Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id LAA25041 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sat, 16 Sep 2000 11:04:04 +0100 Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2000 10:23:11 +0100 From: Robin Faichney <robin@reborntechnology.co.uk> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: mysticism Message-ID: <20000916102311.A1191@reborntechnology.co.uk> References: <20000915161438.AAA22101@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii User-Agent: Mutt/1.0.1i In-Reply-To: <20000915161438.AAA22101@camailp.harvard.edu@[128.103.125.215]>; from wade_smith@harvard.edu on Fri, Sep 15, 2000 at 12:13:18PM -0400 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Fri, Sep 15, 2000 at 12:13:18PM -0400, Wade T.Smith wrote:
> On 09/15/00 10:07, Robin Faichney said this-
>
> >I'd guess that's rather an old edition of Webster's -- 1913, by any
> >chance? -- in which the then current Christian emphasis on transcendence
> >at the expense of immanence has muddied the waters.
>
> Sorry- that definition was from the American Heritage, 1996. (I
> personally stand by it, though. Your rejection of 'subjective' is
> revealing....)
I didn't reject "subjective". Mysticism is inherently subjective, i.e.
pertaining to the subject, as opposed to the object, of perception.
> Here is Webster's Collegiate, from the web-
>
> 1 : the experience of mystical union or direct communion with ultimate
> reality reported by mystics
>
> 2 : the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate
> reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or
> insight)
I'm fairly happy with both of these, except I'd drop "God" and "spiritual
truth".
> 3 a : vague speculation : a belief without sound basis - b : a theory
> postulating the possibility of direct and intuitive acquisition of
> ineffable knowledge or power.
This is the common usage, but it's actually misuse, based on ignorance,
and the fact that "mystical" sounds like "mystifying". I'd guess that
"mist", and probably, recently, "Myst" figure in there too.
I think the remainder of your cut'n'pasting is redundant.
-- Robin Faichney=============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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