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Science will continue to surprise us with what it discovers and creates; then it will astound us by devising new methods to surprises us. At the core of science's self-modification is technology. New tools enable new structures of knowledge and new ways of discovery. The achievement of science is to know new things; the evolution of science is to know them in new ways. What evolves is less the body of what we know and more the nature of our knowing.
Some really interesting ideas here. Reminded me of my 'Hyperreal Wikipedia' post a while back.
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"Science is the way we surprise God," said Kelly. "That's what we're here for." Our moral obligation is to generate possibilities, to discover the infinite ways, however complex and high-dimension, to play the infinite game. It will take all possible species of intelligence in order for the universe to understand itself. Science, in this way, is holy. It is a divine trip.
- link to full article
The world outlined in E.M. Forster's 'The Machine Stops' is not that far away... -
(anyone ever read that by the way? reminds me of highschool English class)
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Science and religion are basically the same thing, anything unproven can be classed as a "miracle" and anything found by religion can be stopped by science. Without one, there could not be the other
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I read "The Machine Stops" when it was recommended by Stuart Brand in the old (now defunct) magazine Co-Evolution Quarterly.
What I recall from the tale is the general storyline: a machine-dependent civilization, with something like the internet to link everyone from within their homes, grinds to a halt when technology fails. But I also recall the protagonist's mother dismissing his request that they meet in person because his anachronistic desire for physical meeting "gives me no ideas."
Rejecting something because it "gives me no ideas" struck me for some reason. The desire for constant mental stimulation from new ideas or entertainments is a tough monkey to feed. The fear of getting no new ideas, or no fresh entertainments, raises the threat that my 7-year-old daughter considers most dire: boredom.
I seek regular boredom through Zen meditation. As Brad Warner puts it, “Zen is boring and pointless.”
Yes! And that’s exactly what makes it valuable. When we’re not chasing after external stimulation, ideas, entertainments and so forth, we can begin to glimpse something subtle and profound that has been in the background the whole time.
Sheesh! I’m beginning to sound like a preacher here. Better go back to my cushion and shut up.
Regards,
Mike
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Interesting you should mention this. I definitely believe my life is devoid of this self-sought boredom of which you speak. Thing is, I definitely think different people find meditative contemplation in entirely different aspects of life. For me a pair of headphones and an iPod usually does the job, but I am probably most deeply entranced and selfless when I am sat typing at a keyboard. The degree of articulation I feel I can acheive by tapping letters on a keyboard far exceeds any I expel in vocal communication. I write best when I have no idea what I am destined to create, and no image of the semantic path yet to travel. Sitting still and blocking out my self reflection would definitely be boring for me in the worst way. Give me a subconscious seed for a contemplative idea and an hour at a computer terminal and watch me get lost in the depths of selflessness.
Besides, I like the voices in my head. -
i'm seeing jack nicholson shining away
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Just to clarify, Danieru, Zen meditation is not "blocking out my self reflection" but simply engaging self observation without any agenda.
Allow anything to arise, see it for what it is, and let is fall away by itself without either clinging to it or worrying about it. You might be surprised at what comes up this way. It partakes, at least in part, of the same stratum of awarness that you tap into when you sit at the keyboard and wait to see which keys you'll tap in order to express an idea you didn't know you had until that very moment.
Regards,
Mike
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I have always had an interest in meditation, zen or otherwise, but shyed away from it for various reasons. My brain is a breeding ground for memetic explosions. The way I think has lead me, at times in my life, to wallow in depression, to curse the crowded intensity of my thoughts, yet most of the time my rarely silenced brain is my best friend.
Sounds weird I know.
Basically to seek out my self amongst that white noise of thought would be, for me, like not seeing the wood for the trees. My self is that white noise.
If I ever get the chance to live peacefully, far away from civilisation for an extended period of time I will definitely pursue a meditative regime. As it is at the moment I feel most creative, most intense when my thoughts overwhelm my every waking moment.
If you don't mind me asking, how do you perceive the 'spiritual' aspect of your belief in Zen? You sound like a scientifically minded guy, I'm always interested to perceive other people's ideas of 'spirit' (which, incidentally, I have no personal conception of)
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