Have you ever doubted anthropomorphic polytheism?

[coberst]

Have you ever doubted anthropomorphic polytheism?

Those individuals who comprehend such things, in this case I am speaking of art historians in general and Alois Riegl in particular, inform me that the worldview of primitive wo/man at the very beginnings of human history was founded upon an infinite polytheism. That is to say that “everything in nature that moved, grew, and died without agency—or even against the will—of man seemed superior to him for its autonomy of existence and will. Everything in nature was therefore a god.”

At some crucial moment in human progress wo/man developed a more secure conception of her relationship with the world. When s/he began to confine their mutual perception to individual phenomena of nature that appeared to be the strongest and most frightening they became more assured of their power to prevail in many contests. “With that shift, we find ourselves standing in the very first period of history: the first opportunity has opened up to activate desired improvements of nature.”

This began a natural progression for humanity. As s/he recognized the ability to overcome the most ferocious and deadly of all animals wo/man came to recognize a degree of superiority over nature. “At the same time, he still had to acknowledge behind every natural phenomenon the presence of a driving, animating force far removed from human perception or control…A distinction yet unknown to primitive peoples, who ascribed an autonomous will to everything in nature.”

Wo/man recognized a dichotomy between that which they had some significant control to that which they could only reason to be underlying the appearance reached through human visual faculties. Humans recognized here the natural that could be readily perceived, but also recognized that there was much more that humans could only imagine but not perceive or control. S/he could only imagine these reasoned realities and naturally imagined them to be endowed with sensible human form; the only form imaginable at this time in human development.

“Only human form could appear worthy of a force superior to human beings. Thus was born anthropomorphic polytheism, which the Greeks would bring to its fullest perfection.” Henceforth we humans could envision those forces superior to our own must be envisioned as in human form but unencumbered by our shortcomings in matters of beauty and mortality.

Quotes from Historical Grammar of the Visual Arts by Alois Riegl

 

[sky2979]

Huh???? I don't go back to school until August...LOL..j/k....great info..lol..

 

[Chukpike]

Have you ever doubted anthropomorphic polytheism?

No, but that is just me.

 

[tomtom22]

Have you ever doubted anthropomorphic polytheism?

No, but I have my doubts about you.

 

[senojekips]

Our class clown has been copying and pasting from the big people's library again.

If I were 100% honest, I would call coberst a "feeble minded attention seeking f*ckwit", but, as I do sometimes stretch the truth in order to preserve the dignity of the Forum, I won't do that on this occasion.

 

[03USMC]

Our class clown has been copying and pasting from the big people's library again.

If I were 100% honest, I would call coberst a "feeble minded attention seeking f*ckwit", but, as I do sometimes stretch the truth in order to preserve the dignity of the Forum, I won't do that on this occasion.

I think it's great that you maintain your urge to tell him that Spike

 

[MontyB]

I am a little confused as to why people are getting angry over these posts?

Surely the easiest option would be to not respond to them if you have nothing to say, it is not like you are forced to reply to them or even read them.

Personally I find some of them interesting, probably my only complaint is the lack of the posters comments on the raised issues.

 

[coberst]

I am a little confused as to why people are getting angry over these posts?

Surely the easiest option would be to not respond to them if you have nothing to say, it is not like you are forced to reply to them or even read them.

Personally I find some of them interesting, probably my only complaint is the lack of the posters comments on the raised issues.

It appears that many responders view the Internet discussion forum as being a verbal video game.

I claim that when we make an Internet discussion into a “debate” we are often trying to derive the same titillation as we receive from a video game. We are transforming the forum into a ‘verbal video game’. This gives us the pleasure similar to that received by playing a video game; but has the detrimental effect of inhibiting learning.

I once took acting lessons and our professor taught us “method acting”, which is founded upon the premise that, as Stella Adler said “We are what we do, not what we say”. This means that when I make the bodily actions of conflict I will feel conflict.

In the ordinary code of “debate” one must develop an anti-thesis in order for there to be a contest. We do this because it is this contest that brings to us the titillation similar to that derived by the video game.

This ant-thesis acts as a means for conflict and thus an inhibiting fashion for our ability to learn.

“One’s experience of doubt is a fully embodied experience of hesitation, withholding of assent, felt bodily tension, and general bodily restriction. Such felt bodily experiences are not merely accomplishments of doubt; rather, they are your doubt…Doubt retards or stops the harmonious flow of experience that preceded the doubt. You feel the restriction and tension of your diaphragm, your breathing, and perhaps in your gut. The meaning of doubt is precisely this bodily experience of holding back assent and feeling a blockage of the free flow of experience toward new thoughts, feelings, and experiences”

We must learn to entertain a new idea without either accepting it or rejecting it until we have prepared our self to form a considered opinion of the matter.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Aristotle

Quotations from The Meaning of the Body by Mark Johnson

 

[MontyB]

I claim that when we make an Internet discussion into a “debate” we are often trying to derive the same titillation as we receive from a video game. We are transforming the forum into a ‘verbal video game’. This gives us the pleasure similar to that received by playing a video game; but has the detrimental effect of inhibiting learning.

---------------------------------------------------------------

We must learn to entertain a new idea without either accepting it or rejecting it until we have prepared our self to form a considered opinion of the matter.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Aren't these two comments contradictory?

I would suggest that debate is one of the methods we use to form a considered opinion on an idea therefore it is hardly a retardant to learning.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

Aristotle

I like this quote though and it is something that I believe everyone should adopt.

 

[senojekips]

I am a little confused as to why people are getting angry over these posts?

Surely the easiest option would be to not respond to them if you have nothing to say, it is not like you are forced to reply to them or even read them.

Personally I find some of them interesting, probably my only complaint is the lack of the posters comments on the raised issues.

Put quite simply Monty, because they are no more than time wasting "twaddle", with little or no interest to anyone but those losers who haven't already worked out what they believe in life.

The poster comes onto the Forum pastes a great gout of garbage that he/she has lifted from some supposedly learned tome, waits several minutes to see if he gets a response and then leaves. Personally I think he is no more than a childish attention seeker, and I am prepared to give him what he needs. (Not necessarily what he wants) He's like that annoying kid from down the street who rides his bike past your house and throws dog **** on your lawn every day. Only this person feels that his aim in life is to show that he is an "intellectual" and has at last managed to grasp copying and pasting from other works found on the internet.

I respond to these idiot posts, for the same reason you have posed the question, because the posts are an unwanted annoyance, especially in view of the fact that the nitwit posting them expresses no view on the matter him/herself, and probably has no idea of what they are about.

You profess interest, but I notice that you have not replied in any meaningful capacity, directly to any of the threads that I have seen. So much for their worth.

 

[A Can of Man]

HE LIVES!!! It's an actual response!!!

It appears that many responders view the Internet discussion forum as being a verbal video game.

I claim that when we make an Internet discussion into a “debate” we are often trying to derive the same titillation as we receive from a video game. We are transforming the forum into a ‘verbal video game’. This gives us the pleasure similar to that received by playing a video game; but has the detrimental effect of inhibiting learning.

I once took acting lessons and our professor taught us “method acting”, which is founded upon the premise that, as Stella Adler said “We are what we do, not what we say”. This means that when I make the bodily actions of conflict I will feel conflict.

In the ordinary code of “debate” one must develop an anti-thesis in order for there to be a contest. We do this because it is this contest that brings to us the titillation similar to that derived by the video game.

This ant-thesis acts as a means for conflict and thus an inhibiting fashion for our ability to learn.

“One’s experience of doubt is a fully embodied experience of hesitation, withholding of assent, felt bodily tension, and general bodily restriction. Such felt bodily experiences are not merely accomplishments of doubt; rather, they are your doubt…Doubt retards or stops the harmonious flow of experience that preceded the doubt. You feel the restriction and tension of your diaphragm, your breathing, and perhaps in your gut. The meaning of doubt is precisely this bodily experience of holding back assent and feeling a blockage of the free flow of experience toward new thoughts, feelings, and experiences”

We must learn to entertain a new idea without either accepting it or rejecting it until we have prepared our self to form a considered opinion of the matter.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Aristotle

Quotations from The Meaning of the Body by Mark Johnson

 

[MontyB]

Put quite simply Monty, because they are no more than time wasting "twaddle", with little or no interest to anyone but those losers who haven't already worked out what they believe in life.

The poster comes onto the Forum pastes a great gout of garbage that he/she has lifted from some supposedly learned tome, waits several minutes to see if he gets a response and then leaves. Personally I think he is no more than a childish attention seeker, and I am prepared to give him what he needs. (Not necessarily what he wants) He's like that annoying kid from down the street who rides his bike past your house and throws dog **** on your lawn every day. Only this person feels that his aim in life is to show that he is an "intellectual" and has at last managed to grasp copying and pasting from other works found on the internet.

So what, there are thousands of posts in these forums that I find completely inane but instead of going off my nut at each and every one of them I simply let them scroll off the bottom of the page and into obscurity.

On top of this I also realise that while something may not appeal to me it will to someone else.

I respond to these idiot posts, for the same reason you have posed the question, because the posts are an unwanted annoyance, especially in view of the fact that the nitwit posting them expresses no view on the matter him/herself, and probably has no idea of what they are about.

But again there are hundreds of posts that fall into this category, this would be a pretty hostile forum if we all went off attacking people who started threads we don't approve of.

You profess interest, but I notice that you have not replied in any meaningful capacity, directly to any of the threads that I have seen. So much for their worth.

As I pointed out in a previous thread I don't necessarily respond to threads out of reflex, in some cases I prefer to formulate an opinion before I respond and that involves looking at other posts and others opinions, as he aptly mentioned Aristotle's quote "“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." and some times it does apply.

 

[senojekips]

So what, there are thousands of posts in these forums that I find completely inane but instead of going off my nut at each and every one of them I simply let them scroll off the bottom of the page and into obscurity.

If you care to go back over this member's posts, you will find that that was what happened with them. Just like when you next mow your lawn, the dog sh!t thrown there will be picked up in your grass catcher, but never the less it does not lessen the annoyance that it is still going on.

[On top of this I also realise that while something may not appeal to me it will to someone else.

Hence the great number of answers to these posts????

But again there are hundreds of posts that fall into this category, this would be a pretty hostile forum if we all went off attacking people who started threads we don't approve of.

There are degrees of idiocy that we can all overlook, personally I can't stand attention seekers who haven't even got the manners to participate meaningfully in their own threads other than to cut and paste the work of someone else. I feel that this is probably because they are no more than serial pests who cut and paste similar garbage on this and other sites merely to reinforce their own feelings of self importance.

I am not here to ease the burden of his inadequacies.

As I pointed out in a previous thread I don't necessarily respond to threads out of reflex, in some cases I prefer to formulate an opinion before I respond and that involves looking at other posts and others opinions, as he aptly mentioned Aristotle's quote "“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." and some times it does apply.

Whatever rocks your boat, however it appears that your view and mine, (and it appears from the other posts here, most others who have stumbled across this veritable geyser of verbal diarrhoea), would disagree with you, and on this occasion Aristotle. I think that maybe Ari was having an off day when he quoted that, or more likely, he just hadn't been inundated with this crap.