> Hi Jon,
>
JON:
> > The topic for discussion for MAY 2000 is:
> > > ..."the Giant." Cities as living entities, larger than
> > ourselves. Not against or for us. Does the Giant have a Devouring
> nature? How
> > do we relate metaphorically to the "City" as the "red blood cell" does
> to the
> > body or carbon based life forms does to the inorganic level? Do you
> feel the
> > pulse?
>
> I have two questions:
> 1. Is the Giant conscious of its own behaviour in the same way that the
> individual person is conscious of his/her own behaviour?
>
> 2. Can we as individuals be aware of the Giant's consciousness?
>
> I suspect that the answer to the second question must be NO. Otherwise,
> we would know and understand the Giant's decisions to take the Stock
> Market up or down, with absurd results.
> If everyone else agrees that we cannot know the Giant's consciousness,
> then perhaps the first question ceases to have any importance. What do
> you all think?
RICK:
I have a problem with> "...understand the Giant's decisions to take the
Stock
> Market up or down..." I don't think the Giant makes "decisions"... not
in any obvious sense. I'll try to explain...
I remember in a religious philosophy class I once took we're taught
(someone's?) old distinction between NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL Evils.
Natural ones were things likes floods ands tornados(from nature)...
Artificial ones were things like murder, crimes (man-made). And I remember
that it was suggested that there was a third category SOCIAL evils... things
like poverty, homelessness.... Social evils aren't caused by nature... but
their not the specific will of any one person (or group of persons). ----
This is what I mean.... no one "decides" that the stock market will go up or
down (except maybe Alan Greenspan)... it just happens as a byproduct of the
decisions of individuals (and groups of individuals)... kind of like Adam
Smith's Invisible Hand....
I think an interesting question to try and answer would be, "Does the Giant
have a WILL of it own?"
Just a thought,
Rick
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