Immanuel Can

[duszek]

Welcome Mr Can,

I am very glad that you have arrived and I hope that you stay for while.

I feel that you have the potential to make this forum a better place.

I will watch out for your comments.

Kind regards.

[Immanuel Can]

Duszek:

With such a message, I could scarcely feel otherwise than welcome.

I have found that wisdom and graciousness invariably keep close company: and since it is so, I can anticipate much personal enrichment from your comments also.

I can see the forum is already better for your presence.

With Appreciation,

I.C.

[thedoc]

Hello, I.C. Welcome to the forum from another recent interlocutor. Are there any particular topics that occupy your attention, keeping in mind that any dialogue I engage in will need to be in plane English? My own particular fields of interest now are Grandchildren, Music, (Piano in particular but not exclusively), and model railroading. In Dec. '09 my wife and I moved into our new house, which the builder has described as 'Unique'. My attic is bigger than my daughters house. On Oct 17, 18, 19, I will be attending the largest Toy Train Meet in the world, and get to visit with friends that I see twice a year.

[bobevenson]

I don't bluff, except in Texas Hold 'Em and occasionally in Risk.

What is your take on the game of Ouzo (see http://church-of-ouzo.com/pdf/ouzo-prophecy.pdf)?

[Immanuel Can]

Dear Thedoc:

I would be happy to chat about anything. I've always admired the view of George Orwell, who said that we ought to be as straightforward in our language as we can, so we do not mislead others or ourselves about our true meaning. Simplicity is a virtue, and big words often hide lies and mistakes -- even from ourselves. So your suggestion that we keep things straightforward pleases me too.

I shall try to do just that.

My favourite areas are Ethics, Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Religion. But I like every kind of philosophy. My most recent interest (just starting) is the Philosophy of MInd.

What are your interests in getting on this philosophy board?

[Immanuel Can]

bobevenson:

It's numerology, though it is derived from a selective reading of a very narrow selection of a single Biblical book.

Having seen quite a few numerological schemes, I find them a bit...what's the word?.. "Apocryphal." I haven't a lot of confidence in them telling us much. They're often quite clever in their arcane reasoning, but they all seem to contradict one another. I also find that they rarely capture what seems to me to be the essence of the Biblical text.

I find reading the whole text, and considering everything in context, a more illuminating way of understanding the flow of thought in the text. Using numerology to derive "hidden" meanings seems to me to be on par with the "backward masking" controversies of the 1970s over LP records -- curious and odd, but not profound.

In short, someone would really need to "sell" me that there's something there; I'm skeptical, and at the moment I'm not seeing it.

[bobevenson]

bobevenson:

It's numerology, though it is derived from a selective reading of a very narrow selection of a single Biblical book.

Having seen quite a few numerological schemes, I find them a bit...what's the word?.. "Apocryphal." I haven't a lot of confidence in them telling us much. They're often quite clever in their arcane reasoning, but they all seem to contradict one another. I also find that they rarely capture what seems to me to be the essence of the Biblical text.

I find reading the whole text, and considering everything in context, a more illuminating way of understanding the flow of thought in the text. Using numerology to derive "hidden" meanings seems to me to be on par with the "backward masking" controversies of the 1970s over LP records -- curious and odd, but not profound.

In short, someone would really need to "sell" me that there's something there; I'm skeptical, and at the moment I'm not seeing it.

I was asking you about the game, not the prophecy.

[thedoc]

Dear Thedoc:

I would be happy to chat about anything. I've always admired the view of George Orwell, who said that we ought to be as straightforward in our language as we can, so we do not mislead others or ourselves about our true meaning. Simplicity is a virtue, and big words often hide lies and mistakes -- even from ourselves. So your suggestion that we keep things straightforward pleases me too.

I shall try to do just that.

My favourite areas are Ethics, Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Religion. But I like every kind of philosophy. My most recent interest (just starting) is the Philosophy of MInd.

What are your interests in getting on this philosophy board?

I got active on this board when my previous forum was shut down. I had been registered here before but not active.

I guess my main interest is the philosophy of religion, I've been out of touch with any other area for too many years to catch up now. So you know where I'm coming from I'm a Lutheran, I've read a lot of Zen and Joseph Campbell on mythology. Years ago I read a lot of Science Fiction, but stopped when the fantasy aspect came in strong. One of my favorite stories was "The Glass Flower" by George RR Martin, I read it in short story form, not the book. I believe many years of living have given me some perspective on life. I attended college and barely got a degree in Industrial Arts, I grew up in a rural farm area and my teaching job was effectively an inner city school.

[Immanuel Can]

Dear Thedoc:

I believe many years of living have given me some perspective on life. I attended college and barely got a degree in Industrial Arts, I grew up in a rural farm area and my teaching job was effectively an inner city school.

I respect that. There is indeed something to be said for years -- although, as the old Dutch saying goes, "We get too soon old, and too late shmart." Still, wisdom comes to those who think carefully, no matter where they are found, or how old they may be, or how many letters they do or don't have after their names. Anyone who has taught knows that teaching is itself a demanding learning process.

The wisest man I've ever known had an education only to (what I believe you would call) grade 9. Many a brilliant mind has spent his life working with his hands. After all, wisdom is very different from mere knowledge, isn't it?

Other books...as a young person, I was very taken with Thomas Hardy, the great Agnostic novelist. Then later I was also very taken with C.S. Lewis, the Christian writer, and George Orwell, whom I mentioned before. Suddenly, in mid-life, I changed completely, and have since read a lot of non-fiction and almost no fiction at all.

It's my pleasure to meet you. I would tell you more about myself, but I'm being deliberately uninformative about that at the moment. I'm trying to let people judge me on the truth or falsehood of what I happen to say; otherwise, I'd be happy to share more details with someone as pleasant and forthcoming as you.

[thedoc]

Dear Thedoc:
It's my pleasure to meet you. I would tell you more about myself, but I'm being deliberately uninformative about that at the moment. I'm trying to let people judge me on the truth or falsehood of what I happen to say; otherwise, I'd be happy to share more details with someone as pleasant and forthcoming as you.

I was considering starting a thread but I find there is one already going,

viewforum.php?f=11

and my interest fits nicely into the gist of the thread. My question is what is the first event, or idea that started man on the idea of God and religion? I've read enough about mythology to understand the idea that some natural events needed an explanation, out of which grew mythology and religion. But what was the "first cause"?

[marjoramblues]

IC:

I would tell you more about myself, but I'm being deliberately uninformative about that at the moment. I'm trying to let people judge me on the truth or falsehood of what I happen to say.

Hello, 'Jesus Can'.

[duszek]

Yes, that´s true.

Anyone can make a good impression at first.

Tom Cruise has made good impression on many, was engaged as a film actor and Nicole Kidman even married him.

There is always time to run away if terrifying new evidence shows up.

[marjoramblues]

duszek:

There is always time to run away if terrifying new evidence shows up.

or...'Break Away' when 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'...

[Immanuel Can]

I've got to admit I was very surprised it took people such long and circuitous efforts to discover what "Immanuel Can" means.

When I first picked the name, I decided it was a suitable way to mark myself from the very first moment both as a philosopher and as a Christian. I thought this would give me an interesting opportunity to engage fellow philosophers as specifically a Christian philosopher, even if they found it surprising (as some people do today) that such a creature was possible.

But some folks didn't quite get it. Of course, I was not surprised when the first guess was "Immanuel Kant," (see start of this strand) since that's a reasonable guess; but once I had denied I meant the great deontologist I was sure people would simply google "Immanuel," and bingo -- they'd get the pun. But no one did, it seems...at least not for a long while. Finally marjoramblues tracked it down and seemed terribly surprised -- as if the truth had suddenly outed, and I had been keeping some kind of deep, dark secret. Amazing! I managed to be obscure without even trying.

So let me set the record straight: "Immanuel" means literally "God With Us," and is derived from the First Testament, in Isaiah 7 (twice), Isaiah 8 (once). And then, of course, the name appears again in the Second Testament, in Matthew 1:23, in reference to Jesus Christ. He is the animating force of both my personal life and my philosophical perspective. Clear enough for everyone?

I also found it curious that a few people seemed disturbed by my refusal to boast in myself and my refusal to claim special wisdom. They seemed oddly put off by someone who would come in not bragging about his own cleverness and deferring to the wisdom of the Supreme Being. It also somehow really seemed to unsettle them that I prefer them to read what I say rather than judge by what I may or may not be in my own person, as if that too held some dark secret. For the life of me, I can't imagine what they're imagining. How odd.

So here's my invitation: anyone who wishes to talk, I'm up for it. Anyone who doesn't like my ideas, I'll still talk to you, and we can disagree agreeably, and eventually part as friends. Some questions I cannot answer...but....well, you know how it ends.

[thedoc]

I'm afraid that I just looked at the user I.D. and accepted it at face value without thinking too much about it, I was more interested in what you were posting than who you might be. I found it a bit refreshing to find someone who didn't brag about how great they were and that everyone should listen to what they say. I will admit that My impression was that it referred to Immanuel Kant, but I didn't give it much thought, just as few are concerned about what my user I.D. referres to.

BTW, just what dark secrets are you hiding? We all have skeletons in our closets.

My user I.D. is what a few of my friends started calling me many years ago, and a few still do.