Did you hear what the sheep herder, who often has relations with his flock, said when asked how it was? He said it wasn't Baaaaaaaaaaad.
On Sep 24, 11:12 am, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > Moral bleating follows you wherever you go. It is your own. > > On Sep 24, 11:44 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Do we share the same bullshit coach Slip? Very much my train of > > thought. I'd add though that I'm tired of the same old positions and > > lack of thought experiment in moral-political dialogue. Our art and > > literature just don't seem to hack it anymore on originality and > > provocation. I polled a few women recently on childbearing and they > > all said they would do it all again (two exceptions). Not 'poled' you > > b'stards! They all described pain that seemed a bit similar to losing > > a particularly brutal game against Bradford Northern a week after an > > operation on a rectal fissure. I suspect much of our argument is the > > product of trauma and not being able to recognise the context in which > > it arose. What would the answers of such women be in an era in which > > babies could be made outside bodies? And made 'better'? This is only > > the start of the reasoning process - what might we find at the root of > > opinion? If people always told the truth, Italy would hardly be a > > place of one child families would it? Porkies and mimicking what is > > assumed to be polite, moral and so on abound in our dialogues. > > > Stoned Lee? I haven't even got any baccy in the house and with the > > jump-jet decommissioned Chris' place is a bit of a trek! The idea > > that we could put ourselves around the universe (as we currently see > > it) in about a third of a lifetime at least challenges the notion we > > are 'alone and stuck in the vastness' until some prawn blows the sun > > out). Neil has not had a beer for three weeks, not even the smell of > > a barmaid's apron. Hardly surprising the stars look closer! For what > > is sobriety other than an illusion caused by a deficiency of alcohol? > > Thanks for the greeting Matt - let's just say we know where the > > surgeon should place them mate! You could have been right, but I'm > > actually as serious as a girl sticking a flower down the soldiers' > > rifle spouts - gesturing at the postmodern, howling at the Moon (don't > > do this now, since the dog died). > > I leave you with the picture of departing on the voyage, leaving wife > > and family behind to voyage in the stars (presumably the bits between > > them), knowing that in what will be 30 years to you they will be less > > than dust. As the tedious moral arguing goes on, Chris and I sneak > > our own nearest and dearest on board and hit the on button. It's not > > that we wanted to go, we just couldn't bear to hear any more of the > > moral bleating! > > > On 24 Sep, 15:32, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Seems clear to me, the swaying of writing content for fiscal > > > advantage. How much of the need to generate funds influences the way > > > we write. Discard the functionary, the need, the peer appeasement and > > > what is left is the freedom to wholly express raw thought, thought > > > without the sieve of processing and without having a reason. That is > > > the plight, the eddy of constants in academia elevation, achievements > > > even by way of public recognition. Perhaps the earliest of writers > > > experienced what it is you are presenting, pure thought without a > > > designed end. Still there does seem to be a necessity beyond the > > > singular, the other ears to hear, to understand. What is a great > > > oration in solitude but the expansion of self to self. There must be > > > others to receive, lest the end of the universe be an openness for > > > simple primal screaming. > > > > On Sep 24, 4:23 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Two colleagues once wondered what it might be like to write other than > > > > as a functionary. The problem is related to Lee's pondering on music > > > > rights and illegal downloading. The problem of not being a > > > > functionary is that there is no 'money' in it. Even writing something > > > > for Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy online (free to users) could > > > > be regarded as 'money connected' - there would be certain 'credits' > > > > for an academic career. > > > > > I find myself wondering how we might establish something free of our > > > > early twenty-first century plight. I see some answers in future > > > > memories, perhaps ones in which we write from the perspective of the > > > > current plight having destroyed itself. I catch glimpses of a world > > > > where much we now take seriously is so old hat it could only be part > > > > of a ridiculous history (like Blackadder). One of these worlds has us > > > > genuinely trying to leave Earth with the technology to do so. I > > > > posted recently on what I believe the case for space-time travel is. > > > > Essentially, the equations (sadly based on currently inadequate data > > > > on exotic substances like 'dark energy') tell us that travelling at > > > > acceleration acceptable to our bodies, we could reach the 'expansion > > > > horizon' (edge of the universe) in what we would experience as 30 > > > > years in 'planet of the apes time'. We could not come back, in the > > > > sense that all we left behind would be gone, except a bleak, dark > > > > place - as 'here' would have experienced eons of 'time'. > > > > > In some sense, my questions are about the 'freedom' such a trip > > > > involves. We get the freedom to roam space-time vastness, but > > > > presumably need to arrive somewhere in which we can enjoy something > > > > similar to Earth that has not undergone 'eon decay'. If possible, > > > > great questions about what we are leaving behind arise, as well as > > > > what we would be seeking to do. A myriad of 'Mayflowers' becomes a > > > > possibility. No doubt some sect of 'believers' might well stay behind > > > > for the 'second coming' at the time of the heat death of the sun. > > > > > Much that we value, like family, friendship, neighbourliness and so is > > > > challenged in this experiment, as well as much of the moral circling > > > > we do. In my science fiction, I'm concerned with what such a future > > > > does to philosophy (I take this from Popper). What would a woman in > > > > such times regard childbirth as? What would we consider 'natural'. > > > > In another post, Chris and I are wandering back from Europa, already > > > > substantially changed by genetic splicing (he, in fact, is a 'built > > > > man' not born of woman - so no change there mate as I plagiarise > > > > MacBeth!), unaware in early chapters a new lifeform has entered > > > > symbiosis with us from Europa's underground ocean). We made the > > > > mistake of running out of whiskey and cactus juice and drank the > > > > water. Earth is recovering from war and asteroid catastrophe and > > > > survivors are focusing on relativity travel (there are new worlds out > > > > there to royally screw-up!). Would 'morality' at such a time be to > > > > sabotage the space-time travel to save the universe from humanity? > > > > > I've been on the fringes of a few physics symposia ('pose' being the > > > > key term) at which such stuff is trolled out over too much beer and > > > > too little female company (sort of Mind's Eye plus beer?). My own > > > > science isn't good enough to know who is talking rot or not really. > > > > What I'm on about, should anyone have survived this far, is changing > > > > the 'black boxes' of philosophy to see if we can open up free space. > > > > One could imagine in the novel, that when Chris attacks me with a > > > > knife, he understands I had always really accepted his view of gun- > > > > control as he looks down the barrel of the cocked .38 Magnum I've just > > > > raised from under the table. Or one could wonder, accepting that the > > > > science works, just how daft our current values are, being little more > > > > than the good intentions that lined the path to Hell (two more world > > > > wars precede the time of the novel). My plan is a genre of > > > > deconstruction-reconstruction (of mice and men). Those in the know > > > > may suspect I am somewhat shackled by 'strategic scenario building' > > > > here, but I hope there is no return of managerial desire and I'm more > > > > concerned with the impact on knowledge of where is knows it 'has' to > > > > go, and that we can cut through that straitjacket. Relativity travel > > > > can remain a fantasy and still provide some direction on how we might > > > > better await future generations pass into entropy. Those who think > > > > religion has no part to play might reflect that such a future moment > > > > might well be the triumph of the Cathars (the return to nothingness > > > > and final defeat of the material devil). --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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