On Mar 6, 2009, at 10:51:05 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: At 01:38 PM 3/6/2009, you wrote:
>On Mar 6, 2009, at 9:59:57 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: >At 12:49 PM 3/6/2009, you wrote: > > > At 11:33 AM 3/6/2009, you wrote: > > > > > > > > > Book: The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution > > > > > > > > > > "A lot of what counts as philosophy," he said, "is explaining and > > > > > justifying fundamental human intuitions," including "intuitions > > > about > > > > > the beautiful and the ugly." The problem has been that philosophy > > > > > "doesn't ask where the intuitions come from. ... Human nature is a > > > > > traditional philosophic topic, but let's face it, a lot of it is > > > > > uninformed armchair speculation by people who just happen to be > > > > > geniuses: Hobbes, Mill, Kant.:\" > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.mercurynews.com/books/ci_11690473 > > > > > > > >Hey Marsha, > > > > > > > >Got it, read it. Interesting if somewhat pedantic. To a Darwinian > > > >everything is explained by evolution, just as to an MOQian everything > > > is > > > >explained by Quality. But, I think anyone interested in the arts will > > > find > > > >the book worthwhile. The following passage near the end especially > > > appealed > > > >to me: > > > > > > > >"The oft-described spirituality of artistic masterpieces, their > > > >otherworldly quality . . . involves a feeling -- experienced by atheist > > > and > > > >believer alike -- that standing before a masterpiece you are in the > > > >presence of a power that exceeds anything you can imagine for yourself, > > > >something greater than you ever can or will be. The rapture > > > masterpieces > > > >offer is literally ecstatic -- taking you out of yourself. Theists may > > > wish > > > >to attribute all this to the power of God, Darwinian humanists to the > > > near > > > >miraculous power of human genius. Both will approach such works as > > > >suppliants: we yield to them, allowing them to take us where they will. > > > " > > > > > > > >This juxtaposition of the humanist with the theist reminded me of > > > Pirsig's > > > >conclusion in his SODV paper: > > > > > > > >"As Bohr might have loved to observe, science and art are just two > > > >different complementary ways of looking at the same thing. In the > > > largest > > > >sense it is really unnecessary to create a meeting of the arts and > > > sciences > > > >because in actual practice, at the most immediate level they have never > > > >really been separated. They have always been different aspects of the > > > same > > > >human purpose." > > > > > > > >The same applies to the artists, scientists, theists, humanists and > > > >philosophers on this site. > > > > > > > >Platt > > > > > > > > > Hi Platt, > > > > > > Are all five "ists" mentioned in the last sentence of equal value to > > > you? What if I added communist? > > > > > > > > > Marsha > > > >Hi Marsha, > > > >Political "ists" are definitely not of equal value to me, especially those > >like communists who enslave productive individuals to support an all > >powerful state. > > > >Platt > >Hi Platt, > >And I'd just as soon drop theists from the list because of the >stupefying dogma. > > >Marsha > > > >/ > >Hi Marsha, > >Just so that I understand what you are saying, because in my >scattered mind there are all kinds of theists. Are you referring to >Theism, such as Christianity, which requires "a leap of faith" (a >phrase I believe incorrectly attributed to Kierkegaard, since, at >least in my readings, he speaks of three states of believing (being) >which one can transition through)? I don't want to get into this >definition of faith circle again, but I think you know what I am asking.. > >Thanks, >Willblake2 Greetings Will, I only know of the dogma of the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but I would mean all theisms presuming that there is some underlying dogma and institution supporting the god-pattern. Marsha ... _____________ Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.......... ... / Thanks, I hate institutions of all sorts, I think I have a distrust of authority. Nobody's going to tell me how to think, except maybe God (ha, ha, just kidding). Willblake2 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/
