Hi Alan As always, a far more articulate expression of the situation than I could offer. More laughs too.
Regards Simon Simon Biggs Research Professor edinburgh college of art s.bi...@eca.ac.uk www.eca.ac.uk www.eca.ac.uk/circle/ si...@littlepig.org.uk www.littlepig.org.uk AIM/Skype: simonbiggsuk From: Alan Sondheim <sondh...@panix.com> Reply-To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity <netbehaviour@netbehaviour.org> Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:18:33 -0400 (EDT) To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity <netbehaviour@netbehaviour.org> Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] [stuff-it] FW: Only 33 per cent of Americansbelieve in evolution I think the fundamental issue is the belief in inerrancy; as long as one believes a particular text is an absolute explanation of the world, every- thing else ultimately has to succumb - particularly if the text contains a system of commandments that involve the Other. Performativity is fine if it tends no farther than the self, but that's almost never the case. Years ago Alexander Essenin-Volpin, Soviet dissident/logician, summed it up with the concepts of 'Freedom 1' and 'Freedom 2.' The former is basically I can do anything I want to; the latter is You can't do anything to me I don't want you to do. It's the latter that's the problem in relation to inerran- cy - if a text is absolute/explanatory - if one believes it's the _truth,_ then everything for you has to follow from that. And most religious texts involve others everywhere/everywhen: enemies, accolytes, unbelievers, very often women, pagans, enemies of the faith, etc. So if I, for example, fol- low a rigid fundamentalist belief that abortion is wrong and is murder - then what is to stop me from murdering a doctor who performs abortions? In fact such a murder would be seen to be an act of faith. Believers make me paranoid; I've lived in too many fundamental communities to feel otherwise. On the other hand, it doesn't bother me at all what anyone believes, as long as it doesn't involve me. Consider believe a victimless crime - if your belief leaves me alone, fine; if it doesn't, then there's a problem. (Likewise I have no problem with any victimless crime at all, far beyond belief systems, but that's another story.) I did feel also that Simon's email was a bit harsh in tone, by the way, but it didn't bother me particularly. - Alan | Alan Sondheim Mail archive: http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/ | Webpage (directory) at http://www.alansondheim.org | sondh...@panix.com, sondh...@gmail.org, tel US 718-813-3285 ! http://www.facebook.com/alan.sondheim _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour Edinburgh College of Art (eca) is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC009201
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