The notion of the language-game of constructing the survival of one's DNA-genes is actually very difficult - though I hope people can see an anti-selfish-gene possibility in the rude argument. We can look into the dreadful chasm, the silent abyss of the intractable - hopefully without falling in. Sooner, rather than later, we should turn to positive aspects of creation. For me, anything really positive has to allow negation. There is a negation of Socrates' notions of life being about truth and beauty as mere fictions in Eastern philosophies and one can go on and on in this vein. If life is about happiness we need to question why most of us are not good at it most of the time - and so on. Dark tea-times of the soul may well be important. One can see amongst bees that close relatives favour their own, yet not in the context of the whole hive. We do not understand this latter well, though the argument (for bees) has moved on since we discovered queens get knocked up by about a dozen drones to ensure genetic spread. Women in so-called primitive societies are more 'promiscuous' when pregnant, perhaps to get better food for the offspring. The complexities of argument on cosmic and molecular distance is much greater than we manage on the human condition, always leaving me wondering why. I don't see the selfish gene argument as much more than Nietzsche loose in science, a dismal approach neglecting autopoeis. Sociology (surely finished as a subject) whines on about cultural identity when we need to structure freedom from it. Power is clearly nothing worth achieving, authority failing instantly in its own comfortable exclusion zone. I doubt we want a bee society, yet they regularly communicate decision making making leadership unnecessary. We have made it a matter of constant infliction. We even over-work bees and they are dying. Human resource management, whether religious or secular is no better. Gruff may be seen by some as wittering on the personal - I would see what he is writing as the deep matters we need more of, including self- depreciation and description of society's real effects and a chance for us to recognise we might be brave enough to try alternatives as we can adapt and survive better than votaries lead us to believe.
On 27 Apr, 00:41, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I am a teacher - I think it's somewhat of an easy lie to pretend to be > a facilitator or whatever. The evidence points to a relativism of > multiple voices and interests, yet our consideration of this points to > an implicit realism in this rather than mere, solitary > perspectivalism. Some perspectives can be demonstrably better than > others. I believe Orn is always right to point to the need to reveal > or at least examine the perspectives themselves and what may consume > us in them. Wit, cynicism, irony, satire and even sarcasm can help > break up the consuming, yet also be consuming - the latter always part > of Ornerism (in the good sense that he attacks any 'shell'). The > Academy, if ever on track, has lost its way and is more fit for > ridicule, perhaps even velvet-flowered revolution than it knows. In > some ways I want an insurrection of autobiographies a la Gruff - > nothing new in that as I'm sure Molly could explain. There has to be > more (for me) than better representation and exegesis of experience > and something about best explanation that is not seeking domination. > If one seeks to deconstruct credibility, then one should not seek to > do this merely through attempts to establish one's own credibility, > one should be open to language-games of ridicule oneself, perhaps > encourage such as a teacher. This still leaves open how we can better > believe what we can know and not retreat into discourses we forget are > practices. In this legitimation crisis we suffer from the 'reverse > Pollyana syndrome' - the hymn-sheet reading politicos, edutainment, > relish of the banal and so on. If 'seriousness' is on both sides of > the dialectic we may well need wit to expose this and what is core > (seen or unseen) in the sets of our arguments, discover how and what > reduces to the other in moving to synthesis and new, experimentally > evaluated practices. I believe this is how consciousness could > change. I was impressed my grandson called his first website > 'DefinitionofRandom' yesterday morning. > > On 26 Apr, 21:38, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > practically > > > On Apr 26, 4:00 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I find arch to be creative with a humorous flair, a sort of toying > > > with ideas, another dimension of linguistics, a provocation of mind > > > and an experiment in mentalism. Possibly, one's repetitious immersion > > > in academia livelihood has a dulling effect on extra dialectic > > > engagement. I'm always thankful for his presence in the forum and > > > look forward to his contribution to my threads and posts. > > > Practically Signature Slip > > > > On Apr 26, 2:30 pm, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > and practically signature Orn to illustrate with authority. > > > > > On Apr 26, 3:15 pm, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > It's practically signature Neal to deconstruct without engaging. > > > > > > On Sun, Apr 26, 2009 at 11:00 AM, ornamentalmind > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Neil, as is the case quite often, your post appears to be from a > > > > > > place > > > > > > of disillusionment. Not that I wish a Pollyannaish point of view, > > > > > > but > > > > > > with as much insight as you have, I have great hopes for future > > > > > > offers > > > > > > presenting more practice in wiping the excrement from those not so > > > > > > rose colored glasses. > > > > > > > The throw-away lines you like to close with, while containing a tad > > > > > > of > > > > > > a pedagogical Bill Porter (O. Henry), are so lightly presented as to > > > > > > become more ethereal than instructive. > > > > > > > On Apr 26, 1:28 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> We have two toilets, but also water rates. What is given with one > > > > > >> hand is taken away with the other. Poverty easily becomes the > > > > > >> Monty > > > > > >> Python joke, until one sees real people living in a 'shoe-box' in a > > > > > >> central reservation in Sao Paulo. In serious vein, we are > > > > > >> overpopulating and producing spurious notions of meritocracy and > > > > > >> democracy as merely superior forms of human resource management. > > > > > >> One might see it this way: We are merely vessels for the survival > > > > > >> of > > > > > >> our genetic material. Thus one dominates the world with > > > > > >> CIA-assisted > > > > > >> marketing of banal but standardised software, steals eggs from > > > > > >> one's > > > > > >> partner, transplants one's DNA into such eggs and speeds the result > > > > > >> off into the vastness, ensuring the survival of one's DNA. There > > > > > >> is > > > > > >> now no need for the human world at all. Victory is assured as > > > > > >> soon as > > > > > >> one gets a gullible politico to push a red button. Quite what the > > > > > >> purpose of the triumph of one's DNA is in such circumstances might > > > > > >> get > > > > > >> more debate than it does. > > > > > > >> On 26 Apr, 05:30, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > >> > Dang! I left out the toilet, my home has two full baths, I'm > > > > > >> > living > > > > > >> > like royalty!! > > > > > > >> > I'm going to borrow that Ghandi quote for the collective > > > > > >> > mentality > > > > > >> > thread, thanks! > > > > > > >> > On Apr 25, 11:14 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> > > > > > >> > wrote: > > > > > > >> > > A poster on the wall at work: > > > > > > >> > > If your home has something other than a dirt floor you are in > > > > > >> > > the top > > > > > >> > > half of the world’s population. > > > > > > >> > > If your home has a roof, a door, windows and more than one > > > > > >> > > room, you > > > > > >> > > are in the top 20%. > > > > > > >> > > If you have refrigeration, you are in the top 5%. > > > > > > >> > > If you have a car, a microwave, a video, a computer and this > > > > > >> > > toilet > > > > > >> > > has a cubicle door, then you are in the top 1%. > > > > > > >> > > “We must be the change we want to see in the world.” – Mahatma > > > > > >> > > Gandhi > > > > > > >> > > On Apr 25, 5:58 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > >> > > > In further retrospect I have to say that there were many > > > > > >> > > > times I > > > > > >> > > > realized the poverty in which my youth had developed but now > > > > > >> > > > I realize > > > > > >> > > > when witnessing the abject poverty of third world countries > > > > > >> > > > that I am > > > > > >> > > > living the life of luxury just by the mere fact that I can > > > > > >> > > > walk over > > > > > >> > > > to a sink and get water, take hot showers, have a > > > > > >> > > > refrigerator and a > > > > > >> > > > microwave oven. We can take life for granted which is why > > > > > >> > > > the wealthy > > > > > >> > > > and privileged keep hording. It is basically the concept of > > > > > >> > > > relative > > > > > >> > > > deprivation. > > > > > > >> > > > On Apr 25, 7:16 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > >> > > > > Maybe 'read' was a typo for 'ride' Slip. I get confused > > > > > >> > > > > easily these > > > > > >> > > > > days - good job you are about to fix my intentionality. > > > > > >> > > > > Boys' Town > > > > > >> > > > > was obviously a privileged place - our first car was a > > > > > >> > > > > borrowed > > > > > >> > > > > Vandenplas Princess with bald tires, followed by a Morris > > > > > >> > > > > Oxford my > > > > > >> > > > > brother fixed. England was always a poor place with > > > > > >> > > > > memories of > > > > > >> > > > > walking, waiting for buses that came sometimes, though we > > > > > >> > > > > often spent > > > > > >> > > > > our fare money on a shared bag of chips, eating them > > > > > >> > > > > whilst clinging > > > > > >> > > > > to the rear door rail of the bus sparking our clogs. > > > > > >> > > > > Credit was > > > > > >> > > > > something for the few who bed and breakfasted or shorted > > > > > >> > > > > shares, > > > > > >> > > > > travelling in chauffeur-driven cars -plus ca change ... > > > > > > >> > > > > On 26 Apr, 00:37, Chris Jenkins > > > > > >> > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > >> > > > > > Something along that line...and I see Gruff right at > > > > > >> > > > > > home on that seat. ;) > > > > > > >> > > > > > On Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 7:11 PM, Slip Disc > > > > > >> > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > >> > > > > > > NIce! My old man had one of those and sold it off > > > > > >> > > > > > > when I was too > > > > > >> > > > > > > young to realize the value of it. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > You made the off the wall connection though, Chris, it > > > > > >> > > > > > > must be the > > > > > >> > > > > > > Floridian Hooch eh? > > > > > > >> > > > > > > On Apr 25, 3:33 pm, Chris Jenkins > > > > > >> > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> > > > > > >> Like so? > > > > > > >> > > > > > >>http://www.american-v.co.uk/custom_bikes/001_indian/01c_indian_12.jpg > > > > > > >> > > > > > >> On Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 12:16 AM, Slip Disc > > > > > >> > > > > > >> <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > >> > > > > > >> > Gruff's auto? Is there some kind of car trouble? > > > > > > >> > > > > > >> > Really Arch! New thread without a "Link"? > > > > > > >> > > > > > >> > Imagine what some Indian might be thinking! > > > > > > >> > > > > > >> > On Apr 24, 11:01 pm, archytas > > > > > >> > > > > > >> > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> > > > > > >> >> An easy read Gruff - in the sense it went down > > > > > >> > > > > > >> >> well. Found myself > > > > > >> > > > > > >> >> wondering whether the themes repeat often through > > > > > >> > > > > > >> >> later years and > > > > > >> > > > > > >> >> wanting to know more. > > > > > >> > > > > > >> >> Neil- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > >> > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > >> - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
