to insults, value aggression and have a proclivity for violence in order to appease perceived wrongs. This perspective is opposed to dignity culture, which has prevailed in the liberal west, at least until this postmodern period. The notion of dignity comes from Western Judo/Christian tradition that places worth on the individual no matter what identity group or groups they may belong to (see a previous blog -<a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/inventing-individual.html" target="_blank"> Inventing the Individual</a>). Dignity is inherent within the individual and exists independently of what others think, thus, honour is of less importance and minor grievances are often ignored.<br />
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Cambell and Manning suggest that microagressions are associated with a third cultural perspective or victimhood culture. Those ascribing to victimhood culture see themselves as individuals or as disenfranchised group members who often take offence to opposing views of some priveledged person or persons who use their position to disenfranchise their supposed victim or vitims. Their concerns are usually legitimised by way of appeals for help to authorities or to the digital masses on social media. Victimhood thrives on gossip and grievance to elicit the attention and sympathy of others. Victimhood culture differs from honour and dignity cultures as it highlights its own victimhood and exagerates personal discomfort. Gossip is often used in the form of trial in absentia whereby the gossiper attempts to publicly shame and exclude the offender. When this is applied to a prominent personality it may often lead to bad publicity, arrest, imprisonment and the destruction of reputation. The power of denunciation is self-reinforcing as it highlights the virtuous nature of the accuser. In some situations it can lead to serious legal consequences for the accuser, particularly if the alleged (see the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peQ9RhLXuDQ" target="_blank">Jussie Smollette saga</a>) offence is exaggerated or untrue. Victimhood culture sometimes encourages hate crime hoaxes and the resulting <b>moral panic</b> can lead to further false accusations and bitter consequences. In the past we have seen the results of witch hunts and pogroms. If left unchecked it will produce a climate of <b>moral puritanism</b>, mistrust and injustice (see the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZU57F1TZo" target="_blank">Joe Biden</a> saga).<br />
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<b>Safe spaces</b><br />
How does this victimhood culture develop and how does it spread throughout our society? Cambell and Manning believe that it does not necessarily come from those that have been the down-trodden and those who are the victims of prejudice. <b>Victimhood culture</b> tends to be popularised in the Western universities and colleges and is generally found amongst upper middle class and well-off students particularly in the fields of study such as journalism, humanities, sociology and psychology. It is championed by cultural and philosophical theories that have roots in social justice, feminist theory, post-modern and Marxist philosophies. Many tertiary institutions provide <b>safe spaces</b> for students so they can be protected from microagressions and others forms of predjudice (see a previous blog - <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/springtime-for-snowflakes-book-review.html" target="_blank">Springtime for Snowflakes</a>). They are places where students can go to feel secure in a non-threatening environment. However, there may be a very serious down side to this. In seeking to help students stay safe institutions often assume an extended parent like role. Instead of preparing students for the wider world they homogenise and <b>overprotect</b> students to the degree that they are unable to adequately cope with any opposing views and opinions.<br />
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What these higher institutions should be doing is developing <b>resilience</b> and preparing their students to think critically, to debate, and to use rational argument to challenge what they perceive as bad or dangerous ideas. This is the essence of free speech and creativity. New and productive ideas often arise when old ideas are challenged and debated. The use of labels such as 'microagressions' will only lead to the <a href="https://americanmind.org/features/the-redefinition-of-racism/fake-bigotry-real-money/" target="_blank">stifling of debate </a>and moral stagnation. It must be kept in mind, that at the end of the day, these students will eventually hold prominent leadership roles within society and, in part, determine the future for us all.<br />
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<b>Other links that may be of interest:</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H20jwYq8WI" target="_blank">The rise of victimhood culture on campus</a>: Jonathan Haidt<br />
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<a href="https://areomagazine.com/2019/02/24/the-appeal-of-victimhood/" target="_blank">The appeal of Victimhood</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbA9ALOrHaA" target="_blank">Postmodernism </a>and the left<br />
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Ben Shapiro <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/02/ralph-northam-controversy-world-without-forgiveness/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_content=5c60756b4b73850001b70fec&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">forgivenes</a><br />
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Joe Rogan and Sam Harris on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYr3YTEkgCk" target="_blank">Liam Neeson Controversy</a><br />
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<a href="https://americanmind.org/features/the-redefinition-of-racism/fake-bigotry-real-money/" target="_blank">Fake Bigotry</a>: The American Mind</div>
Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-61201525262195090292019-02-17T21:43:00.001-08:002019-04-16T21:03:10.598-07:00Kindly Inquisitors: Book review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Rauch, J. (2013). <i>Kindly inquisitors.</i> Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.<br />
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<b>Fundamentalism</b><br />
Rauch contends ..."A very dangerous principle is now being established as a social right: Thou shalt not <b>hurt others with words</b>. This principle is a menace - and not just to civil liberties. At bottom it threatens liberal inquiry - that is, science itself." In America, France, Austria and Australia and elsewhere, the notion of the inquisition is being resurrected to punish people who are perceived to hold <b>opinons</b> that are hurtful to others (see previous book review - <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/springtime-for-snowflakes-book-review.html" target="_blank">Springtime for Snowflakes)</a>. This situation is a type of intellectual authoritarianism, once the province of the religious and the political right, that is being promulgated by the progressive political left. It is a new type of fundamentalism that is not about religion but it is a righteousness (see previous book review - <a href="http://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/review-righteous-mind.html" target="_blank">The Righteous Mind</a>) based on the premise that they hold the moral high ground and there is no possibility that their views might be wrong.<br />
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<b>The enlightened few</b><br />
What is being advanced is a type of society, similar to Plato's Republic, whereby the masses are governed by a humane and enlightened few. The founding principle of the Republic is an absolute devotion and submission of the individual to a <b>utopia</b> that is based on an intellectual authoritarianism. <b>Plato</b> believed that knowledge comes from wisdom and that governance should be exercised by those who are wise. This view holds that the enlightened few will govern the masses in a more humane and sensitive manner. The new <b>progressive fundamentalists</b>, likewise, see themselves as being the <b>arbiters of pubic discourse and morality</b>. In doing so they seek to criminalise open criticism and regulate thought. This situation is currently being played out in the public sphere: a rising form of authoritarianism in disguise and it is just as insidious as what Plato was proposing for ancient civilisation.<br />
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<b>Meaning and knowledge</b><br />
Here, questions are raised about meaning and knowledge. Can a chosen few have the knowledge and truth to make decisions for the rest of the population? This may, on the one hand, seem to make life easier because it would save us from having to make moral decisions and we could go about living without having to make too many difficult choices. Who will make the wise decisions? Who can we trust? Good men are liable to make mistakes and are sometimes unwilling to be <b>open to criticism</b>. This may sound rather sceptical but is it appropriate? "A society which has accepted skeptical principles will accept that sincere criticism is always legitimate." In other words, knowledge can only stand until it is debunked. Liberal science is not just for scientists it is a cultural process of <b>inquiry </b>that seeks to test ideas.<br />
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<b>Reason and faith</b><br />
Universities are the guardians of free thought and knowledge through criticism. Every one has different opinions about what constitutes prejudice. If universities endeavour to enforce what they perceive as 'correct opinions' they become <b>bigoted and self-righteous</b>. This then becomes a type of stubborn orthodoxy and another form of injustice. Can reason be the arbiter of knowledge? Reason itself relies on faith, in this case, faith in liberal science. This is why liberal science must be open to criticism and not dogma. Reasoning can be responsible or irresponsible but if diversity of ideas is not allowed then it follows that knowledge cannot be tested and verified. However, when free speech is perceived as being offensive it leads to fundamentalist principles and outrage. Rauch contends, "A no-offence society is a no-knowledge society."<br />
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<b>Authoritarianism</b><br />
"Whenever the believers in the Fundamentalist Principle get the upper hand, they strive restlessly and untiringly to <b>suppress diversity of opinion</b>, and they do so not simply out of cynicism or power lust, but, on the contrary, out of the purist and most principled of motives." The threat is that the fundamentalists <b>embrace authoritarianism</b> and in the name of fairness and compassion, are capable of committing atrocities (as the Marxist did during the last century).<br />
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<b>Liberal scientific and democratic ideals</b><br />
Liberal democratic ideals (see previous book review - <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/inventing-individual.html" target="_blank">Inventing the Individual</a>) presuppose the right to offend in the pursuit of truth. In doing so it has a <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/professors-legal-victory-a-coup-for-free-speech/news-story/cebc962012838276eb052f7e9944c615?fbclid=IwAR2aPyLYuZUYgCjRDhUgw_smH-mlxROTHWB-RjbIx6KOY75UXrh7bahvXbk" target="_blank">responsibility to allow criticism to check for the accuracy of knowledge</a>. Offensive words are just words, they are not violence. What should be done to placate the feelings of those that are offended (see recent blog - <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-mess-we-are-in-review-and-reflection.html" target="_blank">The mess we are in</a>)? Nothing at all! The history of <b>science</b> is full of criticism and hurt feelings. No one likes to have their cherished ideas debunked. If this were not so then our society would make little progress. Rauch makes it very clear with this statement, "The inquisition failed to keep Copernicanism down. All it did was slow the progress of knowledge and kill people."<br />
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Other links of interest:<br />
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<a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/professors-legal-victory-a-coup-for-free-speech/news-story/cebc962012838276eb052f7e9944c615?fbclid=IwAR2aPyLYuZUYgCjRDhUgw_smH-mlxROTHWB-RjbIx6KOY75UXrh7bahvXbk" target="_blank">Professor's legal victory for free speech</a>: The Australian<br />
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Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-52933203773924921732019-01-24T04:49:00.001-08:002019-02-17T21:20:57.532-08:00Inventing the Individual<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Siedentop, L. (2014). <i>Inventing the individual: The origins of Western liberalism. </i>London: Penguin Books.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Crisis of belief</b></div>
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I shall begin this <b>book review</b> with Sidentop’s final statement, “If we in the West do not understand the moral depth of our own tradition, how can we hope to shape the conversation of mankind?” He contends that many misguided intellectuals attribute the progress of Western civilization as resting on the foundation of the Enlightenment and the Renaissance of the fifteenth century. Modernity is characterised with the rise of secularism and modern science. With it has come a crisis of belief and questions about the relationship between secularism and faith.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Liberal democratic ideals</b></div>
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Our liberal democratic ideals did not, as many modern humanists believe, stem directly from Ancient Greek and Roman culture. Antiquity was grounded on 'natural' inequality and based on the ancestral family, hierarchical structure and slavery. The government of the Ancient city was based on patriarchy, racism, slavery, and the subjugation of women and the poor. Ancient democracy supported the notion of hierarchy and inequality. Only the male heads of property owning families could vote and make laws that formed the government of the people. This meant that women, slaves, foreigners and non-land owners were regarded as taking on a subservient role, which reflected their proper (natural) place in the world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The ancients</b></div>
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The ancient philosophers used reason to prop up this ancient notion of the 'polis' because they viewed world of matter and the cosmos as reflecting their own social hierarchical structures. Thus, the ancients believed that the paternal head was the guardian/priest of the family and property. The family property was the spiritual home of their ancestors. The notion of self was linked to an understanding of their position and status in the 'natural' order. Thus, philosophical reasoning reflected this 'natural' order and ancient science demonstrated the processes. Moreover, the cosmos, for example, was seen as being composed of something like a hierarchy of concentric spheres, the closer the relationship to the earth and matter the lower the order or status of the sphere. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The notion of the individual</b></div>
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A radical departure from the ancient 'natural' order was the Christian understanding of human kind: God created rational creatures who were endowed with the ability to reason and were free to make choices. It was an egalitarian understanding whereby all individuals, no matter what their social status, race, or gender have a soul and are socially responsible. This notion developed into a new sociability, a ..."sociability founded on the role of the individual conscience, on accepting the claims of a universal moral law. In no sphere did this emerge more clearly than in the status and treatment of women. We have seen that women had played an important part in the growth of the early church." The equal status of men and women in the marriage union was also reflected in society. The Biblical concept of reciprocality whereby you are expected to treat others as you would have them treat you has become known as the "golden rule" and is a foundation for a theory of "natural rights", ..."rights which belong to the individual as such, rights which are in that sense pre-social and ought to serve as a criterion of legitimate social organisation."</div>
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<b>The individual and Government</b></div>
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The concept of democracy, liberalism and the notion of the individual and our understanding of natural rights were all developed in the hothouse of Western monastic culture. While Europe fragmented into localised feudal fiefdoms after the fall of the Roman empire the proliferation of monasticism preserved and spread Christendom throughout the West. In contrast to the hierarchical structure of the secular feudal society Western monasticism gave value to the individual and fostered the notion of egalitarianism. In monasteries persons neither had property or differential status but did have individual rights and responsibilities. Thus monasteries were regarded associations of individuals of equal status, for example, an abbot was usually elected by the monks. Thus, it was effectively government from the bottom up and essentially laid the foundation for modern liberal democracies. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Meaning of individuals</b></div>
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By the time of the Renaissance the rise of individual agency and the development of modern liberal science and liberal society based on reasoned argument was already well underway. Theologians and philosophers in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries developed cannon law which gave legitimacy to the notion that corporations came to be understood as associations of individuals. Thus the final authority of any association is found in the individual.<br />
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Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-72258402801410264162019-01-18T21:10:00.000-08:002019-01-18T21:10:46.227-08:00Springtime for Snowflakes: A book review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Snowflakes</b><br />
The term '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdnSweR7F0Q&t=553s" target="_blank">Snowflakes</a>' refers to the generation centred around the year 2000 to the present and is characterised by having less psychological resilience than previous generations. They are more emotionally vulnerable and take offence with ideas that challenge their own world view. Snowflakes have generally been raised by over-protective parents that give their children a sense of their own uniqueness and entitlement. When they feel emotionally challenged with language, actions or confronting ideas, in tertiary settings, for example, they often appeal for help, often through social media or appeal to campus authorities to shame or shut down the opposing views.<br />
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<b>Academic climate: in crisis</b><br />
Many higher education campuses thoughout the the US and other western countries have promoted social justice consciousness-raising or "wokeness". This ideological bias can be evidenced by the prevalence of "safe spaces, " trigger warnings," "bias reporting hotlines," and the "no platforming" of speakers. Such terms and actions as these have found their way into feminist and gender theory and into mainstream college and general university culture. This situation reinforces the vulnerabilities of the snowflake generation and gives legitimacy to a self-righteous and bigoted notion of social justice ideals. The effect of these trends is the stifling of free speech and developing a climate for a no-contest for ideas. Instead of promoting fee speech and open debate many universities and colleges have become <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdnSweR7F0Q&t=553s" target="_blank">close minded and self-censoring</a>.<br />
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<b>Social Justice</b><br />
Social justice principles have promoted diversity and inclusion in most Western societies. Since the 1960s the social justice movement, particularly in America, promoted civil rights for people of all races. Social justice ideals have been important in promoting tolerance and improving the lives of the disabled, women, racial, religious, gender and ethnic groups within western societies.<br />
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Overtime time, however, "social justice warriors" have become intolerant to other voices in society. Rectenwald contends rather than encouraging diversity and inclusion social justice ideologies have become increasingly authoritarian and anti-intellectual. Public universities and colleges have for centuries been the melting pot for openness, critical thought, creativity, innovation and the fostering of academic rigour using scientific methodology. In contrast, so called "justice warriors" are often blinded by their own <a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/review-righteous-mind.html" target="_blank">self-righteousness</a> (<a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/review-righteous-mind.html" target="_blank">see previous book review</a>) and intolerance, for example, they would not use demeaning and derogative terms used to highlight racial difference but have no compunction about using bigoted terms such as "toxic masculinity" or 'white privilege' to shame and silence others.<br />
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<b>Social justice as an ideology</b><br />
The transformation of social justice into a 'fundamentalist' ideology by the progressive left draws upon Critical Theory (<a href="https://meaning2mean.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-limits-of-critique.html" target="_blank">see earlier book review</a>), liberal philosophy and postmodern theory and has led to a paradox of tolerance where pure tolerance is now impossible. Rectenwald contends that some sentiments in society are so intolerant that they become "intolerable". This social justice ideology draws from linguistic constructivism, rather than language representing reality it instead, constitutes a kind of social reality. This theoretical perspective takes the view that rather than describing a physical act it is itself a material agent. This orientation promotes terms such as "discursive violence" and "hate speech" not as a description of distasteful language but rather the social justice believer equates opinion with violence itself.<br />
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<b>Dogma and the new religion</b><br />
Linguistic and social constructivism is a type of philosophical and social idealism that enforces moral absolutism, which demands that all citizens should be of the one mind - a religious fundamentalism . Rectenwald believes ..."Once beliefs are unconstrained by the objective world and people can believe anything they like with impunity, the possibility for assuming a pretence of infallibility becomes almost irresistible, especially when the requisite power is available to support such idealism. In fact, given its willy-nilly determination of truth and reality on the basis of beliefs alone, philosophical and social idealism necessarily becomes dogmatic, authoritarian, anti-rational, and effectively religious" (see also <a href="https://areomagazine.com/2018/12/18/postmodern-religion-and-the-faith-of-social-justice/" target="_blank">Is postmodernism a religion</a>). This is at odds with the Christian notion that all individuals are equal, responsible, and should be free to make their own choices; principles promoted by Martin Luther King and others during the civil-rights movement.<br />
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<b>The Book:</b><br />
Rectenwald, M. (2018). <i>Springtime for snowflakes: Social justice and its postmodern parentage. </i>Nashville: New English Review Press.<br />
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<b>See also:</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UxyU6S2o40" target="_blank">'Deplorable professor' sues NYU</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMlyaBTFh9g" target="_blank">Stephen Hicks</a>: falsification of Marxism and the development of Postmodernism<br />
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Dr Alan Kirby on <a href="https://philosophynow.org/issues/58/The_Death_of_Postmodernism_And_Beyond" target="_blank">Post-postmodernism</a><br />
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Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-60673936914777393692019-01-15T15:00:00.001-08:002019-01-15T15:00:48.990-08:00Review: The Righteous Mind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover image from Amazon</td></tr>
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<b>Reason: a slave to emotion</b><br />
The righteous mind is by nature a mind that is moralistic, critical and judgemental. Haidt contends this characteristic has been reserved for the righteous conservatives but is now exhibited by the post-modern progressives in society. It would seem that adherents to contemporary notions of social justice would hold that truth as being relative and rationalism as being delusional.<br />
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Generally people seem to condemn some distasteful actions very quickly, in doing so they tend not to use sufficient time to think carefully but act from a feeling orientation. Haidt supports Humes contention that most people are slaves to passion. For most of us our passions are automatic. This is particularly pertinent in an age where social justice and political correctness are emotionally sensitive issues. Ever since the Age of Enlightenment reason has been held to be our most noble attribute. However, arguments in the public sphere are no longer focussed on truth. In the postmodern era truth is relative and has given way to passion and tribalism.<br />
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<b>Reason and faith</b><br />
Haidt claims that, "In the decades after Hume's death the rationalists claimed victory over religion and took the moral sciences off on a two-hundred year tangent." However, Haidt does not develop this important notion to any extent. He briefly mentions the contribution of Christianity to Western civilisation and progress. He also discusses the ethics of utilitarianism and deontology but does not elaborate on the sacred and man's relationship of being made in 'God's' image. This relationship elevates mankind as co-creators and as beings that are imbued with dignity. Creativity values both reason and faith. Reason without faith leads to reason's demise just as faith without reason is doomed to fail.<br />
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<b>Six foundations: understanding the righteous mind</b><br />
Haidt develops a particularly interesting premise on which to view current social development where both faith and reason are facing darker times. He draws a distinction between liberals, libertarians and social conservatives by showing how they are different and what drives their particular world views within contemporary society. Such values cut across political party lines to varying degrees. This is a useful tool in understanding the mess we are in at this moment in history.<br />
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These distinctions are given some extra depth by considering six foundational elements that further differentiate current political and social groupings: care/harm, liberty/oppression, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, and sanctity/degradation as moral foundations. For example, the political left strongly rests on care/harm and liberty/oppression which support the ideas of social justice and emphasise compassion for the poor and the marginalised. In contrast, conservatives care more about the fairness/cheating foundation.<br />
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He finishes with some good advice for the the next time you find yourself seated beside someone from a different orientation. Don't just jump straight into the conversation to defend your point of view by bringing up contentious issues of morality. Start by establishing some common ground, use a bit of praise and express some genuine interest the other person's concerns.<br />
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Haidt, J, The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion. London: Puffin.<br />
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Also read:<br />
<a href="https://philosophynow.org/issues/58/The_Death_of_Postmodernism_And_Beyond" target="_blank">The death of postmodernism and beyond</a> Alan Kirby</div>
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Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-74533053099121452862019-01-11T20:14:00.002-08:002019-01-11T20:20:52.041-08:00The Limits of Critique<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover image from Amazon</td></tr>
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<b>Modern-day critics</b><br />
Modern day critics of literature unmask and delve between the lines to determine hidden truths and repressed beliefs. It stems from Marxist critical pedagogy, that requires consumers of literature to adopt a critical and questioning approach to reveal embedded social and political power relationships that lie, often unnoticed, within text and other works of art. Critique is now the dominant form of interpretation in literate circles. Rita Feleski examines critique and situates it among other forms of literary examination and credits it with a worthwhile contribution. However, it does have its obvious limitations. It is essentially a poststructuralist notion of language whereby the practitioners of critical literacy search for discourses and reasons why they are included or left out of texts.<br />
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<b>Suspicion</b><br />
Interpretation is often motivated by a spirit of disenchantment and skepticism or outright condemnation. Freud and Nietzsche join Marx as the creators of this art of critical interpretation. They have instantiated a system of suspicion of motives.<br />
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To the <a href="https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/postmodernism-dead-comes-next/" target="_blank">postmodern critic</a> meaning is not always apparent. It must be disentangled and discerned. Rather than revealing ultimate truth it seeks to unveil hidden meanings and power relationships. This view has been given impetus by post-structuralist language thinkers such as Foucault and Derrida, who have entrenched the notion of suspicion and made truth a relativist quagmire, particularly when combined with Marxist and Freudian thought. "This entrenching of suspicion in turn intensifies the impulse to decipher and decode. The suspicious person is sharp-eyed and hyper alert; mistrustful of appearances, fearful of being duped, she is always on the lookout for concealed threats and discreditable motives. In short: more suspicion means more interpretation".<br />
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<b>Society and contemporary culture</b><br />
The consequences are catastrophic because the focus on suspicion and skepticism serves as a catalyst for political dissent. Those that are marginalised and victimised are more likely to harbour mistrust of the motives of others. What now pervades contemporary culture is a sense of disbelief. "While poststructuralist critique rejects hidden truth and dogged or naive pursuit of ultimate meaning, it engages nonetheless in what I (Felski) call a second-level hermeneutics - a method of reading that looks beyond the individual text to decipher larger structures of cultural production." Emotional cues in text and film, for example, are intertwined with inferences and judgements that give vital clues to the characters and their world view. However, we must be cautious about imposing their own ideas and prejudices, in effect this has a serious ethical and moral dimension. In the end it comes down to an austere exercise in demystification rather than attention to aesthetics and associated affective qualities of a work. of art. In other words, it is a metaphorical act of 'digging-down' rather than 'standing-back'.<br />
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<b>Postcritical interpretation</b><br />
Felski maintains that the act of criticism is an integral part of Western civilisation. Part of being a responsible individual in society is having the privilege to dislike and have a desire to bring about change. However, forms of disagreement in democratic societies has been couched in particular and acceptable forms that legitimate diverse views. Felski believes that ..."critique, as we have seen, is not one thing but an eclectic array of philosophical tenets, political ideologies, and modes of interpretation." Moreover, we in the west have built walls around cherished world views and interpreted art and public discourse through a narrow sense of mistrust and disbelief. The antidote to the critique of suspicion is what Felski calls a 'postcritical interpretation.<br />
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Postcritical interpretation takes into consideration a variety of critical perspectives and traditions. Rather than 'digging down' and 'standing back' critiques should engage with works of art and appreciate aesthetics. This wider approach seeks to recontextualise what we know and to view our world with new perspectives. Often works of art, whether the written word, film, art, etc have the potential to reorient and refresh our situational perspectives. Such works may often stem from different regions, periods and personal world views but are always embedded within various religious, philosophical and cultural contexts. Thus, critique should not only be concerned with skepticism but should also consider beauty and creative work's inherent ability to challenge our own thinking and to open up new possibilities. Without this tolerant and wider view of critique we will become slaves to narrow ideology and dogmatism.<br />
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Felski: R. (2015). <i>The Limits of critique.</i> Chicago: University of Chicago Press.<br />
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See also:<br />
Postmodernism is dead -what comes next - <a href="https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/postmodernism-dead-comes-next/" target="_blank">Alison Gibbons</a><br />
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Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-8084155146581972772018-12-31T19:33:00.002-08:002019-01-08T00:21:56.134-08:00More than Matter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover image from Amazon</td></tr>
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<b>Consciousness</b><br />
Keith Ward is a distinguished philosopher who delves into some of the most profound mysteries that give meaning and purpose to human kind. His book, entitled "More than Matter," challenges the notion that mind and consciousness result from haphazard accident or randomly arranged nerve cells and synapses. In contrast to a purely materialistic and mechanical view of the mind he argues that consciousness transcends matter and gives worth, meaning and hope to existence and reflects purpose of the cosmos.<br />
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<b>Dualism</b><br />
He opens with a discussion of Descartes' dualism (often referred to as Cartesian dualism) which frames the world of persons in terms having two very distinct properties of mind and matter. Ward is a pupil of Ryle, however, he has some objections to the Ryle's notion that postulated the mind is a ghost (or illusion, see <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5227074692641787535#editor/target=post;postID=2481984854186079885;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=9;src=postname" target="_blank">also previous blog - Sam Harris</a>) that in some way drives the physical body-machine. Daniel Dennett, [one of the 'four horsemen of the new atheism', also a pupil of Ryle and a contemporary of Ward], is a materialist who rejects any idea of a metaphysical component of the self. In contrast, Ward proposes that consciousness and mind are not merely illusions but are quite distinct entities and quite distinct from that of matter.<br />
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<b>Meaning and mind</b><br />
This book is a philosophical examination of the essential characteristics of the meaning of persons. Ward investigates contemporary thinking about the nature of personhood and takes the reader on a meaningful ontological journey. In the first chapter he poses the question, "If all our knowledge begins from our own experience, how can we ever be sure that anything exists beyond our experience?" In some sense the essence of the world is a product of the mind. Kant "held that space and time, which seem so objective, are in fact forms of our own intuition. That is, they are essentially a framework the mind constructs in order to build a map on which our sense-perceptions can be located." Ward further develops the idea that the mind is a constructive force that induces the world of appearances and leads the reader to come to the conclusion that it must be a thing in itself and quite distinct from that of matter. For example, the mind interprets sensations of reflected light that gives the impression of the focused object that is being observed. In a sense the object itself is not what is seen but a sensual impression of that which is being perceived. In other words the mind constructs a situational model of the observed object.<br />
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<b>The mind</b><br />
We cannot know the mind itself because the mind is the consciousness that perceives the material world. "Nevertheless, it can seem plausible to think that consciousness cannot just arise out of nowhere, and be joined onto a brain in a completely accidental and unpredictable way."In other words the consciousness is transcendent, it is not a mere object that can be perceived like a chair or a table. We may not be able to know the mind as a material substance "we only know its phenomenal acts". Ward maintains, like Kant, that the basic activity of the mind is knowing, which is the foundation of reality and consciousness. Moreover, the nature of all reality is mind-like, the cosmos itself, is not mindless and purposeless, but oddly enough, it is mysteriously mind like, rule bound, logical and mechanistic.<br />
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<b>Cosmology and consciousness</b><br />
Albert Einstein developed the idea that time exists from first to last and our existence would seem to be timeless. Ward came to the conclusion, "Whether the passing of time is real or not, it might be just wrong to think that at the moment of the Big Bang nothing existed except a very simple physical state of infinite density. Most cosmologists suppose that there would also have been a whole set of quantum laws, and perhaps those very complex and precise balances of energy that would constitute what is called a "quantum vacuum". In modern cosmology, there is something outside space-time - a rich mathematical structure - from which space-time originates. There is, in other words, a "supernatural" reality; a more fundamental layer of reality beyond space-time.<br />
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Thus, these laws or supernatural structures are purposeful and goal-directed. The structure of matter and all lifeforms are the result of the coming together of complex systems, that may seem to be random but evolve and are the inevitable outcome of a logical universe. Metaphysics, mind, matter and flesh are intertwined and reflect the underlying structure and consciousness embedded within and determine the natural forces of the cosmology.<br />
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<b>See also on YouTube:</b><br />
<b>Bishop Robert Barron</b> on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-yx5WN4efo" target="_blank">Stephen Hawking</a>, atheism, philosophy, religion, the new atheists, and God as the non-contingent ground of being.<br />
<b>Jordan Petersen</b> on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwi9Q9apHGI" target="_blank">atheism</a><br />
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Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-24819848541860798852018-11-21T18:03:00.000-08:002019-02-16T14:39:49.902-08:00Waking up: Searching for spirituality without religion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>The Quest</b><br />
In my quest for meaning I have decided to start a series of book reviews. Rather than delving into the intricate detail and spurious argument I thought that I would offer my first impressions. I am interested in different perspectives related to meaning. Certainly spirituality gives many people a sense of meaning.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J-n9XvNH0PM/W_Ttjs9RkoI/AAAAAAAACTQ/krXrZevE_ZYKkWKYsxLlxlJgTM8pjna7gCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B2018-11-21%2B15.30.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="558" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J-n9XvNH0PM/W_Ttjs9RkoI/AAAAAAAACTQ/krXrZevE_ZYKkWKYsxLlxlJgTM8pjna7gCLcBGAs/s320/Screenshot%2B2018-11-21%2B15.30.32.png" width="210" /></a><b>Sam Harris</b><br />
My first introduction to Sam Harris was through my interest in the writings of Jordan Petersen. I watched many of his interviews and debates on the Intellectual Dark Web, some of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aALsFhZKg-Q&t=2834s" target="_blank">debates were with Sam Harris</a>. In one interview Jordan Petersen was asked who was it that he considered was his most formidable opponent. His reply was that he did not consider Sam Harris as an opponent but his arguments were quite well articulated and well thought through. Sam Harris is a neurological scientist and philosopher, one of the "Four Horsemen of the New Atheism". His book, "Waking up: Searching for spirituality without religion." seem to me a good place to start the quest for meaning. The big question that I had was, can an atheistic scientist experience spirituality without religion.<br />
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<b>Spirituality and Meaning</b> <br />
The main problem that I had in following his arguments was that he never adequately defined what spirituality actually was. Instead he took the reader on an experiential journey of eastern religion and chemically induced esoteric and pshycedelic encounters. He came to the conclusion that through meditation and mindfulness one could experience true spirituality, that is, if you divorced it from the religion on which it was founded. To some extent, he suggested one should empty themselves of conscious thought and enjoy the moment. He did, however, give many examples of devotees that have been abused by their spiritual leaders and Gurus. The tendency in eastern religions is to empty oneself of worldly thoughts and concerns. The problem (at least with the examples that he used) is that powerful personalities can use persuasion to invade that which has been emptied. In a similar way when one gives control of self over to psychedelic drugs one is open to fantastic experiences as well as experiences that are not very good at all, which can lead to profound negative consequences.<br />
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<b>Experience and the Self</b><br />
When discussing esoteric experience it always relates back to the self. However, Sam believes that the self may be just an illusion. This is quite understandable since he does not acknowledge a God. In contrast a Christian understanding of self is one that views the personage as made in the image of God with the Kingdom of God residing within. Christian meditation seeks to meditate on God, who is the ground of all being. In a sense it requires a spiritual filling rather than the emptying. However, this notion of God would seem to be fanciful to Sam because the God of his imagination, that which he does not believe in, is a harsh judging God.<br />
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<b>What, then are we left with?</b><br />
According to Harris, "Spirituality begins with a reverence for the ordinary that can lead us to insight and experiences that are anything but ordinary." However, if the self is illusionary and subjective experiences can be exciting or incredibly bad then we can only expect that we can be manipulated or, even worse, we can become the manipulators.<br />
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Harris, S. (2014). Waking up: Searching for spirituality without religion. London: Penguin.<br />
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Some other reviews from different perspectives may be of interest:<br />
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<span role="menubar" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , "clean" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nour, M. M. (2017)</span><span role="menubar" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , "clean" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.479241371154785px;"> </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5288106/" target="_blank">Waking up: Searching for spirituality without religion.</a> <span role="menubar" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , "clean" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.479241371154785px;"><a aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5288106/#" role="menuitem" style="color: #642a8f;">BJPsych Bull</a>, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , "clean" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.479241371154785px;">41(1): 62–63.</span></div>
Evans, J. <a href="http://www.philosophyforlife.org/a-review-of-sam-harris-waking-up-a-guide-to-spirituality-without-religion/" target="_blank">A Review of Sam Harris's</a> Waking up: Searching for spirituality without religion.<br />
Blog site: Philosophy and other Dangerous Situations.<br />
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See also: The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/feb/16/sam-harris-interview-new-atheism-four-horsemen-faith-science-religion-rationalism" target="_blank">Sam Harris, the new atheist with a spiritual side.</a></div>
Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227074692641787535.post-31455696862213891142013-12-05T22:24:00.001-08:002013-12-05T22:27:29.908-08:00Connecting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Connecting ideas and networking often leads to new ideas.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments. But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story. His fascinating tour takes us from the "liquid networks" of London's coffee houses to Charles Darwin's long, slow hunch to today's high-velocity web.</span></span></div>
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Dr Gary Woolleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16148590275990423900noreply@blogger.com0