NPPF Commentary Line 230, P. 164

[Ghetta Life]

>From: "Vincent A. Maeder" <vmaeder at cycn-phx.com>
>
> > From: Terrance [mailto:lycidas2 at earthlink.net]
> >
> > "Vincent A. Maeder" wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > Line 230 is the last line of the 8th stanza of canto two.  Mr. Shade 
>has  just completed an argument in the seventh stanza that if, before we 
>came to life, we tried to imagine life we would have dismissed such musings 
>as mere nonsense.
> >
> > Is that right? I don't think that is it at all. That is not what he 
>says, at all.
> >
> > he says that
> >
> > IF prior to life we had been able to imagine life,
> > what mad, impossible, unutterably weird,
> > wonderful nonsense it Might have appeared!
> >
> > He doesn't say we would have dismissed it at mere nonsense. And I don't 
>think that he implies that we Would have.
>
>Terrance:  Well, I agree you have properly recited what he says, but I 
>think he means we would dismiss such musings.  Unless we would entertain 
>"nonsense" as anything more than dismissive musings.  And vulgar laughter 
>further demonstrates the contempt there would be for such thoughts.
>
>Mr. Kinbote's commentary of science vs. spirituality tends to bolster this 
>argument as it is usually the ken of science to dismiss spiritual claims. 
>If there were scientists in the world of life before life, they would 
>probably work toward dismissal of claims of life after pre-life as well.  
>V.

Well at first I thought Terrance was just quibbling and being argumentative, 
but I think he's correct to dispute your characterization of Shade's 
meaning.  The message is most simply that such musings are beyond our human 
ability, and thus (as he says earlier) our efforts to imagine an afterlife 
fail by their very lack of implausibility.  A fantastic state beyond our 
ability to imagine COULD very well await us, so don't join the scoffers.

Ghetta (Dave's dead)

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