NPPF Commentary Line 230, P. 164

[Vincent A. Maeder]

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ghetta Life [mailto:ghetta_outta at hotmail.com]
> >
> > >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)
> 
Well, I respectfully disagree.  Although such a world might exist beyond our
life, you have phrased the argument to be ipso facto regarding our current
perspective.  Mr. Shade's canto discusses what nonsense it would seem to
imagine a life beyond pre-life (an absurd thought itself).  What else would
we do with nonsense but dismiss it.  For example, it is nonsense to expect
rain in Phoenix Arizona... oh wait, it's raining...
V.