NewSense

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Posts by NewSense

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  4

  Library of Babel

  by IronGland in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the universe (which others call the library) is composed of an indefinite and perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries, with vast air shafts between, surrounded by very low railings.

  from any of the hexagons one can see, interminably, the upper and lower floors.

  the distribution of the galleries is invariable.

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  NewSense

  Narkissos: Thanks for the link. I was confused because I had not seen the previous post. It's almost Thursday morning here where I live, and I'm really tired. But despite my fatigue, I think that I will re-read the story you mentioned - "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote." I only wish that I possessed 1/10,000th of Borges' insight and talent for writing.

  Irongland: Sorry. I had not had the chance to read your previous post; I guess that I did not "scroll back" far enough. Like I said, though, Borges is a fascinating writer. His major, recurring themes such as the labyrinth notion and the operation of chance in human life provide so many people with much to think about. He's the author that I really enjoy reading the most.
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  4

  Library of Babel

  by IronGland in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the universe (which others call the library) is composed of an indefinite and perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries, with vast air shafts between, surrounded by very low railings.

  from any of the hexagons one can see, interminably, the upper and lower floors.

  the distribution of the galleries is invariable.

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  NewSense

  IronGland: I'm sorry, but I don't see the point of your post. The only thing you have done is to simply post - word for word - one of Jose Luis Borges' most famous short stories - "The Library of Babel." But you make no comment about it - at least no comment as far as I can see. Of course, it's a wonderful, beautifully written story. So, I'd really like to know your ideas about it. I really love to read Borges; I have both his collected fictions and his collected non-fictions. I sometimes think that reading Borges can help a person maintain a grasp on his/her sanity - which is really no easy task when a person is in graduate school. I first began to read Borges in graduate school. "The Library of Babel is one of my favorite short stories by Borges. I also have read "The Lottery in Babylon." I really cannot see how any connection can be established between Borges' fiction and the ideology of Jehovah's Witnesses; it's not like they are easily associated with libraries. But perhaps you see a connection. Anyway, I would really like to know your ideas on this story by Borges. By the way, could you please say what edition you have? Who's the translator? I asked because my version is a little different from yours. For example, mine reads: "First: The Library has existed ab aeternitate." The Latin expression - ab aeternitate (from eternity) - is a little different than yours. Perhaps Borges used different terms in different editions? I don't know. The translation that I have is by Andrew Hurley. Cheers.
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  6

  Jacques Derrida is dead

  by Narkissos in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  french philosopher jacques derrida died yesterday in paris, at the age of 74. .

  he was a very original and profound thinker, widely known for his "deconstruction" theory which brought about some pretty fresh outlooks on philosophy, language and literature.

  i unfortunately discovered his works much too late, but he was very helpful to me in my post-religious ramblings in the past few years.

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  NewSense

  Derrida est mort!! Mon dieu! Il est mort de quoi, le savez-vous? Il est mort d'une crise cardiaque? Moi, j'ai lu quelques uns de ses bouquins.C'est vachement difficile de le lire, et pourtant, ca vaut bien la peine!

  It was Derrida who said: "Il n'y a pas de hors-texte." There is nothing outside of the text. So, assuming that he is in heaven, I'm wondering if he has found heaven to be inside or outside of the text. And, I would really like to know the circumstances of his passing away. I certainly hope that they find no traces of Plato's pharmakon in him. The thought of the great deconstructionist thinker, jacques Derrida, being poisoned would be absolutely too much too endure.

  My idea of heaven is most definitely an enormous library (provided it is not Borges' Library of Babel!); I really, really hope that Derrida is there now in that heavenly library. I hope that he is now ensconced in a comfortable chair, discussing things with Michel Foucault, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre. Que Dieu te benisse, Jacques Derrida, que le bon Dieu te benisse!!!
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  14

  Something From Nothing?? Why Not??

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a while ago i started a thread about ?should nothing exist??.

  the reason i started that thread was because i was thinking about what we call ?laws?

  that ?govern?

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  NewSense

  Frankie: If I believed in metempsychosis (reincarnation), I would say that you may well be the reincarnate spirit of the Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard dealt with the same basic question that you pose - why there should be something when it would have been much easier for nothing to exist. So, if you get a chance, try to read some of Kierkegaard's writings. And while you're reading Kierkegaard, you should also consult Kant and Hume, who together turned metaphysics and epistemology upside down. Although Kant and Hume both lived in earlier centuries, they were the anticipatory precursors of the so-called "postmodernist" worldview which informs us that, rather than knowing the stable essence of any given phenomenon, we merely begin to tell the story of the event of judging it. In the postmodern viewpoint, the event of knowing is preferrable to the fact of knowledge.

  By the way, don't let the morons and intellectual midgets on this board get you down. While they may call themselves "ex-Jehovah's Witnesses," they were really never able to escape the "dub" mindset and mentality. They mock and poke fun of ideas that they are incapable of fitting into their parochial and pathetically narrow worldview. They scoff at any ideas that they cannot get their tiny little minds around. In short, they are still window-washer and tolet cleaners who wallow in their own ignorance. Of course, not all ex-dubs are like this. Which is a good reason for not letting yourself be hurt or dismayed by the cruelty and petty mindset of some on this board. On this board, you will find that there are people who do enjoy grappling with new ideas and thoughts. Like you, they are capable of thinking "outside of the box." They are not intimidated by speculative thinking. In other words, they enjoy thinking for the sake of thinking. They have the self-confidence to at least respond respectfully when another person offers an alternative viewpoint. So, in the words of Winston Chuchill, just keep "buggering on." And don't let the s.o.b.'s get you down.
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  38

  Analyzing the American language.............

  by Sunnygal41 in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

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  when i got the idea for this thread, i struggled with which category i should put it under at first.........adult & heated debate was high on my list at first.

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  NewSense

  Like the old saw says, "America and England are two nations divided by a common language." I find it very interesting how are there are so many "pitfalls" and traps Brits and Yanks can fall into when atempting to communicate with each other. There are so many differences in pronunciation, spelling and grammar. But what the most interesting differences, for me occur on the level of vocabulary. Often the people of the two nations on both sides of "The Pond" use entirely different words to designate the same thing. An even greater pitfall, I think, is when Americans and British use the same word to designate different things. For example, in America we use the word "suspenders" to designate the thing that holds up the pants of firemen (and other guys). But in England, I hear, the word "suspenders" is used for a woman's garter belt. Imagine the potential for misunderstandin if a gentleman were to enter a department store and inquire about "suspenders." By the way, what Americans call "suspenders", the British call "braces." But in America, "braces" are for teeth or polio victims.
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  20

  Bonnie and Berta Go to France!

  by Farkel in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  yep.

  the saga of bonnie boyd and berta peale is now translated into french and about to invade the land of great food and crappy politics!.

  rutherford demasque : l?affaire berta et bonnie.

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  NewSense

  Merde alors!!!! Toutes ces conneries sont vraiment chiantes. Elles me font degueler!!! Putain!!!
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  42

  Favorite Long Song

  by Nosferatu in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  what is your favorite long song?

  here are some of mine:.

  kashmir - led zeppelin (over 8:00).

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  NewSense

  Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" on the "Pulse" C.D. Hendrix's "Red House" as performed by Satriani and the two other dudes forming "G-3."
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  26

  What is LDS ?

  by Tyre in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  sorry, that's a silly questions.. i would like to know what is lds/mormon.

  and what's their doctrines.

  any info ?.

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  NewSense

  No, cyberguy, I believe that you have the L.D.S. confused with L.S.D. = LySergic Di-oxynucleic acid. One of them knocks on your door wearing a white shirt and necktie, the other you put on a sugar cube and swallow while listening to your grooviest music. I leave it to you to figure out which is which.
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  26

  What is LDS ?

  by Tyre in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  sorry, that's a silly questions.. i would like to know what is lds/mormon.

  and what's their doctrines.

  any info ?.

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  NewSense

  The abbreviation "L.D.S." stands for "Latter Day Saints." The offical name of the Mormons is "The Church of Latter Day Saints." I believe that they prefer this name to that of "Mormons." In regard to doctrine, you will do well to go to a Mormon website [this is a site for (ex) - Jehovah's Witnesses]. On the Internet, you will find information that is both "pro" Mormon (that is to say, favorable toward Mormons) and "anti"-Mormon. I guess that you should consult both varieties in order to get both sides of the story.

  In regard to doctrine, I do not know much about them. Like the Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and Christian Scientists, the Mormons had their origins in 19th-century America. All of these groups were formed in the 1800's in the U.S. In addition to the Bible, the Mormons have their own scriptural book called the Book of Mormon. Mormons are usually quite traditional in their viewpoints and conservative in their politics. They have a number of doctrines which deviate very far from "standard" Christianity. Many people do not regard them as Christians, although they themselves say they are Christians. Again, if you are interested in their doctrines, just go to Google and type in "Mormons" or "Church of Latter Day Saints."
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  36

  Ethics, aesthetics, and morals

  by onacruse in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so, in the course of tonight's prolonged conversation with one of you jwd recalcitrants .

  if, in fact, this life, this life, is all there is, and nothing remains after...no resurrection, no reincarnation, no transformation, no metamorphosis; that is to say--these bags of salt, water (and a few hydrocarbons and genetic variations thrown in for good measure) are all that we are, and all that we ever will be, and then "poof":.

  why should we refrain from whatever brings the "greatest" personal pleasure to our measured and time-limited existence?

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  NewSense

  Onacruse:

  The question you raise is actually an ancient one; one of the oldest in Western philosophy. The ancient Greek atomists and materialists (i.e. Democritus), the Sophists (i.e. Gorgias and Protagoras) and the Epicureans all dealt with the various ideas and notions that you mention in your post. There is, most likely no absolutely definitive answer, the reason being simply that there are no absolutes.

  In a nutshell, what is (should be) the basis or foundation or our "morality"? Perhaps the answer lay in the etymology, the root meaning, of the words "morals" and "ethics." In point of fact, both are Greek words; "ethos" and "mores" both designate "customs." What is "moral" and what is "ethcial" has always been what is customary. Local customs and norms have always determined what is "ethical" and what is "moral." The ancient Greek sophists realized more than thousand years ago that what is accepted - even expected - in one place may well be absolutely forbidden and punishable in another place. As Protagoras said, "Man is the measure of all things."

  Religious leaders and clergy of all faiths have consistently been hostile to materialism and related philosophical systems. In your post, you have raised an ancient "quarrel" that has been in the Western philosophical traditon for more than two millenia. The quarrel pits dogmatic founationalists against the relativists sceptics. It pits materialsits against theists.

  I suppose that if you were to really insist upon an answer, I would say that you should conform to what is expected by the local community in which you live, your society. If you conform, things will go smoothly for you. If you break the norms, society will impose sanctions on you. What do you feel about this eventuality? Could you deal with the hassles? Would you be sadder, or happier, for facing society's wrath?