Guest guest Posted July 25, 2002 Report Share Posted July 25, 2002 Hello Dan You are quite right (you'll be glad to know) to challenge the statement "I have no belief", it obviously contains contradictions. In fact, it may be that any statement about "oneself" is contradictory. Presumably reflecting the illusory and limited nature of the "I". Looking at it, I would say any expressed thought like this one, any "judgement as you describe it, is not intended to be set in concrete. It can be questioned, and yes, the basis of questioning can be questioned. Thoughts can be best regarded, perhaps, as pointers, not eternal verities. Certainly not something to be identified with! To misquote W H Auden, Certainty, ultimacy, on the stroke of midnight pass Like vibrations of a bell But it doesn't only happen at midnight! Yes, it still seems there is nothing authoritarian, ultimate here. But things change. Perhaps I mean the same as your "coming and going", I'm not sure. The existence of the ego can be tested out by observation, can it not? Every minute. Of course "ego" is only a word, used to represent a movement of thought, a tendency. I am not inferring any permanent entity. What happened to the enquiry into creating worlds and universes? Or is that what we are doing here? Clive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 25, 2002 Report Share Posted July 25, 2002 Hi Clive -- > You are quite right (you'll be glad to know) to challenge the statement " I have no belief " , it obviously contains contradictions. Contradictions don't bother me :-) In fact, it may be that any statement about " oneself " is contradictory. Presumably reflecting the illusory and limited nature of the " I " . Well, how would " I " know whether or not " I " am illusory ... Thanks for the laugh! :-) > Looking at it, I would say any expressed thought like this one, any " judgement as you describe it, is not intended to be set in concrete. It can be questioned, and yes, the basis of questioning can be questioned. Thoughts can be best regarded, perhaps, as pointers, not eternal verities. Certainly not something to be identified with! Thoughts arise and depart in/of this " space " ... Thoughts can't conceptualize nor give the truth of this " space " -- yet it is all that is ... > To misquote W H Auden, > > Certainty, ultimacy, on the stroke of midnight pass > > Like vibrations of a bell > > But it doesn't only happen at midnight! > > Yes, it still seems there is nothing authoritarian, ultimate here. But things change. Perhaps I mean the same as your " coming and going " , I'm not sure. Comings and goings occurring in that which has no coming nor going. Thoughts and words about the ultimate come and go, and of course will change over time, and between cultures and individuals. > > The existence of the ego can be tested out by observation, can it not? Sorry, no, it's an inference and explanatory variable -- not a measurable thing. In other words, it's made up through the activity of conceptualizing about measurable things, and those measurements and things, of course, are other concepts. So ego is an attempt to explain the conceptualizing of concepts, as if these were being done by someone or something. > Every minute. Of course " ego " is only a word, used to represent a movement of thought, a tendency. I am not inferring any permanent entity. If there's no entity, then why label as if there were an entity? And, indeed, a tendency has no substance. It's an inference, based on an assessment of a movement and its presumed direction and repetition. The label depends on the point of view of the labeller, and the agenda of the labeller. And is the labeller anything other than the activity of making and continuing agendas? So, indeed, we have a tendency trying to assess tendencies ... Quite a fix! Until the tendency to want to know about tendencies dissolves ... :-) > What happened to the enquiry into creating worlds and universes? Or is that what we are doing here? No, that's not what I'm doing here. You must be confusing me with someone else! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.