HI Billy, I love it!
The owl was our mascot for Project Athena back at MIT. I seem to remember her owl was named Bubo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubo_(disambiguation) But maybe that was just in the movie… E > On Dec 24, 2015, at 3:28 AM, BILROJ via Centroids: The Center of the Radical > Centrist Community <[email protected]> wrote: > > Ophelia Owl and Hegel the Owl > <Untitled.jpg> > > > > Here is the story: > > The art was created as a Christmas present for a 12 year old girl > named Grace. I gave Grace art lessons during 2014 at a time when > she was 10 and then 11 years old. This was at the request of her > grandmother, a wonderful Christian woman whom I consider a friend. > > There also was intention from the outset to use the art for Radical Centrist > purposes, with the owl, symbolizing wisdom, a worthy "mascot" for RC > in addition to the Duckbill Platypus, which we have made use of previously. > > > The name "Ophelia" sounds nice to my ears, which is a subjective judgment > but no less worthwhile for that. Ophelia also figures in Shakespeare's Hamlet, > where she is a tragic princess who dies at the end, heartbroken, who drowned > as the result of an accident. Various people have interpreted Ophelia in > Freudian and other terms, but that is not the intention here. Instead, > my Ophelia is meant as a more modern version of Minerva, Goddess > of Wisdom, more-or-less the incarnation of Wisdom as found in the > book of Proverbs in the Bible, especially chapters 8 & 9. > > Ophelia does have meanings derived from contemporary popular culture > that dovetail with the life of Grace, with the name made use of in various > TV dramas, movies, and even cartoons. Ophelia in popular culture and also > fine art is usually shown drowned, floating in water; this based on > Shakespeare, but as I understand things, this may simply be taken as > metaphor for whenever a girl or woman "gets in over her head." > > There is also an "Ophelia complex," which refers to the trials and > tribulations > of teen girls; Grace will be 13 in a few months. > > Minerva's owl is also part of the story, a being that can be seen represented > in the seals and emblems of a number of universities, cities, and agencies > of government. Hence 'Ophelia' may also be taken to refer to any smart > woman who provides inspiration for a thinking man, such as Hegel. > Ophelia may be understood as a female college teacher, a psychological > counselor, a newspaper columnist, an author, and the like. Ophelia, > in other words, is Minerva by another name. > > Minerva is Athena by another name, and Athena can be understood > as Ishtar by another name as well, since Ishtar is a Goddess of Wisdom, > and, like Athena, a Goddess of war and passion. > > Minerva, hence her owl, has been identified with prophecy, objectivity, > good luck, or warning of danger. She also stands for multiple viewpoints, > mediation in which all sides to a dispute are considered carefully, > negotiation to bring about harmonious resolution of conflict, but, > when negotiation fails, success in combat. With victory, > Minerva is said to guarantee a lasting peace. > > Minerva also signifies memory, good judgement, decision making, and education. > As such she is a sister to Isis, Goddess of Egypt. Minerva is also a sister > to Lakshmi, Hindu Goddess of wisdom and the sciences. > > Minerva, through her owl, also acts as a harbinger of the future. > > The drawing also features two Magan David six-point stars. These symbols > refer to two passages of scripture, Psalm 102: 6 and Zephaniah 2: 14, > the latter telling us that owls inhabit the ruins of Nineveh, hence, > by extension based on the story of Jonah, that the people of the city > are not forgotten by God and are still known for their wisdom; > this also is usually taken to refer to loneliness and abandonment > -in this context, when necessary carrying on alone, but doing > one's best regardlessly because of your integrity. > > The first Bible verse telling us that owls inhabit the wilderness as well as > ancient ruins and hence also represent wisdom in nature and history. > > About Hegel, here is what he said in the Preface to his book, > Philosophy of Right, of 1820: > > "Philosophy, as the thought of the world, does not appear until reality has > completed its formative process, and made itself ready. History thus > corroborates the teaching of the conception that only in the maturity > of reality does the ideal appear as counterpart to the real, apprehends > the real world in its substance, and shapes it into an intellectual kingdom. > When philosophy paints its gray in gray, one form of life has become old, > and by means of gray it cannot be rejuvenated, but only known. > The owl of Minerva takes its flight only when the shades of night > are gathering." > > > The interpretation of this statement is simply that historical epochs > are not fully understood until after they have pretty much run their course > and a new culture is arising to replace what has gone before. We can take this > to also refer to the personal as well. Sometimes we only understand a stage > of our life after it has just about ended and a new phase of life has begun. > > Hegel, of course, is best known for his thesis that the way things work in > the world, in society and human affairs at large, is that whenever a > proposition > is made and agreed upon by people, soon enough it generates opposition. > The opposition is the antithesis. Thesis and antithesis clash and are in > conflict > but eventually the dispute is resolved when elements of the thesis and > antithesis are blended into a new synthesis. This, in turn, becomes > a new thesis which, anon, generates opposition and a new antithesis > and so forth, ad infinitum. > > While Radical Centrism is not an Hegelian philosophy as such, it certainly > rests on the assumption that something very much like Hegel's system > is for the good and ought to become fundamental to how people > generally resolve their disputes. > > > "Hegel the Owl" is the Radical Centrist bird of wisdom. > > > > Billy Rojas > December 23, 2015 > > > > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > <http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism> > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > <http://radicalcentrism.org/> > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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