Well said DMB. (Any excuse, but ..) driving back across Monument Valley last week one very cold clear evening we all noticed the night sky, and stopped the car, turned out the lights, got out and stood there for as long as we could bear the cold. Awesome, even after witnessing the undoubted terrestrial beauty in daylight.
Always makes me think of Douglas Adams lying on his back in that field in Switzerland (slightly intoxicated naturally, Platt). Makes you think. Ian On 1/3/08, david buchanan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > DM, Krimel and all MOQers (pronounced MOCKers): > > Think about the way Pirsig uses the concept of betterness. It is something > like the engine of evolution. It is the motive for human development and > political reform and artistic innovation. This concept is not vague so much > as it is an all pervasive principle, one that seems to play a role at every > level of reality. > > I learned that there is a word for this view. Meliorism. James and Dewey were > meliorists. If Douglas Anderson is right, meliorism is "perhaps THE central > belief shared" by pragmatists. They believed that philosophical inquiry > "could lead to the betterment of human existence" which means that > "pragmatism was a philosophy of hope". Anderson is a Pirsig fan and the > author of "Philosophy Americana". He's also one of the editors of "Classical > American Pragmatism", an anthology we used in my pragmatism class. Anyway, I > think meliorism is not exactly the same as optimism. I think its even more > than the belief that humans can improve the world. The radical empiricism of > James and Dewey has a way of pushing the concept even further than that. Its > more like the belief that betterness is a real feature of reality, not just > something we might or might not add to it. You know, life IS development and > vice versa. > > It seems to me that the so-called cold and ruthless universe is not the > reality we know and experience so much as the feeling we get when we > contemplate the picture of it that has been painted by physics, that > indifferent machine of cause and effect, where reality is ultimately the > law-like action of dumb, dead matter. This is classic SOM. This is the > picture that calls for a creator too. But I think meliorism can be taken even > to the "physical" level so that we no longer ask how the universe was MADE > but rather how it GREW. I realize that this is a bit awkward on that level. > One has to get used to the idea of extremely persistant patterns of > preferences among inorganic patterns (rather than physical laws) but it works > wonders in terms of de-alienation. When the concept of betterness is extended > that far, we are akin to even the big bang. I dunno. It just sort of shifts > one's attitude. When galaxies collide its a mighty fine show. (Thanks Mr. > Hubble!) The stars aren't light years away. They're in my eyeballs. Ever been to the Rockies in July? Vermont in October? Ever seen the stars from the middle of the pacific or the northern lights from Alaska? The term "awesome" is misused and overused, but in this case the word fits. That cold and ruthless universe looks beautiful from here. This place rocks, even the rocks, don't you think? > > dmb > > > > ---------------------------------------- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 02:32:38 -0500 > > Subject: Re: [MD] Is thoroughly dynamic terrifying? > > > > [DM] > > I am not inclined to look at it as you do. > > > > [Krimel] > > Yeah, I know, always close but no cigar. > > > > [DM] > > Rather I am struck by 2 things. > > > > The first makes me ponder about the fact that the universe has reached its > > current state. This state, able to support intelligent-ish life on at least > > one planet is an amazing reality, even if only a transient fact. This is > > something to be recognised and valued. We live in such a universe that has > > allowed such a possibility become actual. It seems to me very positive that > > such potential exists and is able to be realised. > > > > [Krimel] > > I do tend to be a glass half empty kind of guy but I am with you 100% on > > this one. Buckminster Fuller once observed that universe was either created > > by an all powerful being or it was not. Either way the implications are > > profound. I think we spend a lot of time here picking nits over which > > alternative is more profound and not much else. > > > > However, it got here life appears to be a rare, precious and fragile > > commodity in the universe. I think the injunction to be fruitful and > > multiply is a good one to apply to our space in the universe. Life should be > > treasured, nurtured and spread to the stars. > > > > [DM] > > The second is that our current state with all its many faults remains open > > to not only the possibility of terrible regression but also further > > enriching possibilities. It seems entirely possible, but not certain, that > > we may attain happier and longer lives, better ways of thinking and living > > together, etc. Such possibilities exist and could be attained and made > > actual. > > > > [Krimel] > > When I was a lad the possibilities seemed endless. We valued the pursuit of > > knowledge and the pursuit of happiness, the promise of freedom and plenty. > > We aimed at the moon and hit it. We vowed to declare war on poverty, > > pollution and ignorance and we believed we could make a difference. We've > > lost a lot of innocence and hope since then. Today we wallow in cynicism and > > expect the worst as a matter of course. We see our government as our enemy > > even though we are our government. Pardon my sense of despair that we have > > sunk so low. > > > > [DM] > > So we live in a cosmos rich with possibilities and we can act to attain some > > of the better ones and avoid some of the worst possibilities. > > > > Of course, less optimistically, we seem at times to march headlong towards > > the worst possibilities available. > > > > [Krimel] > > I struggle to retain hope David, I truly do but when people seek answers > > through ancient practices that have lead to nothing but wars and poverty, > > superstition and ignorance and when neo-luddites refuse to even look much > > less understand the possibilities offered by the new world understanding and > > of expanded consciousness opening before us at geometric rate; hope is hard > > to sustain. I admire your persistence. > > > > [DM] > > Indifference? Maybe good and bad possibilities are set out before us without > > > > Adequate warnings and instructions (metaphorically of course). And lower > > level processes like colliding galaxies are clearly indifferent to higher > > ones living on their life supporting planets. > > But interestingly this indifference of less complex processes to more > > complex ones has not done anything to prevent the more complex ones > > emerging. This much at least seems rather fortunate. > > > > To summarise: perhaps cold but not barren. > > > > [Krimel] > > True enough. Thanks for the reminder that hope resides in us. Purpose arises > > in us; fired in the dynamic kiln of chaos, hammered on the anvil of harsh > > indifference and shaped by the slow moving processes of evolution. > > > > It is our hope. > > It is our purpose. > > It is our conscious that is growing here. > >>From the bottom up. > > > > If we can not rely on Our best and Our brightest to shape a better world for > > our children. > > > > If our traditions do not make us stewards of our world and guardians of the > > precious life that on this mote of dust in space dwells. > > > > If the Gods we have worshiped for millennia have not at least taught us how > > to act well as the Gods we are surely becoming. > > > > Then this mote can once again sink into barrenness. The light can go out and > > indifference can reign supreme. I guess I have begun to feel like one come > > early to the wake for those not yet dead, not yet even born. > > > > I would prefer to write a manifesto but too often it feels instead like > > eulogy. I would prefer to compare notes on how best to exploit the vast > > potential we are creating in mapping our genes, in mapping our planet, in > > mapping our history and our promise. > > > > But as long as we are locked into focusing on our individual selves and not > > our children, on doctrines of the past not visions for the future, on > > wishful dreams of cosmic schemes or absolute divine principles in whose > > plans we are but pawns and thralls... > > > > As long as this remains our focus then manifesto shall take a back seat to > > eulogy and our glasses half emptied in the first round of drinks at a wake > > for those not yet dead but only dying. > > > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > > Archives: > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > > _________________________________________________________________ > i'm is proud to present Cause Effect, a series about real people making a > difference. > http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/MTV/?source=text_Cause_Effect > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
