Re: Re(2): translation issues

From: Paul H.Dillon (illonph@pacbell.net)
Date: Wed Oct 18 2000 - 22:03:58 PDT


phillip,

actually the quote from G. Spencer Brown's book on logic is far from
anthropocentric: it doesn't say anything about the world being constructed
for "humans" to see it, rather that the universe is constructed to see
itself and that we, (no inference there that we're the only ones) as beings
who have access to a comprehension of the forms its appearance, simply carry
that out. And as to Christian, why just Christian, what about the Buddhist
dogma (affirmed by the Tathagata himself) that only male humans can attain
enlightenment. The privileging of human existence doesn't seem to be
strictly limited to western religions or philosophies.

As to the "intentionality", well that depends on how you understand that
intentionality--Brown doesn't seem to imply that anyone or anything made the
universe that way, rather, that is the way it is if one follows out the
descriptions of the physicist in the manner he has outlined.

I wouldn't take it so seriously though, as I said it was an aside.

But I do think that your reading is rather an exemplification of my comments
at the beginning of that message, rather than a fair appraisal of the ones
at the end.

just my thoughts.

Paul H. Dillon

----- Original Message -----
From: Phillip White <Phillip_White@ceo.cudenver.edu>
To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Cc: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 7:27 PM
Subject: Re(2): translation issues

> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu writes:
>
> Paul wrote to Victor including this quote:
> >
> >
> >
> > "Thus we cannot escape the fact that ther world we know is constructed
> >in
> >order (and thus in fact in such a way as to be able) to see itself.
> > "This indeed is amazing."
> >
> this gives the world we know a rather amazing intentionality - that the
> world is constructed so that we humans can see it -
>
> isn't this a re-run of the Ptolomaic / christian universe, where in the
> planets and sun revolved around the earth because man was the center of
> the universe?
>
> further, dialectics aside, isn't the way we see the world about our
> cultural historical activities, rather than the way the world _is_
> constructed?
>
> i think it is amazing that such an ancient anthropomorpic explanation is
> still around.
>
> just me -
>
> phillip
> >
>
> / \ / \ / \
> / \ / \
>
> Buddha speaking to Vasettha:
> One is not a brahmin by birth,
> Nor by birth a non-brahmin.
> By action is one a brahmin,
> by action is one a non-brahmin.
> So that is how the truly wise
> See action as it really is,
> Seers of dependent origination,
> Skilled in actions and its results.
> Action makes the world
> go round,
> Action makes this
> generation turn.
> Living beings are bound
> by action
> Like the chariot wheel
> by the pin.
>
>
> phillip white
> third grade teacher
> doctoral student
> scrambling a dissertation
> denver, colorado
> phillip_white@ceo.cudenver.edu
>



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Nov 01 2000 - 01:01:27 PST