Re: MD Pure experience and the Kantian problematic

From: Scott Roberts (jse885@localnet.com)
Date: Fri Feb 18 2005 - 17:44:42 GMT

  • Next message: Erin: "MD Pure experience and the Kantian problematic"

    Ron,

    Scott said:
    I disagree. We know a lot about subatomic activity. What we cannot do is
    visualize it. But the mathematics does allow us to make predictions. Of
    course the theory may be overthrown and replaced by another, but the
    predictive ability we have will not go away, same with relativity
    replacing Newton. NASA still uses Newtonian physics to direct its
    spacecraft.

    Ron said:The thing is, we can't predict the movements of electrons. It is
    more a
    shell game we are playing with the subatomic particles and waves.

    Scott:
    We can't fully predict how a human behaves, but we still know a lot about
    human beings. The uncertainty principle just tells us that we cannot think
    of the universe as absolutely deterministic, but no one really can think
    that anyway -- or at least there is no point in so thinking. The thing is,
    the subatomic world is very far from being random or chaotic.

    Ron said:
    Let's just say that Quantum Physics leads us to think a bit closer
    toward Eastern philosophy, or what can be termed as spirituality.

    Scott said:I agree, but there are many books out there which disagree, so
    this
    statement can be questioned. Is it a case, for example, that we have
    read spiritual meanings into QM only because we are inclined to do so
    because of prior leanings toward the spiritual? (Also, there is plenty
    of spirituality in Western philosophy as well.)

    Ron said:
    I don't see religion and spirituality meaning the same thing.

    Scott:
    ?? Who mentioned religion?

    Ron said:
    The difference between enlightenment and the Christian Mystical
    Experience is that you know prior to the experience what you are going
    to experience when you are looking for the Virgin Mary. An Enlightened
    Mystical Experience is something that comes to you from what I would
    call 'Within.'

    Scott said:
    I would say that saying "Enlightened Mystical Experience is something
    that comes to you from what I would call 'Within.'" is just as
    misleading as saying it comes from 'without'. In both cases there is a
    SOM presupposition: that something gets experienced, for example,
    knowledge of "how the world is".

    Ron said:
    This knowledge simply does not depend on anyone or anything besides
    yourself.

    Scott:
    But the self is a bundle of static patterns of value, according to the MOQ
    (I disagree, but that is beside the point at the moment). If one has
    actually reached a stage where nothing is going to shape a mystical event,
    then one is, I suppose, already a Buddha.

    Scott continues;
    I also question your characterization of "Christian Mystical Experience"
    as if it were all visions. Eckhart, the author of the Cloud of
    Unknowing, and the contemporary mystic Bernadette Roberts are all
    counter-examples. And of course, visions occur in all other traditions
    as well.

    Ron:
    Bernadette Roberts does not stick to the 'Christian' mystical
    experience. If you are speaking in terms of Christianity evolving, I do
    believe it will, but hasn't yet to accept this idea of 'No-Self'.

    Would you not agree?

    Scott:
    Yes. But the point I am making is that Christian mysticism, from the point
    of view of the Church, is more about the unio mystica than having visions.
    By the way, it also looks to me that she also goes past the mysticism of the
    MOQ. But that is a matter of interpretation. Recall that her second
    "movement" as she calls it, surprised her in that she had thought that her
    first was final, and that the first could be described as "experiencing pure
    DQ" (though she of course described it as an unio mystica).

    - Scott

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