| Robert Anton Wilson
Posted: 7/6/2009 8:57:55 PM | The Western World has been brainwashed by Aristotle for the last 2,500 years. The unconscious, not quite articulate, belief of most Occidentals is that there is one map which adequately represents reality. By sheer good luck, every Occidental thinks he or she has the map that fits. Guerrilla ontology, to me, involves shaking up that certainty. I use what in modern physics is called the "multi-model" approach, which is the idea that there is more than one model to cover a given set of facts. As I've said, novel writing involves learning to think like other people. My novels are written so as to force the reader to see things through different reality grids rather than through a single grid. It's important to abolish the unconscious dogmatism that makes people think their way of looking at reality is the only sane way of viewing the world. My goal is to try to get people into a state of generalized agnosticism, not agnosticism about God alone, but agnosticism about everything. If one can only see things according to one's own belief system, one is destined to become virtually deaf, dumb, and blind. It's only possible to see people when one is able to see the world as others see it. That's what guerrilla ontology is — breaking down this one-model view and giving people a multi-model perspective. - Robert Anton Wilson
drink it up | |
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| Robert Anton Wilson
Posted: 7/6/2009 9:16:47 PM | The problem here is that agnosticism means alot of different things to alot of different people.
Some mean agnosticism to mean: we can have no idea about either assertion; no idea if god exists.
Some mean agnosticism to mean: we can look at evidence for both sides, and we can use our brains to decide which theory is MUCH more likely. But we cant prove either viewpoint.
Thats the way I see and use agnosticism. Can i prove god non-existent? Of course not. But i can weigh all the evidence and find it HIGHLY likely that he doesnt. Its perfectally intellectual to get off the fence. In fact, i dont respect those who state they are "on the fence", as this implies they have no opinion either way. A rational, thinking person, when examining the evidence, would form an opinion. This doesnt mean they are CERTAIN....but they have an opinion. Nothing wrong with it.
For intance, when i examine, biology, theoretical physics, anthropology, theology (and the history of how religion evolved), astronomy, christianity, psychology, etc....i have come to the conclusion that the existence of a god is EXTREMELY unlikely....in fact, so unlikely that for practical purposes, i will call the chances zero. However, it is not really zero, and i cant disprove him. Just like i cant disprove Poseidon, the god of the ocean.
This is FAR from dogma....i came to this conclusions completely on my own....
if everyone did that, the world would be very different i think...
greg | |
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| Robert Anton Wilson
Posted: 7/6/2009 9:46:27 PM | We all have had to become cognizant of multi-model systemics: it is just a fact of modern life, and can be seen in things as common as competing forms of software (which have different ways of going about doing the things which they do) or even the ever-growing collection most people have of remote control units for different media devices.
Realizing the necessity of such a multi-model system, it also has to be acknowledged that very often one particular systemization works best for one particular task set.
There may be some overlap possible at a highly conceptual level between botany and quantum physics but, for the most part and in any practical application the two are separate and their subject material is distinctly separable.
Robert Anton Wilson was very much a child of the 1950's who was born again in the 1960's. The fight he undertook against the ideological forces which would have liked to force the 1960's back into the form of hte 1940-50's was definitely a necessary one; but let's face it, the world has moved on and unfortunately the work of Robert Anton Wilson still very heavily bears the form of a crypto-fascism which we would all do well to leave behind us... a legacy of his 1950's conceptual framework.
It is all very well and good to say "Oh but we don't know - we must suspend judgement - we can't decide beforehand"; because sure while that is true about everything the fact remains that this kind of approach degenerated into a "new-age" mysticism which unfailingly alludes to truths which are never delivered: and in fact never will be delivered even though payment is demanded in advance.
The fragmentation of the marketplace which capitalism has produced is a de facto force for multi-modal systemization; but the conceptual approach to multi-modalism advocated by Robert Anton Wilson has also been subsumed by the capitalist dynamic: so in the end, his approach was turned into nothing more than a way for "new-age" mystics to soak the inquisitive and the questioning for what ever could be taken from them.
I don't think that society is in any danger of reverting to a 1950's cultural milieu; that being said, I think that one of the most important advances made since then has been the recognition of a need to move away from the concept of centralized authority. That includes moving away from any Robert Anton Wilsons trying to tell people how to think; and particularly away from any self proclaimed "new-age" mystics setting themselves up as authorities on topics and in subjects of which the details are never divulged (crypto-fascism).
The key is NOT getting people to think like others do and/or can: it is getting people to think FOR THEMSELVES. | |
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| Robert Anton Wilson
Posted: 7/7/2009 10:50:16 AM | We can attribute "god-like" powers to almost any higher being...which we don't have on hand right now.
Some natives had done so in mans' own history...much to their chagrin.
Try checking out "cargo cults". Given gifts form the gods via wrecks and such. Wierd...but it worked for them
Mankind always looks to blame someone for their woes..."Why does God allow..." Err...maybe the qwuestion should be "Why do WE allow...?"
"Pass the buck!" A totally human motto! (Should be enscribed on earths flag!) | |
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