Got no evidence of that either. “It’s pretty to think so.”–Hemingway
Well, light travels between the stars and planets, just as electricity travels between neurons.
A metaphor, not an isomorphism.
Wasnt a metaphor, light literally travels between the stars and planets.
The metaphor is equating how light travels with the operations of neurons.
Well, with neurons, only some of them fire at any time, but with planets, all of them are simultaneously firing, so isn’t it like omnipotent consciousness.
So you are saying that a solar system is an organism? How does a planet fire? And what would be the equivalent of glial cells in cosmic systems? And what does any of this have to do with the OPs assertion of cave to the grave?
Ierrellus, please forgive me.
I’m not saying that that’s not true but when I just read that, I thought of a prostitute. I think one could say that they do the same thing.,engage in “mortifications” of the flesh. I wonder if prostitutes ever feel mortified. They must. They’re human.
Teresa was married to God. The word “mortification” simply meant punishment of the flesh in the sense of beating a stubborn mule into submission. She believed that harming the body would enhance the soul. This idea is a direct descendent of Plato’s notion that soul is imprisoned in body. The idea has caused many problems among Christians. Body is the temple in which soul resides. One does not burn down a house in order to free its occupants.
AiR notes that body is a manifestation of God, yet contradicts himself with notions about the body being the cave in which one cannot see real things, but only shadows. I’m reminded of the book “Your God Is Too Small”, in which a minister thanks God for good sex with his wife. In any event, body hatred is not a prerequisite for spiritual understanding.
Can I broaden the line of thought slightly, introduce a tiny bit of science and give a modern analogy of the cave.
Scientists concerned with the nature of the universe will tell you that 95% of the universe is ‘missing’. They all seem to agree. They call the missing bit Dark Matter and Dark Energy.
May I suggest that 95% is sufficient to show that this missing bit is, in actuality, the universe and that we are what might, in modern speak, be called the virtual reality.
So we are, as the topic states, ‘In the cave till our Grave’.
Whether we return completely to the existence outside the cave or our life’s thoughts are merely added to the library of this realities ideas we must wait to find out.
But I may be wrong!
Just four per cent of the universe is actually visible. The other ninety six per cent is not but dark energy
has the property of repulsive gravity and dark matter can pass through solid matter rather like radiation
So both have a demonstrable effect on galaxies and this is how they are known to exist in the first place
Yes, but nobody has the slightest idea what they are!
So, aether is real.
I think it is positive you question the use of mortifications of the flest, even if I have metaphysical differences with you. You were attacked in the thread for raising this point, but the odd thing is, even if there is a dualism with body and spirit, why would one need to abuse body to get the benefits of spirit? Why would an essentially hateful process lead to something spiritually positive? We would not treat a child in this manner so why would a heavenly parent suggest that his or her children mistreat themselves. Especially when, as you point, most religions and spiritualities will at some other point in the conversation say the body is holy or use some other similar term.
Most organized religions advocate the mistreatment of the body and a (often covert) hatred of emotions and desires. Even if there is a transcendent portion of the human, a soul, that soul will also suffer if the body is tortured.
The Irrelius will be fine, just like everyone else when he is this great galactic brain. You could be out sitting under a tree looking forward to this state, but for some reason you are focusing on him. Believe in your own beliefs, that the great starlight minds are there for all of us.
What are you and Air so worried about?
In the cave until your grave? That sounds a tad bit depressing.
Is there at least interesting fun things to do in this cave?
In the cave we have split the atom and spliced the gene. We can ponder what religion would be like if a person’s body, mind and soul were seen as equal aspects of the human trinity. If we could not see past where we are, we would never progress in science or religion.
And, yes Joker–in the cave we can have fun. I don’t think our being in darkness to the grave is what Plato’s parable suggests.
Paul’s interpretation of Plato is that we “see through the dim glass darkly”, but when we die all will be revealed to us. I don’t want to wait until the grave to be able to see things that make sense.
You would think Plato would of picked a more pleasant metaphor. Talk about a kill joy…
Well, that being the same guy who wrote the Republic it comes to no surprise.
S57, yes, they have an effect on galaxies, all the more remarkable that we have no idea what they are.
UP1001, yes, remarkably like aether which was thrown out as a theory only 100+ years ago when modern physics thought they had all the answers but as we now know that’s only the answers for 4% (I’ll use S57’s figures as I am certain he knows more than I do, seriously not sarcastically) of the universe so there’s plenty of room to re-introduce it. Come to think of it that might explain how the interior of our planet has stayed so hot for so long and also why gravity is as it is; if aether is pouring into it.
HH, yes there are fun things to do in this cave, in fact everything that’s ever been done that we know about has been done in the cave. It’s just that when we leave it’s just that unimaginably brighter.
Think what that 4% really means. It may be that whilst you think you’re alone with your computer there are actually 24 more people in the room!! And 24 more computers and 24 more rooms. That’s one hell of a lot of missing something.
A couple of days after I wrote the first post I awoke with a dream. I was busy preparing something and when I looked round there were many people (24?) behind me smiling. I got the impression they approved of the theory.
But I might be wrong!