tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post4523797371114085710..comments2024-02-18T18:59:06.164+00:00Comments on Econosophy and other musings: On Violence IITobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16258136994278139356noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-35298117871631515452011-10-07T09:02:22.228+00:002011-10-07T09:02:22.228+00:00Hi Timbo,
thanks for the details. Who knows, when...Hi Timbo,<br /><br />thanks for the details. Who knows, when I've got the rhythm of my day, post quitting-work, more conducive to enjoying myself with reading fiction of an evening, I may well check his stuff out. That'll have to wait a few weeks yet, but it's close enough to taste.Tobyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258136994278139356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-30103682847176041312011-10-06T13:13:21.446+00:002011-10-06T13:13:21.446+00:00Hi Toby,
As far a I remember it was a band called...Hi Toby,<br /><br />As far a I remember it was a band called Hawkwind that he wrote for and probably others.<br /><br />"The Conjunction of the Million Spheres" is a culminating event for threads running through 30+ books of his in the Science Fantasy genre and were mostly written in the late 60s / early 70s.<br /><br />They concern the trials and tribulations of the Eternal Champion who appears in different times guises, and places throughout the various series. I had nearly all of them on a shelf in about 1975 - but when I grew up a bit more I threw them all out, probably a mistake because finding the originals is now quite hard!<br /><br />They are not to be taken too seriously (I believe) but there is an underlying philosophy of course. <br /><br />Provided you don't read the final ones first - it does not really matter what order you read each set (usually of 3) in! For laugh and taster read "The Dancers at the end of Time" trilogy - I always found them the most amusing and probably the only ones I read twice (if that's any recommendation).<br /><br />enjoy - if you can locate copies :)Timbo614https://www.blogger.com/profile/14671168026195402267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-6806634029318228212011-10-06T08:01:08.754+00:002011-10-06T08:01:08.754+00:00Tim, I haven't heard the name of Moorcock in y...Tim, I haven't heard the name of Moorcock in years! I never read any of his stuff (didn't he write lyrics for Iron Maiden or something?), always wanted to though. I'm intrigued by the title you quote. Shall look into it.<br /><br />Debbie, the more I read the clearer it is to me that everything I can possibly observe or contemplate has been written down centuries ago, probably multiple times, most likely first in China, or India or Arabia. Europe, including William S, was very late to all sorts of ideas. As to looking beyond science and the social sciences, I suspect they both demand that of themselves and are that anyway, in the end--implications and all that. At their best they are both Art, which is the best Universe has to offer, wouldn't you say?Tobyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258136994278139356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-23534062472516095562011-10-06T07:38:52.222+00:002011-10-06T07:38:52.222+00:00Funny that you are talking about the "fission...Funny that you are talking about the "fission" of groups (another way of talking about separation, dixit Eisenstein ?) and that we pursue.. the FISSION of matter.<br />I like reading "The Dark Materials Triology" for reasons that probably go over the head of Pullman himself.<br />How Lyra reads the alethiometer (spelling ?).<br />Getting around those X Ray eyes that bothered Oedipus so much that he had to put them out at the end of "Oedipus Tyrannus".<br />Gotta close our eyes a little bit...<br />Shakespeare has beautiful poetry about sleep in "Macbeth".<br />"Macbeth has murdered sleep..."<br />WE have murdered sleep.<br />Time to close our eyes a little bit.<br />Maybe even... DREAM ?<br />(What luxury.) <br />If you create the time to open "Hamlet", you will see how well Shakespeare addresses your concerns in this post... in the 1600's.<br />Pretty eery, eh ?<br />At least we might manage to let our eyes fall OUTSIDE OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND THE TEXTBOOKS ??Debrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01510189619803992336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-71575553247744321072011-10-05T18:45:25.894+00:002011-10-05T18:45:25.894+00:00"The Conjunction of the Million Spheres"..."The Conjunction of the Million Spheres", a certain Mr. Moorcock once called this approaching moment...Timbo614https://www.blogger.com/profile/14671168026195402267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-30907620386056963122011-10-05T04:14:31.146+00:002011-10-05T04:14:31.146+00:00Thanks, Stephen.
"I am happy to say that I b...Thanks, Stephen.<br /><br />"I am happy to say that I believe that the future is out of our control."<br /><br />I feel the same way. And I can tell you it's a load off! It has been a winding path getting my mind to this point but once you realize control is an illusion, and you're prepared to imbibe and be changed by the implications of that, lots of other things fall into place. And some of the pleasure of life comes back too. And yet the fight goes on. Ah, sweet paradox!Tobyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258136994278139356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-25195123641306127862011-10-04T21:27:58.616+00:002011-10-04T21:27:58.616+00:00very nice post.
I think we can say with some conf...very nice post.<br /><br />I think we can say with some confidence that we are at the end of the Current Era.<br /><br />What this means in practical terms is that the future is <i>inconceivable</i>, and attempts to guide its course are futile. I sum this up in a quite shallow way with the expression "Capitalism [or industrialism] is killing us, Socialism can't save us, and no one knows what happens next."<br /><br />Humans once at least officially believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe and that humanity was the only child of God. We no longer officially believe these things, but our hubris and grandiose egos still tell us that we are somehow at the controls of our future.<br /><br />I am happy to say that I believe that the future is out of our control. If that is the case, then what we must do is understand that we don't know specifically <i>what</i> to do, only that we do what we <i>must</i>*. In that situation the only guide, the only criteria available for making decisions is <i>compassion</i>, the act of <i>feeling together</i>.<br /><br />Thomas Merton once said "Humility is a virtue, not a neurosis." What he meant, I believe, is that humility, like compassion, is an attribute, not something that can be deliberately acquired, like a college degree. This ability to 'feel together' [a more direct deconstruction of compassion would be to 'suffer together'] is the attribute that will save humanity - or not.<br /><br />All other details, constructions or forms of a future world are mere arrangements of the furniture, if you will. There is no point to try to figure out how the tables and chairs should be arranged for a gala whose guests are completely unknown.<br /><br />*John Cage's 1959 discourse "Indeterminancy" is the germ of this. <i>"What is the purpose of purposelessness?"</i>Malagodihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04265971350173178845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-86401487273265818472011-10-03T16:01:54.266+00:002011-10-03T16:01:54.266+00:00Made me laugh!
It's funny coz it's true....Made me laugh! <br /><br />It's funny coz it's true.Tobyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16258136994278139356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7378568575885387942.post-81666466573223799102011-10-03T14:14:18.100+00:002011-10-03T14:14:18.100+00:00Toby,
Thoughtful post. I realize this is ridiculo...Toby,<br /><br />Thoughtful post. I realize this is ridiculous, but who couldn't use a good laugh...<br />http://thekingdidnothang.com/day/2011/09/30Cool Breezehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13649982248264375782noreply@blogger.com