Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id NAA14707 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 13 Sep 2000 13:49:04 +0100 Subject: RE: solipsistic view on memetics Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2000 08:44:54 -0400 x-sender: wsmith1@camail2.harvard.edu x-mailer: Claris Emailer 2.0v3, Claritas est veritas From: "Wade T.Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu> To: "memetics list" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Message-ID: <20000913124612.AAA9586@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On 09/13/00 06:29, Vincent Campbell said this-
>The reasons 'mystic' has such poor connotations are very good ones- mystics
>gain their status and power from taking advantage of, and maintaining, human
>ignorance and humans' psychological and emotional weaknesses. They make a
>mockery of cause and effect, bleed money by the sackload from people all
>over the world, and in many regards can be very simply demonstrated to be
>either completely wrong or deliberately faking it. The clue is in the name-
>the purpose is to obscure not enlighten, and anyone interested in the
>pursuit of knowledge would do well to avoid that route.
Actually, the word 'mystic' has pleasant connotations to me, I grew up
near there, a charming seacoast and harbor village in Connecticut....
And I don't _try_ to confuse it with 'psychic', and I rather like the
poetry of Blake, and even the somatic mysticism of Lawrence. 'Mysticism'
is, I suspect, rudely transported to the newage (rhymes with sewage)
religions and groups, desperate to hinge their shallow gloss of a
philosophy onto something that, at one time at least, had _some_ meat on
its bones.
I'm especially gleeful when I see aura readers and tarot card hucksters
claiming to be 'metaphysicians'. In the same sort of way I chuckle when I
see someone claim to be a 'memetic engineer'....
What a world.
- Wade
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