Late
morning. You had a nap after breakfast and the paper. Bones in the cold shivers
wear you out. You climbed out of a very warm bath a few minutes ago, dressed in
clean clothes and you feel better for now. Carol is sitting on the floor with a
blanket over her and Jadah the cat; while she is reading The Jefferson Key by
Steve Berry, both are warming up.
In the tub I was thinking about the Dead and how from
their perspective in the books, metaphysics is still physics under a different
form of light. It lacks gravity for one thing but for the depth of one's heart
and mind I suppose. (1104)
If
the Living (who are, at times, seeing reality through heart and mind) filter
the light of day through the 'translucence' of the soul, then the science takes
on a different perspective, like that of looking through a microscope or
telescope gives one a different perspective, sometimes, in real life, a
mind-altering perspective of how things really are, or rather how things now
seem more apparent to be, than before observing through chosen instruments of
science. (1111) This I feel represents a
statement on the state of Merlyn's mind before he thinkanspeaks to his audience
in "The Dead 13".
That's
more plausible than my thoughts, orndorff. Your humanity provides a filter (as
would anyone else's) for me to make the greater story known. - Amorella
What is the greater story, Amorella?
To show what the Dead know, young man, to
show what the Dead have to do with the Living besides the transplantion of
souls from one generation to another. - Amorella
In
the books.
Of course in the books, boy. How else? What
good would any of those do if it were not in a human-framed story form? -
Amorella
Well, so far into volume one of Great Merlyn's Ghost it
is much less wordy than Braided Dreams and it says more. I'll give it
that.
You can't make something out of nothing,
boy. It doesn't play in physics or metaphysics as we use it in here. - Amorella
In here there is a First Cause.
In here, in the books, there is a first cause.
- Amorella
It seems blasphemous not to capitalize it.
This is to your eyes, not my own
(figuratively speaking). - Amorella
Interesting.
I suppose it is.
You have no grammar?
Being in existence does not demand a grammar.
- Amorella
That's true. A plant, for example, does not speak. (1129)
Mid-afternoon.
You are at Pine Hill Lakes northern most lot. Carol is on page 93 of The
Jefferson Key. You had a late lunch at the 'Rocking Chair' place then stopped
at Pets-Mart to see about rooming for Jadah and Ellie if Kim and Paul have not
sold their house by the time of your four couple gathering in Texas in April.
You will now fly from Columbus to Austin roundtrip with Craig and Alta taking
you from and to the airport from the cabin/house you eight are renting.
First
let's gather the ideas Merlyn is going to talk about. Go through the Moral
Philosophy of Adler from Wikipedia.
Aristotle's
Ethics are the background; fits well with Elysium.
**
**
Mortimer
J. Adler's Moral Philosophy in Synopsis:
First,
descriptive truth consists in the agreement or conformity of the mind with
reality.
When
we think that that which is, is, and that which is not, is not, we think truly.
To be true, what we think must conform to the way things are.
Second,
in order to avoid the naturalistic fallacy, we must formulate at least one
self-evident prescriptive truth, so that, with it as a premise, we can reason
to the truth of other prescriptives.
Third,
the distinction between real and apparent goods must be understood, as well as
the fact that only real goods are the objects of right desire. In the realm of
appetite or desire, some desires are natural and some are acquired. Those that
are natural are the same for all human beings as individual members of the
human species.
Fourth,
in all practical matters or matters of conduct, the end precedes the means in
our thinking about them, while in action we move from means to ends.
Only
a normative end can be final and ultimate. Happiness functions as the end that
ought to control all the right choices we make in the course of living. Though
we never have happiness ethically understood at any moment of our lives, we are
always on the way to happiness if we freely make the choices that we ought to
make in order to achieve our ultimate normative end of having lived well.
The fifth
condition is that there is not a plurality of moral virtues (which are named in
so many ethical treatises), but only one integral moral virtue.
There
may be a plurality of aspects to moral virtue, but moral virtue is like a cube
with many faces.
In other words,
considering the four so-called cardinal virtues – temperance, courage, justice,
and prudence – the unity of virtue declares that no one can have any one of
these four without also having the other three.
Since justice names an
aspect of virtue that is other regarding, while temperance and courage name
aspects of virtue that are self-regarding, and both the self- and other
regarding aspects of virtue involve prudence in the making of moral choices, no
one can be selfish in his right desires without also being altruistic, and
conversely.
This
explains why a morally virtuous person ought to be just even though his or her
being just may appear only to serve the good of others. According to the unity
of virtue, the individual cannot have the self-regarding aspects of virtue –
temperance and courage – without also having the other regarding aspect of
virtue, which is justice.
The sixth and final
condition in Adler’s teleological ethics is acknowledging the primacy of the
good and deriving the right there from.
Those who assert the
primacy of the right make the mistake of thinking that they can know what is
right, what is morally obligatory in our treatment of others, without first
knowing what is really good for ourselves in the course of trying to live a
morally good life.
Only when we know what
is really good for ourselves can we know what are our duties or moral
obligations toward others. The primacy of the good with respect to the right
corrects the mistake of thinking that we are acting morally if we do nothing
that injures others.
Our
first moral obligation is to ourselves – to seek all the things that are really
good for us, the things all of us need, and only those apparent goods that are
innocuous rather than noxious.
Above
is an [edited] selection from Wikipedia -
**
**
What we need to do is whittle this down to
Merlyn's way of thinking. He knows Aristotle and because he is conscious during
the present he knows Mortimer J. Adler and Wikipedia.
We need to simplify these
six points first. - Amorella
I am going to need some help on this, Amorella.
I would imagine so, if I could. - Amorella
1553
hours. Carol is at the end of a chapter, page 117 in Berry's book.
Post, orndorff. - Amorella
2134 hours. I have reduced Adler's words to five paragraphs totaling
263 words as a part of the first draft of Dead 13. I am uneasy with the words
because they were placed by my fingers not by my reason. I feel Aristotle and
Adler would disapprove. Plus, I have a lot of bloody arrogance strewn between
the lines and margins.
I approve nevertheless orndorff. Deal with
it. Drop in and post. All for tonight. - Amorella
***
The Dead 13, 1st drafting w/out intro
We Dead have particular rules we attempt to follow for a
general social order to occur. For instance if one is walking it is helpful to
walk on a path that delivers you from point A to point B. We are more ridged
than you the Living might think. We must conform to the way things are. First,
we have to realize who we are, who we really are. These are self-evident truths
the Living may deny for a lifetime. Like Alice, you have to pass through the
Looking Glass to enter our domain.
We Dead survive for what Ends? We like the Living do not
know. We attempt to be social while we wait though we have choice. We have the
right to mature while we wait.
We Dead have a set of ethics focusing basically on the four
cardinal virtues: temperance, courage, justice and prudence. These four are
woven within the circulation of heartansoulanmind as blood was circulated
throughout the body in life. The more giving the spirit is in these four
virtues the freer one is, that is, the more transparent the spirit is, the more
the spirit is as the soul from which it came, unseen. but known and understood
within one's humanity.
We Dead, wait, enjoying the learning, enjoying the company
of others who always remind us of who we are as we grow or do not grow. To
live, as it were, trafficking The Golden Rule within our own stuffing.
We Dead rose from clay. We are Dead and still Alive and our
Judgments stay our own.
263 words
***
No comments:
Post a Comment