Here we founder on the rocks of metaphor. "falling to your death," eh? It does happen.
You lost me.
Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 12/04/2010 9:43:37 PM PST by Walter Scott Hudson
In a recent post answering the anti-religious zealotry of Bill Maher’s documentary-style film Religulous, I concluded that the film’s topic is “the argument of our time.” That is to say, our political paradigm is founded upon our spiritual paradigm, how we define and perceive the nature of man.
If you believe mankind to be the product of an ongoing, emergent, evolutionary process, then you will tend to believe that human consciousness can be applied to drive evolution in a favorable direction. This belief tends to metastase into an elevation of some men above others. Whether the basis for distinction is national identity, race, creed, intellect or some other factor is irrelevant. The end result is the same – a loss of freedom, and often life.
Conversely, if you believe mankind to exist in a state of sin – moral retardation, then you will abandon the futile task of perfecting man and work toward maintaining a society which minimizes the potential for abuse by defusing power and maximizing individual liberty. This was the position of the American Founding Fathers, who wrote and spoke extensively regarding the fallibility of man (even those with crowns) and the necessity to bind them with the chains of the Constitution.
In this follow-up, I would like to answer some thoughtful points raised by one of our readers.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsrealblog.com ...
Here we founder on the rocks of metaphor. "falling to your death," eh? It does happen.
You lost me.
Thank you for your comments and welcome to FR.
You start with physical death as the basis of a metaphor for the end or demise of more abstract constructs: “The death of an idea”, “the death of a business”. These referents of the metaphor have been called metaphrands, so what is the metaphrand in your case? A spiritual death, I guess. But spiritual life is advocated to be something TRANSCENDING physical death, so when you say “falling to your [spiritual] death” I guess you mean “Really really really really REAL death” as Ernest might say.
But what did you use to express this? The metaphor of physical death ... falling to death, which holds special terror to many, grounded in millions of years of evolution. So how can this be anything other than really really really really REAL death after all?
I just don’t think these airy rhetorical flights can ever get away from it.
Well thank you very much.
I didn't start with physical death as the basis of a metaphor, I used the term "death" to define the termination of a quickened or potentially quickened state.
But what did you use to express this? The metaphor of physical death ... falling to death, which holds special terror to many, grounded in millions of years of evolution. So how can this be anything other than really really really really REAL death after all?
You're externalizing. And making a lot of assumptions as to the perceptions of the audience which, coincidentally, I don't think I share (because your assertion is somewhat cloudy).
I just don’t think these airy rhetorical flights can ever get away from it.
Yup. You lost me again. I try to avoid rhetoric. I was describing a metaphysical certainty.
Thanks again I’ll check it out.
Thank you for the ping.
Here’s a link to a wonderful site,
http://www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html
thx thx
Thanks for the ping!
placemarker
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