Robert M. Pirsig differentiates between the roots and the branches of reason. Then:
"'People keep looking for branch extensions of reason that will cover art's more recent occurrences, but the answers aren't in the branches, they're at the roots.'
"A rush of wind comes furiously now, down from the mountaintop. 'The ancient Greeks,' I say, 'who were the inventors of classical reason, knew better than to use it exclusively to foretell the future.'"
-Robert M. Pirsig, Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance (London, 1989), 14, p. 174.
Regular blog readers will recognize what I am getting at here: wind punctuating, emphasizing and possibly even commenting on the dialogue. This is almost part of Anderson's grammar to such an extent that readers might not notice these background sound effects any more than they notice his literal grammar: whether he uses a comma or a semi-colon etc.
However, this does not exhaust Pirsig's references to the wind. He continues:
"'They listened to the wind and predicted the future from that. That sounds insane now. But why should the inventors of reason sound insane?'" (ibid.)
This wind is taking us somewhere unexpected. There is further discussion of wind and another major reference before the end of this chapter but they take us away from the comparison with Anderson.
17 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
The ancient Greeks (and Romans) were also notorious for being superstitious. Think of their addiction to consulting astrologers and reading sheep entrails. Which Stirling brought out very clearly in TO TURN THE TIDE. It took time for the Jewish and Christian disapproval of that kind of nonsense to take root.
And some people still take astrology seriously!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
And some people still find some validity in astrology but it is an inexact science or an art.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
No it is not. At most some bits of it, like studying the stars or movements of the Moon and planets were absorbed into real sciences like astronomy.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
No, it is not? I do not know for sure. The psychologist, Eysenck, found an above statistical correlation between several celebrities' horoscopes and their personalities. He could not account for it. My only conclusion is: more research needed. Not: ridicule the whole idea. Some truth in astrology would be surprising but so are relativity and a lot of other things that work.
An astrologer friend told me that I would have a big conflict in a particular aspect of life within a specified period. I spent some time wondering, "Is it this? Is it that?" Then the conflict hit me. Big time. No doubt. It exactly fitted the prediction. I have been told other things that were definitely true by occult means other than astrology.
Paul.
More research need. That is all. Not: astrology is valid etc.
Kaor, Paul!
I disagree, and I will have nothing to do with astrology. Moreover, your mention of the occult brings up another point: it is the teaching of the Church that a major reason why we should have nothing to do with things like divination is because the fallen angels can use those things to tempt and lure humans to their ruin. The other reason, of course, is that we should trust God in assisting us in the trials and struggles of life. Therefore, no need for superstitions like astrology.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
You disagree? You dismiss the evidence from Eysenck and from my experience instead of approaching it scientifically? How does reading cards lure us to our ruin?
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I dismiss it for the reasons given above.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
You dismiss attested evidence?
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I dismiss astrology, for the above stated reasons. I have never consulted mediums, palm readers, horoscope casting astrologers, Tarot card readers, or Ouija boards.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But do you deny that there is some evidence?
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
And I suspect the "origins" of that evidence because St. Paul warned Christians that Satan could appear as an angel of light, to deceive the unwary.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I think that that goes right against science. If I think that astrology, spiritualism, card reading, apparitions and alleged memories of previous lives warrant further research and someone says that they should be avoided because they might be Satanic.
Paul.
Sean,
It doesn't. Scientists can make statistical studies of accuracy or inaccuracy in astrology etc. Practitioners make different, including supernatural, claims about the source of their knowledge but that does not prevent scientists from studying either the practices or their outcomes.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I can agree with that much, with the caveat that I don't belief in the rightness of trying to make use of trafficking with the occult by such means.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I would still distrust whatever "information" scientists gained from studying the above listed traffickers in the occult "arts." Because I believe it's possible malign entities unfriendly to mankind would sometimes use them to deceive both their practitioners and scientists observing them.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I thought just now of how the Adversary, the Enemy of God and mankind, seduced the neo-gnostics who set up the Johannine Church in Anderson's OPERATION CHAOS. And there was the theosophist Church Universal and Triumphant in Stirling's Emberverse series, set up by malign entities. Both of them had human leaders using occult arts opening them to being ensnared.
Ad astra! Sean
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