From: v085r6qm@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Erin D Markle)
Newsgroups: alt.paranormal
Subject: Re: "Great Books," Indeed...
Date: 8 Sep 92 23:31:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Sep8.134915.9325@bsu-ucs.uucp>, 00acearl@bsu-ucs.uucp writes...
>In article X-NEWS: bsu-ucs alt.paranormal: 4018, (Erin D Markle) writes,
> 
> 
>\--Skeptic?
>\--         Skeptic of Skepticism?
>\--                                Tired of consensus reality?
> 
>\--These are some particularly cool books that tend to
>\--blow holes in the realities of even the most resistant
>\--materialists:
> 
>\--(especially this one) COSMIC TRIGGER (vols. 1 and 2)
>\--                      SEX AND DRUGS
>\--                              by: Robert Anton Wilson
>\--        --- you'll probably find yourself blowing through
>\--            vol. 1 of Cosmic Trigger in a sitting or two
> 
>\--                      THE ARCHAIC REVIVAL
>\--                      THE INVISBLE LANDSCAPE(S?)
>\--                              by: Terence McKenna
>\--        --- Though I haven't read Landscapes (written
>\--            with his brother, Dennis), by the way Archaic
>\--            Revival went, i'ts sure to prove more than
>\--            interesting.
> 
>\--                     MAGIC: AN OCCULT PRIMER
>\--                     THE SECRET DOCTRINE
>\--                               by: David Conway
>\--       --- A real, live, practicing magician.
> 
>\--Hope someone will give them a shot..... especially COSMIC
>\--TRIGGER
>                    
>I've read  "Magic:  An Occult Primer," most of Robert Anton Wilson's books and
>quite a few more than I care to list and I can definately say that, if one 
>thinks that these books punch holes in materialist points of view, then he or 
>she should get off their lazy ass and learn how to think scientifically.  And I
>don't mean to go out and get good grades in a science class or get hired by a
>scientific firm (actions which too many people confuse with being scientists!). 
>I mean to grab a book on deductive theory or something and learn how and why
>the scientific method works, what it accomplishes and what its limitations are. 
>I guarantee that notions like "concensus reality" will then be seen for the
>shallow complaints which they actually are.
> 
>Aaron Christopher,
>Ball State Univ.
Aaron Christ,
        I'm having trouble characterizing your somewhat
emoted response. You have read RAW--- you like the things you
have read? I'm not being an as@#ole really, I would like
to know if we are speaking at different levels of abstraction
when we use words like "materialist."
        I'm talking about the material scientist that can
tell me incredible amounts of information about the sub-atomic
particles in the atoms in the molecules in the cells of my
hand, but can't tell me anything about the mind-to-matter
impulse that allows me to close my hand into a fist.
        All schools of knowledge acquisition are somehow
limited. I have no problem with scientific theory and know 
that there is plenty more I should learn about it. Material
science is not all of Science, yet many stop there and are
content... that's fine-- it's when they wish to impose their
reality map upon others that I take exception.
       "Consensus reality" is no shallow problem ... great
happiness, conflict, pain, knowledge, comes from which
can be shakely described as "consensus."
       I will definately take you up on your challenge to
my lazy ass. I've absorbed the anger quietly... the anger
you SEEMED to have exhibited towards my ignorance. In the 
future (is time reference a consensus phenomena?... we're
in it), try to articulate your position more clearly...
especially while emoting.
      If I have mischaracterized your post, I am very sorry.
Sorry about the "Christ" thing too; I found it funny at the
time.
                        I'll try to make no more attempts
                        at the cheap advertising of books
                        that I've found useful. Thank You,
                                        Friend of Erin
Xref: sparky alt.paranormal:2290 alt.conspiracy:10634 alt.alien.visitors:6662 alt.mindcontrol:125