Excellent.
http://www.bostonreview.net/BR37.6/martin_oneill_thad_williamson_rawls_property_owning_democracy_american_politics.php
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
fragment on Dogma
On the Reagan
Revolution, and the Politicisation of Christianity
I have often gotten “in trouble” for calling out the
Religious Right.
Those riding in to the defense have usually been pretty Liberal minded, but were strongly Christian…and mistook my Ire for Anti-Christian-ism.
”Not all Christians are like that…you cannot lump us all together”….
I have countered that it ain’t me who Politicised Christianity, but a relatively small subsection of Christians, and their well funded and well organized allies.
To these good folks who have called me out, I have said,” Your Religion has been taken from You…it, really, is up to you to take it back”.
Here’s a great overview of how the Right of American Politics stole Christianity, and turned it into a Militant, Intolerant, ultimately Revolutionary Force for Bad.: http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v09n3-4/whynow.html
Those riding in to the defense have usually been pretty Liberal minded, but were strongly Christian…and mistook my Ire for Anti-Christian-ism.
”Not all Christians are like that…you cannot lump us all together”….
I have countered that it ain’t me who Politicised Christianity, but a relatively small subsection of Christians, and their well funded and well organized allies.
To these good folks who have called me out, I have said,” Your Religion has been taken from You…it, really, is up to you to take it back”.
Here’s a great overview of how the Right of American Politics stole Christianity, and turned it into a Militant, Intolerant, ultimately Revolutionary Force for Bad.: http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v09n3-4/whynow.html
Beginning around the Third Century,A.D., the Project of
Canonisation began, in earnest…but it wasn’t until Gutenburg that
Fundamentalism, and it’s Bibliolatry, became a force for Dogmatism and
Stagnation(2).
We’ve likely always had this tendency, but natural traits
can be manipulated.
With greater Understanding of the Universe, through Science, the world gets (from our perspective) more and more Complex….it was always so, we just know more and more about it, as the Inquiry proceeds.
”God”, and other Supernatural explanations for the Unknown, are pushed into narrower and narrower enclaves. For folks who do not understand Science, this is worrisome. It is even more so, for Folks who…for whatever reasons…Need a Protector…especially the transcendent kind. The Psychological(and Political, and Philosophical!) implications are large. Folks, understandably, React.
The Reaction takes many forms, from reluctant acceptance, to Modification, to outright Rejection of whatever new Knowledge is presented. This last has been artificially increased, for Political Ends.
Enter the Reagan Revolution…the Retrenchment of “Conservatism”///and all of the antiscientism, and antiintellectualism that accompanied it.
Instead of incorporating the New Knowledge, ever expanding, into a new Syncretism, the New Knowledge was/is (quite cynically) Denied, out of hand.
The Earth appears to be orders of magnitude Older than 6,000 years? It must be Satan, and his Minions at the University!!!
The Right used this Phenomenon for it’s own purposes…but now, after almost 40 years, it may be backfiring….reaching the point of Absurdity.
The Tiger the Rightist Leadership/controllers harnessed for political gain, has chewed through the reins….boxing the controllers in.
The Fundamentalism of Religion has been applied to Economics, as well as to Government.
This is a very Dangerous development.
Science tells us that the Climate is Changing, quite Dramatically. But we cannot respond, because almost half the population(the loudest half) Denies it….and regards such qualified assertions as an Attack on their Faith.
Objective Observation indicates that “Free Market Fundamentalism”(piss on Us) has Failed…but more than half the population Believes…and they cannot be dislodged by anything as “secular” as Evidence.
In the most important(objectively) areas of Modern Life, Dogmatic Mythology has replaced Reason and Thought.
Deliberately.
The Engineers of this Surreality at least some of them, must surely see the Problem, here.
But How to respond?!
They have backed themselves into a Corner, Ideologically, Rhetorically, and Politically.
Short Term Political Manipulation has Doomed all of us….unless We, in the “Reality Based Community”, find our Backbones and stand up to Ignorance and it’s deliberate manipulation.
With greater Understanding of the Universe, through Science, the world gets (from our perspective) more and more Complex….it was always so, we just know more and more about it, as the Inquiry proceeds.
”God”, and other Supernatural explanations for the Unknown, are pushed into narrower and narrower enclaves. For folks who do not understand Science, this is worrisome. It is even more so, for Folks who…for whatever reasons…Need a Protector…especially the transcendent kind. The Psychological(and Political, and Philosophical!) implications are large. Folks, understandably, React.
The Reaction takes many forms, from reluctant acceptance, to Modification, to outright Rejection of whatever new Knowledge is presented. This last has been artificially increased, for Political Ends.
Enter the Reagan Revolution…the Retrenchment of “Conservatism”///and all of the antiscientism, and antiintellectualism that accompanied it.
Instead of incorporating the New Knowledge, ever expanding, into a new Syncretism, the New Knowledge was/is (quite cynically) Denied, out of hand.
The Earth appears to be orders of magnitude Older than 6,000 years? It must be Satan, and his Minions at the University!!!
The Right used this Phenomenon for it’s own purposes…but now, after almost 40 years, it may be backfiring….reaching the point of Absurdity.
The Tiger the Rightist Leadership/controllers harnessed for political gain, has chewed through the reins….boxing the controllers in.
The Fundamentalism of Religion has been applied to Economics, as well as to Government.
This is a very Dangerous development.
Science tells us that the Climate is Changing, quite Dramatically. But we cannot respond, because almost half the population(the loudest half) Denies it….and regards such qualified assertions as an Attack on their Faith.
Objective Observation indicates that “Free Market Fundamentalism”(piss on Us) has Failed…but more than half the population Believes…and they cannot be dislodged by anything as “secular” as Evidence.
In the most important(objectively) areas of Modern Life, Dogmatic Mythology has replaced Reason and Thought.
Deliberately.
The Engineers of this Surreality at least some of them, must surely see the Problem, here.
But How to respond?!
They have backed themselves into a Corner, Ideologically, Rhetorically, and Politically.
Short Term Political Manipulation has Doomed all of us….unless We, in the “Reality Based Community”, find our Backbones and stand up to Ignorance and it’s deliberate manipulation.
“Some scholars have suggested that fundamentalism had its
birth in the invention of the printing press, and that its spread across the
planet region by region, religion by religion, has paralleled the growth of
literacy.”
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Frothy Cosmology (Spinoza has a Lebowski)
So I arise, late(for me) at 7, rebuild the fires…first real
cold front, 34 degrees.
Coerced, by circumstance, to bring in the wood.
Read about Gilles Deleuze, while I wait,
Coerced, by circumstance, to bring in the wood.
Read about Gilles Deleuze, while I wait,
Oh so Patiently. for the ambient to rise.
Hot, Hot bath, with incense, a joint
and that bubbling chaos machine that lies at the bottom of
the tub.
and dish soap.
From the very Smallest(Strings(Planke Length),so far), to the very Largest Phenomena(Strings of Super Clusters of Clusters of Galaxies)
and dish soap.
From the very Smallest(Strings(Planke Length),so far), to the very Largest Phenomena(Strings of Super Clusters of Clusters of Galaxies)
in the Observable Universe.
The same structure shows up, sort of,
again, and again.( Φ)
Add enough Energy to a System/Potential Field,
Add enough Energy to a System/Potential Field,
and it, counterintuitively, Chaoticises
Into Structure.
Is this the Hand of God?
Or the Accident of Conditions, before the “Birth” of our
Universe?
Must we decide, right now?
I’m comfortable with Not Knowing, for sure.
Intrusive Distractions and Boredom
Socratic Perplexity, and Resistance to Doublethink+
Theocracy+a Lament=Meander.
” ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα ”-Socrates(attr.)(1)
” ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα ”-Socrates(attr.)(1)
It’s hard, almost to the point of impossibility, to be
Objective.
We are not only surrounded by Cognitive Dissonance, we are filled with it(2,3)…it comes from within.
Madison Avenue has learned to use this feature, inherent in the Human Mind, and present in our Collective Mind(4).
Politics necessarily encompasses this Feature, as well…it being a rarified form of Salesmanship.
I identified the Distortion quite early…and almost entirely by accident. This was in the form of a Preacher, who preached one thing, while doing the opposite. Although I was only 7-8, it stuck with me…I could not ignore it, as I saw everyone else doing.
I have been resisting Certainty, ever since. All Knowledge is Provisional, even that of Gravity.(!)
Having this as one’s Foundation has been anything but Easy….and I Understand , therefore, that few choose to join me on this Island. Dogmatic Certainty is so much more comforting, in most cases. The sky appears blue, and it is relatively unimportant to our everyday lives to question this with thoughts about the Spectroscopy of Nitrogen, etc.
We each carry within us, a number of default prejudices and positions, and ways of interacting with the World.(3) The World is very complex, and most folks have neither the Time, nor the Inclination…let alone the Ability…to approach every Datum with such Rigorous Skepticism. This has, to the best of our knowledge, always been so…but it has gotten exponentially Worse, these past 35 years.
This Worsening is the intended effect of a Deliberate Policy of obfuscation and Confusion, undertaken by what I have called the Machine…especially that Faction within the Machine, who are most unapologetic…the Right. (We are beyond such simplistic concepts as Party, here… Remember, Republicans were once the Liberal Party)
We are not only surrounded by Cognitive Dissonance, we are filled with it(2,3)…it comes from within.
Madison Avenue has learned to use this feature, inherent in the Human Mind, and present in our Collective Mind(4).
Politics necessarily encompasses this Feature, as well…it being a rarified form of Salesmanship.
I identified the Distortion quite early…and almost entirely by accident. This was in the form of a Preacher, who preached one thing, while doing the opposite. Although I was only 7-8, it stuck with me…I could not ignore it, as I saw everyone else doing.
I have been resisting Certainty, ever since. All Knowledge is Provisional, even that of Gravity.(!)
Having this as one’s Foundation has been anything but Easy….and I Understand , therefore, that few choose to join me on this Island. Dogmatic Certainty is so much more comforting, in most cases. The sky appears blue, and it is relatively unimportant to our everyday lives to question this with thoughts about the Spectroscopy of Nitrogen, etc.
We each carry within us, a number of default prejudices and positions, and ways of interacting with the World.(3) The World is very complex, and most folks have neither the Time, nor the Inclination…let alone the Ability…to approach every Datum with such Rigorous Skepticism. This has, to the best of our knowledge, always been so…but it has gotten exponentially Worse, these past 35 years.
This Worsening is the intended effect of a Deliberate Policy of obfuscation and Confusion, undertaken by what I have called the Machine…especially that Faction within the Machine, who are most unapologetic…the Right. (We are beyond such simplistic concepts as Party, here… Remember, Republicans were once the Liberal Party)
In the (provisional) Model I’ve built, Machine is a largely
Unconscious Super-Organism, containing many constituent Super-Organisms, from Countries, to Religions
to Corporations, all accepting sets of Foundational Assumptions about the
World, and having become “PseudoConscious”, for lack of a better word. These
are the closest we’ve come to AI, without even being aware of the accomplishment.
When I think about this, I have, somewhere in mind,
Lovecraft’s Mindless Gods…the Logic of such Creatures are incomprehensible,
outside of their own Logic Systems, with their various Foundational Assumptions
about Reality.
Read that again:” the Logic of such Creatures are
incomprehensible, outside of their own Logic Systems, with their various
Foundational Assumptions about Reality.”
This is our Problem, in Apprehending Reality.(ugh. Font confusion!)
Dig:
” Abstract
The theory of cognitive dissonance (Festinger 1957)
states that inconsistency between beliefs or behaviors creates an aversive
motivational state akin to hunger or thirst. This tension is typically reduced
by changing one of the dissonant elements, or adding new ones, until mental
consonance is achieved. There have been three major revisions relevant to
modern interpretation of dissonance phenomena. Aronson's self-consistency model
( 1968)
proposed that dissonance resulted from behaviors that were discrepant with
one's conception of oneself as a decent and sensible person. Steele's
self-affirmation theory ( 1988)
proposed that dissonance emerged from threats to the overarching self- system,
and that dissonance reduction relied on re-establishing the integrity of the
global self-concept. Cooper and Fazio's `New Look' model ( 1984)
proposed that dissonance resulted from creating unwanted aversive consequences
and did not require cognitive inconsistency. A recent synthesis discussed by
Cooper ( 1999)
and Stone ( 1999)
suggests that dissonance is caused by a discrepancy between the outcome of a
behavioral act and the standard to which it is compared. According to this
self-standards model, contextual variables determine the comparison standard,
and it is this standard that determines which dissonance process is most likely
to be operative.”(5)
From this, it appears that one’s relatively Positive Self
Image guards against Dissonance.(mostly)
This is important, in my opinion, because of who is counted,
and counts themselves, in the Machine Supporting Group.
In my Taxonomy, simplified, there are 2 “kinds” of folks…what I call Right Wing, and Left. This labeling generates much confusion, due to historical misuse, as well as purposeful muddying tactics, by Machine.
LW, in my Taxonomy, is what falls under the Enlightenment…scrutiny of beliefs and other automata, and conscious application of Reason….leading to greater and greater Freedom, and more Knowledge about the Universe.
On the Contrary, RW equals Fear Based Retrenchment, adhering reactively to comfortable Tradition and Habit, rather than daring to “Disturb the universe”(Eliot).
These opposing “forces” can be discerned throughout History, and deduced in Prehistory(Gimbutas, Campbell).
It is the Perennial Human Struggle.
The LW, I think it’s safe to assert, will generally tend towards a more Positive Self-Assessment, as a result of eschewing Fear…which is a necessary precondition to the Thinking Outside the Box, so emblematic of this Mindset.
Beginning in the 1940’s, when the current incarnation of the Machine was born(marriage of “Intelligence”, Industry, Government, Media, in the Maintenance of Power Relationships, using, in many instances, the new field of Social Psychology….and , apparently, using Orwell as a Manual, instead of a Warning(6&7))
In my Taxonomy, simplified, there are 2 “kinds” of folks…what I call Right Wing, and Left. This labeling generates much confusion, due to historical misuse, as well as purposeful muddying tactics, by Machine.
LW, in my Taxonomy, is what falls under the Enlightenment…scrutiny of beliefs and other automata, and conscious application of Reason….leading to greater and greater Freedom, and more Knowledge about the Universe.
On the Contrary, RW equals Fear Based Retrenchment, adhering reactively to comfortable Tradition and Habit, rather than daring to “Disturb the universe”(Eliot).
These opposing “forces” can be discerned throughout History, and deduced in Prehistory(Gimbutas, Campbell).
It is the Perennial Human Struggle.
The LW, I think it’s safe to assert, will generally tend towards a more Positive Self-Assessment, as a result of eschewing Fear…which is a necessary precondition to the Thinking Outside the Box, so emblematic of this Mindset.
Beginning in the 1940’s, when the current incarnation of the Machine was born(marriage of “Intelligence”, Industry, Government, Media, in the Maintenance of Power Relationships, using, in many instances, the new field of Social Psychology….and , apparently, using Orwell as a Manual, instead of a Warning(6&7))
Despite my attempt at Perplexity, I find that one must
accept at least some Foundational Assumptions. Gravity is Real, for instance.
The Sky is Blue. When thinking about Philosophy, including Politics and
Economics, while the necessary
Assumptions are fewer and must be more carefully assessed, they do present
themselves, as one moves foreword.
I’ve been Antiauthoritarian, as I’ve said, from very early on…this is a Bias, and I try mightily to account for it.
I’ve been Antiauthoritarian, as I’ve said, from very early on…this is a Bias, and I try mightily to account for it.
However, Authority,”Power”, seems to Exist….ie: it’s
Objectively Real. The problem, is how we think about it…and how much weight we
give to our Assumptions regarding Power and it’s effect on, it’s Operation in,
the World. Remember that a mere 500 years ago, almost everyone on the planet
lived in a Surreal World of Mythological Constructs. Since then, the
Enlightenment has allowed much improvement, but this improvement is by no means
Universal.
Jefferson’s Assertion, that “All men are created equal…” is not an accomplished fact, rather it is a statement of Hope, of Potential. The vast Majority of Humans are quite stupid, when you get right down to it. I’m with Jefferson, and other Enlightenment figures, that this can be Modified, for the better, by Education, etc…but we ain’t there, yet.
Jefferson’s Assertion, that “All men are created equal…” is not an accomplished fact, rather it is a statement of Hope, of Potential. The vast Majority of Humans are quite stupid, when you get right down to it. I’m with Jefferson, and other Enlightenment figures, that this can be Modified, for the better, by Education, etc…but we ain’t there, yet.
That said, the Majority of Us are still stuck in various
Mythological Systems…some perfectly Natural, like the various Cognitive Biases;
many constructed from whole cloth, by the various factions of the Machine.
There has been a Deliberate Confusing of Tongues, a Muddying of the Water, this past almost-Century.
There has been a Deliberate Confusing of Tongues, a Muddying of the Water, this past almost-Century.
I found that the “Conventional Wisdom” was Contradictory,
Incoherent, and , largely, False. It did not accurately describe the World.
Thus, a better Model was needed.
The Left-Right Thing is a Continuum, rather than a Dichotomy.
Left, leans towards Reason, and Thought, and a careful weighing of available evidence, but is still subject to the Myths and Assumptions of Conventional Wisdom….at least to some degree.
The Right, on the other hand, leans towards Habit, Instinct, and the Gut.
The Former is a relative Minority in any given Population.
The Machine, itself, Leans Rightward…necessarily. That Logic is inherent.
Change is Disruptive, and the most effective way to ward off Change is to keep the Masses in perpetual Ignorance.
This is a Balancing Act, because the World is Changing, despite the wishes of the Machine and it’s Constituencies. Balancing How Change is allowed to Manifest, and controlling the results of sundry Exploration, is the business of the Machine.
Almost every person, above the Bum…and every Group, …believes that it is in Control, to some degree….of their own, personal lives; of the actions of their Business…
The Administrators of the various Constituencies of Machine believe, more than most, in their own Agency.
The Reality is that No One is in Control.
Thus, a better Model was needed.
The Left-Right Thing is a Continuum, rather than a Dichotomy.
Left, leans towards Reason, and Thought, and a careful weighing of available evidence, but is still subject to the Myths and Assumptions of Conventional Wisdom….at least to some degree.
The Right, on the other hand, leans towards Habit, Instinct, and the Gut.
The Former is a relative Minority in any given Population.
The Machine, itself, Leans Rightward…necessarily. That Logic is inherent.
Change is Disruptive, and the most effective way to ward off Change is to keep the Masses in perpetual Ignorance.
This is a Balancing Act, because the World is Changing, despite the wishes of the Machine and it’s Constituencies. Balancing How Change is allowed to Manifest, and controlling the results of sundry Exploration, is the business of the Machine.
Almost every person, above the Bum…and every Group, …believes that it is in Control, to some degree….of their own, personal lives; of the actions of their Business…
The Administrators of the various Constituencies of Machine believe, more than most, in their own Agency.
The Reality is that No One is in Control.
One must Surf the Wavefront of Events, Riding the Crest of
History.
No One’s in Charge.
This is both Liberating, and Terrifying.
No One’s in Charge.
This is both Liberating, and Terrifying.
From, “Heretics of Dune”:
”By your belief in granular singularities, you deny all movement-evolutionary or devolutionary. Belief fixes a granular universe and causes that universe to persist. Nothing can be allowed to change because that way your non-moving universe vanishes. But it moves of itself when you do not move. It evolves beyond you and is no longer accessible to you.”(8)
In other words, float above Events, and accept the Chaos of Change, that is the defining Feature of Universe.
”By your belief in granular singularities, you deny all movement-evolutionary or devolutionary. Belief fixes a granular universe and causes that universe to persist. Nothing can be allowed to change because that way your non-moving universe vanishes. But it moves of itself when you do not move. It evolves beyond you and is no longer accessible to you.”(8)
In other words, float above Events, and accept the Chaos of Change, that is the defining Feature of Universe.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
(five days later…)
Necessary interruption. Mom-Sitting, due to Slug’s absence, and the lingering effects of the Prowler-Problem.(jimmied the door, see (9)
There’s no Reverse.
Onward!
More from Dune Universe:
”Enter no conflict against fanatics unless you can defuse them. Oppose a religion with another religion only if your proofs (miracles) are irrefutable or if you can mesh in a way that the fanatics accept you as god-inspired. This has long been the barrier to science assuming a mantle of divine revelation. Science is so obviously man-made. Fanatics…must know where you stand, but more important, must recognize who whispers in your ear.-Missionaria Protectiva” – Chapterhouse Dune.
So many little Gems in these Tomes.
(at least the original six…the son has done well, but he
ain’t his daddy)
How does one “Defuse” the American Religious Right?
I think this is a very timely question.
The Violent Parasitical Elite are one thing….a tiny minority. They are Nothing, without great hordes of True Believers, Secular, and no.
That part of the True Believers who really are True Believers is what concerns me, here. The Secular Faction is Materialist and Opportunistic, quite cowardly when in extremis.
The American Jihadis(Xian) have God smiling on them!
Given the correct stimulation, and they will make a corpse of the World.
The Elite are playing with Fire.
After three decades of poking and prodding, is it too far gone to simply Defuse it?
I think this is a very timely question.
The Violent Parasitical Elite are one thing….a tiny minority. They are Nothing, without great hordes of True Believers, Secular, and no.
That part of the True Believers who really are True Believers is what concerns me, here. The Secular Faction is Materialist and Opportunistic, quite cowardly when in extremis.
The American Jihadis(Xian) have God smiling on them!
Given the correct stimulation, and they will make a corpse of the World.
The Elite are playing with Fire.
After three decades of poking and prodding, is it too far gone to simply Defuse it?
I take Douthat’s admonitions of restraint, of resistance to
Generalizing Hysteria, seriously (10).
However, there are Patterns.
While I haven’t systematically Infiltrated (Jane Goodall) the Fundy-Web, I have Lurked, extensively.
However, there are Patterns.
While I haven’t systematically Infiltrated (Jane Goodall) the Fundy-Web, I have Lurked, extensively.
There are worrying trends, out there.
It is obvious, on the one hand, that Good Ross is correct, Secularism and assorted Godlessness,is on the rise….Americans are less and less “Churched”, with every passing year, despite all the hollering and seeming omnipresence of “Apostles”, and Preachers and “Prophets”(by their own words, no less)…saying the darnedest things.
But this Unchurching is a slow process.
Looming Crises, from Resource Depletion, to EconomicEnd-Points, to all manner of potential Flashpoints, including more Blowback….not to mention large “issues” with the Biosphere…all of these play into the hands of the most dangerous Lunatics in the Faith-Based Community.
Thanks to Lil George, the Federal Bureaucracy(damn!) is shot through with Fundamentalists…(11)
It is obvious, on the one hand, that Good Ross is correct, Secularism and assorted Godlessness,is on the rise….Americans are less and less “Churched”, with every passing year, despite all the hollering and seeming omnipresence of “Apostles”, and Preachers and “Prophets”(by their own words, no less)…saying the darnedest things.
But this Unchurching is a slow process.
Looming Crises, from Resource Depletion, to EconomicEnd-Points, to all manner of potential Flashpoints, including more Blowback….not to mention large “issues” with the Biosphere…all of these play into the hands of the most dangerous Lunatics in the Faith-Based Community.
Thanks to Lil George, the Federal Bureaucracy(damn!) is shot through with Fundamentalists…(11)
Ironic that the long sought after “Fifth Column” would be
of their own making. (12)
Our Military, as well…if the numerous reports are to be believed.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Oh, well.
Rambling.
Started with one thing, ended on another.
A perpetual Lament…for being unemployed, and cripple, and even often bedridden…World Intrudes, and I am Scattered. I want nothing more than to read Deleuze, etc and Think…and, Milagro!, discuss such esoterica…but I am continually Flung into Mundane Concerns: Political Philosophy, and all that goes with it…including the Still-Ongoing History of Humanity(Fukyama is a Fool,lol)(14)
The even more mundane concerns, too…from the above mentioned Mom-Sitting, to Soccer, to the Imperatives of Bringing in Wood(the Pain!)…a Distraction.
The lack of a Book-Budget…and the current Bunch at the Library(implying,”don’t bother us”…no more,de facto, interlibrary loan:”I forgot”, coupled with ,”why do you want that book?”…sigh.)
Our Military, as well…if the numerous reports are to be believed.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Oh, well.
Rambling.
Started with one thing, ended on another.
A perpetual Lament…for being unemployed, and cripple, and even often bedridden…World Intrudes, and I am Scattered. I want nothing more than to read Deleuze, etc and Think…and, Milagro!, discuss such esoterica…but I am continually Flung into Mundane Concerns: Political Philosophy, and all that goes with it…including the Still-Ongoing History of Humanity(Fukyama is a Fool,lol)(14)
The even more mundane concerns, too…from the above mentioned Mom-Sitting, to Soccer, to the Imperatives of Bringing in Wood(the Pain!)…a Distraction.
The lack of a Book-Budget…and the current Bunch at the Library(implying,”don’t bother us”…no more,de facto, interlibrary loan:”I forgot”, coupled with ,”why do you want that book?”…sigh.)
Hopelessly attempting to Re-Engage the tiny community of
left-leaners, out here, in what is admittedly, a Hopeless Endeavor…
I recede. Retreat.
I fully use the excuse of Handicapped…to stay in the truck, at soccer.
No one there I really want to engage with…”How are You?”
I fully use the excuse of Handicapped…to stay in the truck, at soccer.
No one there I really want to engage with…”How are You?”
“What have you been up to?”
Ha!
Like they want to know!
I’m so frikkin Tired of the Eyes Glazing…the Uncomprehending Stare.
The World as High School.
I’m so frikkin Tired of the Eyes Glazing…the Uncomprehending Stare.
The World as High School.
Is it Different someplace else?
Are there Others, of my Species, hiding in their Caves, perhaps just over the Hill?
8. I recommend the six original Dune Books, for an
unconventional Understanding of Geopolitics, Macropsychology and Economics.
9 http://www.stopos.info/os.pdf More on this, later. Mentat Projection,lol!
11 I’m thinking, specifically, of the Justice Department,
now full of folks from Regent and Liberty
and bob Jones.
14 Fukyama has since recanted, and renounced his association
with Neoconservatism….if I remember correctly. I don’t care enough to go there,
again.lol.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Perennial
I’d Rather Not…..But...
In review, for most of my life, I was happiest when I was
able to Simply Read and Think.
My Mom realized , early on, that to send me to my room was
no punishment, at all.
I was perfectly happy to be so sequestered.
I was Self Directed…by Abiding Curiosity; helped immensely by the presence of the Deluxe Set of Encyclopedias. As I’ve said many times, I would wander for days…and learned to maintain that Wandering, simultaneously, with whatever I was “Supposed” to be doing.(like School)
I was Self Directed…by Abiding Curiosity; helped immensely by the presence of the Deluxe Set of Encyclopedias. As I’ve said many times, I would wander for days…and learned to maintain that Wandering, simultaneously, with whatever I was “Supposed” to be doing.(like School)
Only MRL understood this…and even he Wandered a lot less,
and tended towards Approved Subjects.
I’d go, rather, wherever the “Spirit Moved Me’…in my case,
the Spirit of my Curiosity.
I chaffed at being Forced to Think about something that did
not Interest me(algebra)…I’d get to it when/if I thought it was Important.
My Natural Disposition is to Sit and Think.(not conducive to Wealth-Accumulation)
It’s an almost lifelong Joke, that I consider Aristotle/Gibbons/Kant or whatever as “Light Reading”.
My Natural Disposition is to Sit and Think.(not conducive to Wealth-Accumulation)
It’s an almost lifelong Joke, that I consider Aristotle/Gibbons/Kant or whatever as “Light Reading”.
Given this tendency, Politics was always a somewhat superficial
consideration, until it intruded into my life in such a way that I could not
ignore it.
Not 9-11, itself….but our Society’s Reaction to it, was the
Gun to my Head…Forcing me to consider such messy inanities.
I’d never really considered the motives and understanding of
Others.
It had never been all that important to me….save in learning to avoid cops and rednecks and other Mundane Threats.
It had never been all that important to me….save in learning to avoid cops and rednecks and other Mundane Threats.
A few years before that day, I had become aware of a lack of
Understanding, on my part, of Economics…so I had been studying that…and finding
so many Contradictions and Mythology surrounding it, that I despaired at ever
grasping the subject, as it applied to the Real World. The Libertarian
Argument(Austrian
School) sounded good to
me…until I went deeper, and tried to actually Apply the concepts. The Ass,
parading as if he were a King!
Free Market?
Free Market?
A Utopian Fantasy!
Similarly, with Politics…I thought that I knew up from down, using the Assumptions imparted by Dr Bob, and the General Milieu I grew up in. None of it was Applicable, after all….but (and here’s the startling Rub!)….we were expected to ignore this fact.
Similarly, with Politics…I thought that I knew up from down, using the Assumptions imparted by Dr Bob, and the General Milieu I grew up in. None of it was Applicable, after all….but (and here’s the startling Rub!)….we were expected to ignore this fact.
I perceived my Ignorance of the Motives and Thinking behind
our rapid, kneejerk to the Right.
So , I studied.
Again, I feel/felt that I was forced into this undertaking…I detected an Existential Threat, in the Actions of my Government, and in the Actions and Pronouncements of my Neighbors…far and near.
So , I studied.
Again, I feel/felt that I was forced into this undertaking…I detected an Existential Threat, in the Actions of my Government, and in the Actions and Pronouncements of my Neighbors…far and near.
This Endeavor has consumed me.
I had blithely Assumed that We, as a Species, were somehow beyond having to worry about Fascism, and the like.
I had blithely Assumed that We, as a Species, were somehow beyond having to worry about Fascism, and the like.
Yet, here were it’s Ingredients.
I was compelled to Understand, not only How…but Why.
Why would so many folks, who appeared Rational on the surface, fall into such an obvious Trap?
How could so many be Duped?
I was compelled to Understand, not only How…but Why.
Why would so many folks, who appeared Rational on the surface, fall into such an obvious Trap?
How could so many be Duped?
Back to Psychology, Mythology, Belief…and the concomitant
Methodology of Controlling these; from Propaganda, to Us/Them, to the
Manipulation of Our Beliefs about the World….and , behind all of this “How”…was
the Why!
Why would a Group(in this case, Neocons) want to do these things?
Why would a Group(in this case, Neocons) want to do these things?
Enter Deep Politics, and an understanding of the Real World,
as opposed to the Puppet Show.
I was Shocked to learn that the Surreality had been ongoing for at least 60 years…and more Haphazardly, for well over 5000!
What Hubris! What Audacity! That, for 35 years, the forces of Darkness had been so manipulating Reality, that the fruits could no longer be trusted…our assumptions, about almost Anything , were suspect!
The Neocons, of course, were/are a mere Faction…a subset of something else.
Call it the Universal State, the Matrix(in our current, secular mythology)…I have labeled it The Machine.
But I glean that it is more than the sum of it’s parts.
It’s not, merely, the agglomeration of Extremely Wealthy Families…nor of Corporate Boardrooms…nor of the Proverbial “Powers that Be”, sitting in their Study, pontificating on How to Shape things to their benefit.
It is, of course, all of these things…but I detect something more.
Not anything as silly as “Evil”, though it certainly is that…from a certain point of view.
It’s Automatic….and as old as Humanity.
Call it the Authoritarian Hierarchical Tendency…opposed to the Egalitarian, libertarian(small l ).
I was Shocked to learn that the Surreality had been ongoing for at least 60 years…and more Haphazardly, for well over 5000!
What Hubris! What Audacity! That, for 35 years, the forces of Darkness had been so manipulating Reality, that the fruits could no longer be trusted…our assumptions, about almost Anything , were suspect!
The Neocons, of course, were/are a mere Faction…a subset of something else.
Call it the Universal State, the Matrix(in our current, secular mythology)…I have labeled it The Machine.
But I glean that it is more than the sum of it’s parts.
It’s not, merely, the agglomeration of Extremely Wealthy Families…nor of Corporate Boardrooms…nor of the Proverbial “Powers that Be”, sitting in their Study, pontificating on How to Shape things to their benefit.
It is, of course, all of these things…but I detect something more.
Not anything as silly as “Evil”, though it certainly is that…from a certain point of view.
It’s Automatic….and as old as Humanity.
Call it the Authoritarian Hierarchical Tendency…opposed to the Egalitarian, libertarian(small l ).
It’s an unconscious Drive, that seems to be encoded in our
DNA.
Not Counter-Enlightenment, so much as Anti-Enlightenment.(Tao)
Not Counter-Enlightenment, so much as Anti-Enlightenment.(Tao)
(and, I must stress; no Gods, or Devils are necessary)
The “goal”, the “purpose” of Enlightenment(not just the
singular historical period)…inasmuch as there is a goal/purpose, is to Oppose
this Tendency.
It is the same struggle that has been ongoing for all of Human History.
Look at the Broad Sweep of that History, and you find, after sufficient Boiling, two Opposing Trends…
the one, Expanding Understanding, Freedom of inquiry in it’s service, and the provision of the Benefits to more and more Humans.
The other, pulling us backwards.
There’s my “Left and Right”, respectively.
Simple.
The Right has little awareness of this…those who serve that Trend(R) seem to believe that they are, sometimes , serving the Other trend(L)…but, mostly, believe that their actions are simply Necessary.
They are not Evil, per se…at least not in their own Understanding. Their Reasons for their actions are Self-Evident, to them…derived from certain Assumptions that they seem to be unaware of, as such.
It is the same struggle that has been ongoing for all of Human History.
Look at the Broad Sweep of that History, and you find, after sufficient Boiling, two Opposing Trends…
the one, Expanding Understanding, Freedom of inquiry in it’s service, and the provision of the Benefits to more and more Humans.
The other, pulling us backwards.
There’s my “Left and Right”, respectively.
Simple.
The Right has little awareness of this…those who serve that Trend(R) seem to believe that they are, sometimes , serving the Other trend(L)…but, mostly, believe that their actions are simply Necessary.
They are not Evil, per se…at least not in their own Understanding. Their Reasons for their actions are Self-Evident, to them…derived from certain Assumptions that they seem to be unaware of, as such.
The Right automatically pursue a Static, Utopia…often
thought of as some past Golden Age..and an End Goal.
The Left, also, usually seem to have a Goal in mind, in their own pursuit.
But there is no Goal.
There’s no End State towards which Progress, in it’s most esoteric sense, is driving us.
It’s, at the risk of cliché, the Journey that counts…Progress, itself….and not “progress” in it’s usual , mundane sense. The Left, rather…and in it’s Roots…strives for that Expansion.
The Left, also, usually seem to have a Goal in mind, in their own pursuit.
But there is no Goal.
There’s no End State towards which Progress, in it’s most esoteric sense, is driving us.
It’s, at the risk of cliché, the Journey that counts…Progress, itself….and not “progress” in it’s usual , mundane sense. The Left, rather…and in it’s Roots…strives for that Expansion.
Expansion of Consciousness, of Understanding, and of Freedom, broadly
conceived.
We are, currently, at a relative Nadir in this Perpetual Struggle.
….and it appears quite Hopeless, sometimes.In fact, things will probably get a lot Worse, before We Remember…before We Realise Our Predicament, and Sally Forth, once again.
We are, currently, at a relative Nadir in this Perpetual Struggle.
….and it appears quite Hopeless, sometimes.In fact, things will probably get a lot Worse, before We Remember…before We Realise Our Predicament, and Sally Forth, once again.
This is what Politics is all about…this Struggle.
And, behind Politics, is Philosophy….also at a Nadir.
Our Task, if one can think of it in such Mundane terms…is to Guard the Spark of Enlightenment…keep it Safe, while the Rest flail about in Confusion…so that, when Humans are ready, it will still be there.
It is not inconceivable…in fact, it appears quite Likely…that We will descend further, into a full fledged Dark Age. The Civilisation that we have, however inadvertently, Designed relies, implicitly on certain Assumptions…certain Preconditions. Built into the Engine of Civilisation is , of course, Growth.
This will, necessarily, Cease in the near future. Finite Planet, and all.
I expect a long, slow Decline in Population, punctuated by various and sundry short sharp shocks…whether Natural(Tsunami,Pandemic) or Human Created(War,Pandemic(!),Totalitarianism)…the latter, justified by Sane Sounding Reason…subject to Unexamined Assumptions, and the concurrent Belief that We Know what we are doing..
Could be a thousand years, ere we climb out of the Mud, again.
And even that is no guarantee.
And, behind Politics, is Philosophy….also at a Nadir.
Our Task, if one can think of it in such Mundane terms…is to Guard the Spark of Enlightenment…keep it Safe, while the Rest flail about in Confusion…so that, when Humans are ready, it will still be there.
It is not inconceivable…in fact, it appears quite Likely…that We will descend further, into a full fledged Dark Age. The Civilisation that we have, however inadvertently, Designed relies, implicitly on certain Assumptions…certain Preconditions. Built into the Engine of Civilisation is , of course, Growth.
This will, necessarily, Cease in the near future. Finite Planet, and all.
I expect a long, slow Decline in Population, punctuated by various and sundry short sharp shocks…whether Natural(Tsunami,Pandemic) or Human Created(War,Pandemic(!),Totalitarianism)…the latter, justified by Sane Sounding Reason…subject to Unexamined Assumptions, and the concurrent Belief that We Know what we are doing..
Could be a thousand years, ere we climb out of the Mud, again.
And even that is no guarantee.
I’m coming around, in the current Election Season, to an
understanding that I can’t really Change the Direction .
The Course of Civilisation will go where it will, despite my action, or inaction.
All I can Hope for, is to help keep the Horn that holds the Spark(Quest for Fire!), relatively Safe…
and encourage Others to do the same.
The Tree is not the End to which we strive, but the Acorn.(Potentiality)
The Course of Civilisation will go where it will, despite my action, or inaction.
All I can Hope for, is to help keep the Horn that holds the Spark(Quest for Fire!), relatively Safe…
and encourage Others to do the same.
The Tree is not the End to which we strive, but the Acorn.(Potentiality)
However…..
It is not yet time to Retreat into the Monastery.
Magic is Intent, Manifested.
A system of Focusing Our Intention…forget for a moment the connotations of the word,”magic”.
I have said and implied , repeatedly, that , even given a Decline…How We Enter that decline Matters.
I’ll Vote, despite the likely Uselessness of that Act(Texas)…because such Acts of Deliberate Intention Resonate, out into the World…at least that part of it that is Human Consciousness.
Ripples on a Pond.
It is not yet time to Retreat into the Monastery.
Magic is Intent, Manifested.
A system of Focusing Our Intention…forget for a moment the connotations of the word,”magic”.
I have said and implied , repeatedly, that , even given a Decline…How We Enter that decline Matters.
I’ll Vote, despite the likely Uselessness of that Act(Texas)…because such Acts of Deliberate Intention Resonate, out into the World…at least that part of it that is Human Consciousness.
Ripples on a Pond.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Dearest Theocrats,
So the "Million Moms"....an appendage of the "American Family Association"....managed to get one of my Wife's shows Banned.
I couldn't care less about the show, itself ("Good Christian Bitches"(!?))....but I get pretty riled when Censorship happens.
I couldn't care less about the show, itself ("Good Christian Bitches"(!?))....but I get pretty riled when Censorship happens.
I left my alias, of course...I have no desire for an inbox full of the stuff they'd likely send...
I reckon I'm not too hard to find, though.
These things must not be countenanced.
You can holler at them, here:http://onemillionmoms.com/heads-up/thank-you/
I reckon I'm not too hard to find, though.
These things must not be countenanced.
You can holler at them, here:http://onemillionmoms.com/heads-up/thank-you/
I figger they could use a few pieces of mind.
///////////////////////
Dearest Theocrats,
I am truly sorry that you seem to have so little in your
life that you find fulfilling.
I would have thought that your purported love of Jesus would fill that hole.
Instead, your Hatred for America is on full display.
We in America enjoy the Protection of something called the First Amendment.
This re-affirms our Natural Right to, among other things, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom of Religion. Implied in the latter is also , necessarily, the Freedom FROM Religion.
Too, the Foundation on which all First Amendment Protections are built is Freedom of Thought.
In America, I am Free to be Xian, or not…Muslim, or not….Wiccan, or not…or Agnostic, if I Choose.
The point of the whole exercise is My Choice.
Not Yours.
You, of course, are similarly Free to believe whatever nonsense you like….up until the point that your assertion of such Freedom negates or otherwise interferes with Mine.
I have never heard of anyone attempting to remove the Numerous God Channels from the cable line-up. Nowhere is there evidence of an effort, by anyone, to remove such programs as the 700 Club, or the odious Gaithers, from the Media.
I really dislike such programs…but, rather than attempting to BAN them, I simply CHANGE THE CHANNEL!!!
It’s quite simple….
America does NOT belong to you…but to US. That includes you, me and everyone else.
All of us.
I am sick of your attempts to rewrite OUR History, to better fit your Delusions.
I grow weary of you and your Ilk’s neverending Meddling.
America is NOT a Theocracy.
It is neither a “Christian Nation”.
Never has been….and Never will be!
You will, of course, remain Free to believe whatever you like. I won’t stop you….no True American would even consider such action.
But I will Fight, as will many more Americans, all attempts to Subvert Our Natural, Constitutional Rights.
Please return to your Closet,(Matt.6:6)
I would have thought that your purported love of Jesus would fill that hole.
Instead, your Hatred for America is on full display.
We in America enjoy the Protection of something called the First Amendment.
This re-affirms our Natural Right to, among other things, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom of Religion. Implied in the latter is also , necessarily, the Freedom FROM Religion.
Too, the Foundation on which all First Amendment Protections are built is Freedom of Thought.
In America, I am Free to be Xian, or not…Muslim, or not….Wiccan, or not…or Agnostic, if I Choose.
The point of the whole exercise is My Choice.
Not Yours.
You, of course, are similarly Free to believe whatever nonsense you like….up until the point that your assertion of such Freedom negates or otherwise interferes with Mine.
I have never heard of anyone attempting to remove the Numerous God Channels from the cable line-up. Nowhere is there evidence of an effort, by anyone, to remove such programs as the 700 Club, or the odious Gaithers, from the Media.
I really dislike such programs…but, rather than attempting to BAN them, I simply CHANGE THE CHANNEL!!!
It’s quite simple….
America does NOT belong to you…but to US. That includes you, me and everyone else.
All of us.
I am sick of your attempts to rewrite OUR History, to better fit your Delusions.
I grow weary of you and your Ilk’s neverending Meddling.
America is NOT a Theocracy.
It is neither a “Christian Nation”.
Never has been….and Never will be!
You will, of course, remain Free to believe whatever you like. I won’t stop you….no True American would even consider such action.
But I will Fight, as will many more Americans, all attempts to Subvert Our Natural, Constitutional Rights.
Please return to your Closet,(Matt.6:6)
Amfortas
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Backstage, at the Puppet Show.
Sigh.
“So, with Obama you'll get clearly better management of the
hateful Empire with slightly better treatment of the down-and-outers, while
with Romney you'll get the comfort politics of white supremacy along with clumsy,
even disastrous management of the Empire, which will be dismissed from public
view by magical thinking and denial, and you'll get a slightly better chance
for the collapse of the Empire and the outbreak of the revolution. Less blood
and stronger Empire versus more blood and weaker Empire: take your pick.
No blood and no Empire is not an allowed choice. That is why
you can vote. “(4)
No matter who “wins”, Neoliberalism(8) wins.
Always.
Always.
Privatise the Profits; Socialise the Costs.
The Bewildered Herd blithely swallows the Blue Pill(Matrix),and play their Role in the Charade, because they “Know not what they do”…The Knowledge, and Critical Thinking Skills, necessary to change anything, are denied to them…
Also denied to them, is the Time for Reflection…should they , somehow, gain the requisite Knowledge and Ability to Think.
The Bewildered Herd blithely swallows the Blue Pill(Matrix),and play their Role in the Charade, because they “Know not what they do”…The Knowledge, and Critical Thinking Skills, necessary to change anything, are denied to them…
Also denied to them, is the Time for Reflection…should they , somehow, gain the requisite Knowledge and Ability to Think.
I am amazed, when I reflect that since the advent of the World
Wide Web, the People have become more divided, more Gullible and more prone to
Magical Thinking…with all of this Information, available at our fingertips, We
have become Less Informed.
“The elite succeeded in granting personhood to their
corporate dollars. Any call for a level playing field -- the American ideal
that anyone can make it if they just work hard enough -- has been rebranded as
Socialism.”(2)
Of course, the Prohibition on Marx, et alia, has been in
place for a lot longer than that….and this is hardly surprising.
We fight among ourselves, over which Corpse-Puppet will “Lead” Us…and never see the Stage where all of this takes place.
Of course, I prefer the Obama Puppet Show, to that of Mitt…but I’m under no illusions that things will Fundamentally Change for the better. I am angry that Our “Choices” have been whittled down so.
I’m frustrated that the vast majority of my Countrymen seem so incapable of understanding what I’m even talking about, here.
“In Roman times, it really didn't matter to the patricians who sponsored the
spectacles in the Circus Maximus which particular charioteer won a given race
and gained the favor of the masses, Massala or Ben-Hur, because after the
spectacle their class would still be in control of the economic engine and
military power of the imperial center. The public is allowed a multitude of
choices on trivial matters, and little if any choice on the issues of
fundamental importance.”(3)We fight among ourselves, over which Corpse-Puppet will “Lead” Us…and never see the Stage where all of this takes place.
Of course, I prefer the Obama Puppet Show, to that of Mitt…but I’m under no illusions that things will Fundamentally Change for the better. I am angry that Our “Choices” have been whittled down so.
I’m frustrated that the vast majority of my Countrymen seem so incapable of understanding what I’m even talking about, here.
No matter who “wins”…We Lose. It comes down to a “choice”, between Sooner, or Later…as well, I think, How We enter the Decline.
Given enough Time(which We do Not have), Reason and Compassion could, conceivably, Win…in the end…keep pressing on the Irrational and Hateful Right Wing Crazy Revolution, and it will eventually Fail.
Then, We could begin working on what passes for the Left…until, at some future point, We could have a Real choice.
“If health care and education were free, then anybody could achieve access to the success class of the permanently employed solely on the basis of merit, and that would vastly increase the competition for each such job. The net effect of such a meritocracy would be the diffusion of wealth out of the formerly inheritance-insured population, and a leveling out of family prosperity nationally. That might relieve much anxiety for those currently in the economic basement, but it would also end the exclusivity of inheritance insurance.”(3)
….But We do Not have Time.
Virtually All of the Political and Economic Changes and Challenges, of the last 40 years, are a response to the Reality…the one waiting all around us, that the Way We Do Things, is Over.
It is the Elite’s response…to hold on to Power and Privilege, for as long as possible…to shore it up, so that After…they can retain their “Rightful Place”, at the tippy-top of Human Civilisation.
““More complex societies are costlier to maintain than simpler ones and require higher support levels per capita,” Tainter writes. The investments required to maintain an overly complex system become too costly, and these investments yield declining returns. The elites, in a desperate effort to maintain their own levels of consumption and preserve the system that empowers them, through repression and austerity measures squeeze the masses harder and harder until the edifice collapses. This collapse leaves behind decentralized, autonomous pockets of human communities.”(7)
I still hold out a tiny Hope that there’s still time to at least begin a necessary Re-Ordering…but that Hope fades, every day.
Decentralisation, Democratisation, of Everything, is in order.
This is not possible, without an awareness of the Reality of our current situation…Hydraulic Despotism, in a World of Shrinking Resources, and Insane Population Growth. It is also Not Possible, with a continuance of the Secular Mythos of Neoliberalism…”World Without End…”
…which is merely a new word for “Fascism”…which was the new word for “Feudalism”…ad infinitum, back to Our first attempts at Civilisation.
“Heinberg says this is our fate. The quality of our lives will depend on the quality of our communities. If communal structures are strong we will be able to endure. If they are weak we will succumb to the bleakness. It is important that these structures be set in place before the onset of the crisis, he says. This means starting to “know your neighbors.” It means setting up food banks and farmers’ markets. It means establishing a local currency, carpooling, creating clothing exchanges, establishing cooperative housing, growing gardens, raising chickens and buying local. It is the matrix of neighbors, family and friends, Heinberg says, that will provide “our refuge and our opportunity to build anew.””(7)
I’ll enjoy the Political Circus Maximus, for now…I’ll Vote Obama, because he represents at least a Kinder , Gentler Empire…and a Slower, relatively more Compassionate Decline.
It is likely the best that we can hope for: a little more Time, to attempt to overcome the Divisions…
“The inevitable decline in resources to support societal complexity will generate a centrifugal force,” Heinberg said. “It will break up existing economic and governmental power structures. It will unleash a battle for diminishing resources. This battle will see conflicts erupt between nations and within nations. Localism will soon be our fate. It will also be our strategy for survival. Learning practical skills, becoming more self-sufficient, forming bonds of trust with our neighbors will determine the quality of our lives and the lives of our children.””(7)
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