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re-reading
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As the list has concerned itself with a re-reading of evolutionary theory,
I hope some may find this inclusion of some light.
It is a paragraph from Thomas Henry Huxley, the defender, popularizer, and
great friend of Darwin. I believe that his thoughts, so elegantly
expressed, need visiting in this time that seems absurdly still bent at
reducing consciousness to computerized meat. (ie. the work of the
Churchlands)
When a 'scientist' clouds his/her theory with the suffix "It is nothing
more than..." you know that that individual has lost the principle of
understanding - the need to stand before a fact with wonder and humility -
the allowance for greater understanding.
Human culture as expressed in memes is lived through human beings conscious
of their history. The weaving of our future is dependent on the valuable
reiteration of that history inflected with the inspiration and colour of
expanding relationships. The most important tools are the cognitive and
emotional tools of sympathy and creativity and this is dependent on the
development of a self. Paradoxically that self's full development finds
completion in surrender and sacrifice in the designs of its own making.
This is the radiance and attraction of involvements.
________
"I understand the main tenet of Materialism to be that there is nothing in
the universe but matter and force...Kraft und Stoff - force and matter- are
paraded as the Alpha and Omega of existence...Whosoever does not hold it is
condemned by the more zealous of the persuasion to the Inferno appointed
for fools or hypocrites. But all this I heartily disbelieve...There is a
third thing in the universe, to wit, consciousness, which I cannot see to
be matter or force, or any conceivable modification of either.
Looking at the matter from the most rigidly scientific point of view, the
assumption that, amidst the myriad's of worlds scattered through endless
space, there can be no intelligence, as much greater than man's as his is
greater than a black beetle's, no being endowed with powers of influencing
the course of nature as much greater than his, as his is greater than a
snail's, seems to me not merely baseless, but impertinent. Without
stepping beyond the analogy of that which is known, it is easy to people
the cosmos with entities, in ascending scale until we reach something
practically indistinguishable from omnipotence, omnipresence, and
omniscience.
I know nothing of Necessity, abominate the word Law (except as meaning that
we know nothing to the contrary), and am quite ready to admit that there
may be some place, "other side of nowhere," par example, where 2 + 2 = 5,
and all bodies naturally repel one another instead of gravitating
together."
___________________
BTW:
Simon Perry wrote:
Can we hold Darwin (for instance) responsible for the use or misuse his
theories were put to? Perhaps not, but we must acknowledge that he
himself was socially constituted. Had he been able to to ask himself:
"what does it mean to be proposing the 'survival of the fittest' in my
social moment?", he may have altered his theorisation. Had he been able
to distance hiself from the intellectual 'realities' of his time, he
have might have asked: "what in my theorisation is entirely consistent
with the values of my culture (or subculture)?"
___________________________________
Please note that Darwin actually was somewhat aware of the power of his
theories AND especially the line 'survival of the fittest' - he
particularly did not like how that was taken out of context and used as the
leitmotif for his whole work!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Oliver Hockenhull, #501-884 Bute St., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6E 1Y5,
Tel.604.687.8670 E-Mail:oliverh@intergate.bc.ca
"We are human and our lot is to learn and to be hurled into
inconceivable worlds." Novalis
digital eARTh - http://www.digearth.bcit.bc.ca/dedocs/
Documents - http://www.digearth.bcit.bc.ca/dedocs/diss/one.html
Bio - http://www.digearth.bcit.bc.ca/dedocs/OH/OK.htm
Aldous Huxley Film - http://www.digearth.bcit.bc.ca/dedocs/OH/gravity.htm
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