Christianity

[Alexis Jacobi]

Greek mythology seems much more colourful than the Bible, and hardly any less plausible.

But then you are a deliberately ignorant man. As such all that you say — and you admit this often — will be tinged with both ignorance and lack of interest or concern. This is why I describe you as an Emblematic Modern Man. And the emissary of the destruction of your own culture.

A generation back (or possibly two in your case) the men in your lineage could distinguish the value-difference between the core gist of Hebrew and Christian story content and what is intimated through it, in contrast to (for example) Aesop. A world was built on the former and no such world on the latter.

But the ignorant man, the product of ignorance and nonchalance, the Termite Man, doesn’t really give a fig one way or the other.

Hello Harbal.

[Harbal]

Will you consider me skeptical and impetuous if I declare that you will not be able to describe a new metaphysical posture?

I wouldn't consider that impetuous, unless you are making the declaration whilst leaping from an aeroplane without a parachute, or something.

[Belinda]

I was just looking up the story of Prometheus and Pandora which is basically about man going it alone without Authority.

I don't know the story, but I suppose I could have quickly googled it and then claimed I was already familiar with it, which would, I suspect, be the normal course of action for a good many members of this forum. I seem to think Pandora has a similar role to Eve, but I don't know how I came to think that. Greek mythology seems much more colourful than the Bible, and hardly any less plausible.

A more interesting alternative for you would be to google the story and then comment on my interpretation. Nobody is interested in whether or not you knew the story.

Regarding Greek mythology v The Bible, plausibility is a minor consideration for unbelievers and believers. Some implausible stories are of great moral and psychological moment.

[Harbal]

Greek mythology seems much more colourful than the Bible, and hardly any less plausible.

But then you are a deliberately ignorant man. As such all that you say — and you admit this often — will be tinged with both ignorance and lack of interest or concern. This is why I describe you as an Emblematic Modern Man. And the emissary of the destruction of your own culture.

But why do you go to the trouble of describing me at all? Who do you imagine gives a hoot about how you describe me?

A generation back (or possibly two in your case) the men in your lineage could distinguish the value-difference between the core gist of Hebrew and Christian story content and what is intimated through it, in contrast to (for example) Aesop. A world was built on the former and no such world on the latter.

What can I say? I prefer Aesop.

But the ignorant man, the product of ignorance and nonchalance, the Termite Man, doesn’t really give a fig one way or the other.

Does Termite Man have any super powers, and a cool costume?

[Alexis Jacobi]

But why do you go to the trouble of describing me at all? Who do you imagine gives a hoot about how you describe me?

Constantly I explain precisely why it is important to understand, and remediate, what has been done to us.

Ideas have consequences. And we are their outcome.

[Belinda]

Alexis Jacobi wrote:

A generation back (or possibly two in your case) the men in your lineage could distinguish the value-difference between the core gist of Hebrew and Christian story content and what is intimated through it, in contrast to (for example) Aesop. A world was built on the former and no such world on the latter.

There are better ways to evaluate a text than by how many people have been influenced by it. A facetious tone may conceal an idea.

[Harbal]

But why do you go to the trouble of describing me at all? Who do you imagine gives a hoot about how you describe me?

Constantly I explain precisely why it is important to understand, and remediate, what has been done to us.

Has it ever occurred to you that what is important to you, might not be important to others?

[Alexis Jacobi]

But why do you go to the trouble of describing me at all? Who do you imagine gives a hoot about how you describe me?

Constantly I explain precisely why it is important to understand, and remediate, what has been done to us.

Has it ever occurred to you that what is important to you, might not be important to others?

It has not only “occurred” to me but I have devoted at least a good degree of effort to the task of understanding how value-orders have shifted, and why.

Dubious will soon outline the New Metaphysics for those of us speeding along on modernity’s autobahn.

Oh and look! Here comes along Harbal in the most utilitarian A-to-B I’ve ever seen!

Though asleep at the wheel — it is after all a fully automated conveyance — he has no reason (nor will) to steer. His destiny is in someone else’s hands.

To what fabulous ends goes this fabulous highway? Why bother to even ask?

[Harbal]

Constantly I explain precisely why it is important to understand, and remediate, what has been done to us.

Has it ever occurred to you that what is important to you, might not be important to others?

It has not only “occurred” to me but I have devoted at least a good degree of effort to the task of understanding how value-orders have shifted, and why.

Dubious will soon outline the New Metaphysics for those of us speeding along on modernity’s autobahn.

Oh and look! Here comes along Harbal in the most utilitarian A-to-B I’ve ever seen!

Though asleep at the wheel — it is after all a fully automated conveyance — he has no reason (nor will) to steer. His destiny is in someone else’s hands.

To what fabulous ends goes this fabulous highway? Why bother to even ask?

Well I'm certainly not going to go where you want me to go, that's the main thing.

[Alexis Jacobi]

Well I'm certainly not going to go where you want me to go, that's the main thing.

Now the ignorant man shows himself a willful fool.

The termite-idiot mistakes the sort of recommendations I make as deriving from my person and as contrived personally, as if this has to do with my personal will or intentionality.

This attitude is quintessentially that of the rebellious mass-man. A man who is actually a child.

And it is also “an outcome“.

You are perfect for all this Harbal! You have no idea!

[Harbal]

Well I'm certainly not going to go where you want me to go, that's the main thing.

Now the ignorant man shows himself a willful fool.

The termite-idiot mistakes the sort of recommendations I make as deriving from my person and as contrived personally, as if this has to do with my personal will or intentionality.

This attitude is quintessentially that of the rebellious mass-man. A man who is actually a child.

And it is also “an outcome“.

You are perfect for all this Harbal! You have no idea!

You certainly seem to have a bee in your bonnet where I am concerned, Alexis.

[Alexis Jacobi]

You certainly seem to have a bee in your bonnet where I am concerned, Alexis.

It has nothing particularly to do with you-singular, and everything to do with larger social and cultural concerns. True, you could argue that even on the meta-scale that "nothing matters" and that would, I gather, fit in with your attitude. But it should be seen that the attitude you have, when amplified a million-fold, really does have serious consequences.

Did you by chance ever read On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan?

“This is how the entire course of life can be changed – by doing nothing. On Chesil beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have cared to know, that as she ran away from him, certain in her distress that she was about to lose him, she had never loved him more, or more hopelessly, and that the sound of his voice would have been a deliverance, and she would have turned back. Instead, he stood in cold and righteous silence in the summer’s dusk, watching her hurry along the shore, the sound of her difficult progress lost to the breaking of small waves, until she was blurred, receding against the immense straight road of shingle gleaming in the pallid light.”

I know, you brainless dolt, that you will not grasp the reference or the allusion, but one point (that I took away in any case) from that novel was the sense of what can be lost through ignorance. Failure to comprehend what is valuable and what should not be treated flippantly simply because one's mind has become too dull to appreciate and understand what generations of men struggled to build.

[Harbal]

A more interesting alternative for you would be to google the story and then comment on my interpretation. Nobody is interested in whether or not you knew the story.

Regarding Greek mythology v The Bible, plausibility is a minor consideration for unbelievers and believers. Some implausible stories are of great moral and psychological moment.

I looked at a version of the story. I obviously see the similarity between Pandora and Eve; blaming the woman for the woes of mankind seems to be a universal strategy in religion and mythology, but I really don't know what lesson, or moral, I am supposed to take from the story. Aesop is more my level; I usually get the point with him.

[Harbal]

You certainly seem to have a bee in your bonnet where I am concerned, Alexis.

It has nothing particularly to do with you-singular, and everything to do with larger social and cultural concerns. True, you could argue that even on the meta-scale that "nothing matters" and that would, I gather, fit in with your attitude. But it should be seen that the attitude you have, when amplified a million-fold, really does have serious consequences.

Did you by chance ever read On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan?

“This is how the entire course of life can be changed – by doing nothing. On Chesil beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have cared to know, that as she ran away from him, certain in her distress that she was about to lose him, she had never loved him more, or more hopelessly, and that the sound of his voice would have been a deliverance, and she would have turned back. Instead, he stood in cold and righteous silence in the summer’s dusk, watching her hurry along the shore, the sound of her difficult progress lost to the breaking of small waves, until she was blurred, receding against the immense straight road of shingle gleaming in the pallid light.”

I know, you brainless dolt, that you will not grasp the reference or the allusion, but one point (that I took away in any case) from that novel was the sense of what can be lost through ignorance. Failure to comprehend what is valuable and what should not be treated flippantly simply because one's mind has become too dull to appreciate and understand what generations of men struggled to build.

I didn't ask to be a brainless dolt, Alexis, just as I'm sure you never asked to be a self important, pretentious twat. We must play the cards we are dealt.

[Alexis Jacobi]

I didn't ask to be a brainless dolt, Alexis, just as I'm sure you never asked to be a self important, pretentious twat. We must play the cards we are dealt.

I did ask -- no I worked hard to be! -- a self-important twat of the first order. I studied, I practiced, I set it as my life's object and I attained it!