Monday 3 February 2020

Buddhism And The Blog

Appreciating Poul Anderson's fiction involves giving respectful consideration to major religious traditions like:

Christianity - Nicholas van Rijn,  Kossara Vymezal and Fr. Axor;

Buddhism - Adzel.

- and also imagining nonhuman religions but that is another matter.

Since it is blog policy to discuss any issues as they arise from works of fiction, readers are invited to express their opinions about religion etc. Whenever appropriate, regular correspondent, Sean M. Brooks, defends Catholic beliefs and conservative politics which enriches the blog because it is something that I cannot do.

I can say something about Zen meditation. It is contrary to meditation practice to become so psychologically attached to any activity that we would be devastated if the activity had to end. I try to convey that blogging is just one part of life but it can become a very big part. If Google were to terminate all free blogs tomorrow, I would just have to say, "It was good while it lasted."

10 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Is part of your doubt or disagreement with conservatism due to finding people like me too grimly bleak and distrustful of human beings? Because we are so skeptical of it being possible to "morally" transform human beings? That we are distrustful of entrusting too much power with the state?

IF this blog has to end soon, which I hope will not be the case, it was indeed good while it lasted!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
I don't want a powerful bureaucratic state! I think that production can be for human development, not profit, and can be organized democratically/collectively instead of either privately or bureaucratically. These are fundamental disagreements about how it is possible to organize society.
Paul.

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
There are 2 possibilities: I stop posting for whatever reason; the blog itself disappears from the Internet for whatever reason! That 2nd option would be a mini-catastrophe but would have to be accepted if it happened.
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Many points comes to mind. I see no contradiction in production being used for "human development" via the profit motive. "Resources" are useless unless someone finds a use for them. Such a man or persons took risks and chances, if only the risk of losing money, to find new goods and services from developing resources. That granted, they have a RIGHT to the profits to be gained from developing those resources.

HOW can an economy be organized "democratically" or "collectively" EXCEPT by precisely that kind of bureaucratic state we both agree is not desirable? If questions like how much bread is to be baked, or wheat sown, pairs of shoes made, and so on ad infinitum, is going to be decided by political means, then you will inevitably end up with exactly that kind of heavy handed, oppressive bureaucracy. Because that is the only alternative to a basically free enterprise system in which demand and supply, plus the marginal valuation of goods and services, provides the information and signals needed for free enterprise economics to work.

My view is that people who want a collectively organized economy has never solved this conundrum.

Ad astra! Sean

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I forgot to add that I hope neither of the two possibilities you suggested about this blog happens for a good long time!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
But you are reopening this argument whereas I wanted merely to refer to it! One problem is that the world is in one great mess right now so it is necessary to consider alternatives but the problems and the disagreements will persist for some considerable time.
Paul.

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
I am trying to increase my knowledge of computer systems now that I have been thrown onto my own resources.
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I do apologize for that "reopening."

And it's good to learn more about how to use computers! A professional consultant is another possibility, despite the need to pay fees in that case.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
Oh no, no apologies! We always go where the discussion takes us and I did try to give some response although avoiding a lengthy one!
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Many thanks!

Ad astra! Sean