From: pmsc13sg@UMASSD.EDU (Stephen Grossman)
Subject: Re: MINDWALKING Buddhists, oh my!
Reply-To: pmsc13sg@UMASSD.EDU
Organization: UMASS DARTMOUTH, NO. DARTMOUTH, MA.
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 03:09:35 GMT

In article <1992Dec23.224853.11824@linus.mitre.org>, tucker@mitre.org (William 
Tucker) writes:

>Throughout this book the central underlying theme has been the unbroken 
>wholeness of the totality of existence as an undivided flowing movement 
>without borders. 

    The refusal to connect mind (ie, reason) to reality results in MTV, game 
shows, Madonna, drug addiction, hangovers, and Nehru jackets. Another result
is Buddhism or any mysticism. I do note, however, that sticking your finger in-
to an electric outlet might mystically connect one to all the electrons in the
Universe.
    Your concern with "flowing movement" (what is an unflowing movement?) 
splits the Universe into movement and permanence, thus breaking the wholeness
you seek. See Rand for the importance of "existence is identity." Parmenides
recognized that existence is full with his "plenum." You can choose any limit 
like and you will find something there. Existence is: all of the things it is,
as Peikoff recognized. Unbrokenness exists and you can study it. But broken-
ness also exists and you can study that. Everything exists equally, brokenness
and unbrokenness. These is no metaphysical privilege, with. eg, unbrokenness
being metaphysically superior to brokenness. Choose your concerns, study them,
and stay within their limits. Make judgements relative to that, and no other 
context. Your judgements will be contextually absolute. And your contexts will
be, not subjective, but based in reality. 
    If you want to empty your mind and focus on the veins of a leaf, you will
discover something. If you want to use a rational philosophy, you will discover
something else. What do you want? Life? Death? Limbo? Tango? (I'm sorry; I
couldn't resist) 
    Science exists only if philosophy permits it. And science exists in a
particular form depending on the philosophy which justifies it: Aristotle,
rationalism, empiricism, phenomenology, pragmatism, Objectivism, etc. Object-
ively, the consistency between new physics and mysticism merely means that
Kant, the leading modern philosopher, has succeeded in his stated task in de-
science (as it threatened religious ethics). Science, interpreted by Buddhism,
will yield an application of Buddhism. Science, viewed thru Aristotle or Rand,
will yield an application of Aristotle or Rand. There is no epistemological
privilege! Mysticism will yield certain results but the knowledge to provide
food, shelter, clothing, political rights, and self-esteem will not be among
them. See the history of India. Western physics may not permit transcendental 
masterbation but you can build machines to lighten our daily load and extend
our health and longevity. 

>implicate order is particularly suitable for the understanding of such

    I'm guessing but "implicate order" seems another term for Plato's Forms, 
a supernatural realm oft dissolved in the history of Western philosophy. Your
consciousness of existence is not existence. Eg, wisdom is a state of cons-
ciousness, not the goddess Athena living on Mt. Olympus. Your wishes are not
real but, instead, dwell inside your consciousness of existence.
    Western philosophy has dis-integrated into postmodernism and so many seek
wholeness in a teeny, tiny part of their consciousness of existence. They are
ready for drugs, disco, Democrats, and THE DEVIL. (Once again, I'm sorry)
    Try Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism before permanently surrendering
your mind to the harsh joys of mysticism and bathing in the Ganges. 
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	"In that world, you'll be able to rise in the morning with the spirit
you had known in your childhood: that spirit of eagerness, adventure and cer-
tainty which comes from dealing with a rational universe."
                                                              AYN RAND
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Stephen Grossman <PMSC13SG@UMASS.EDU>
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