Re: virus: Re: Memes and Jello

Lee Daniel Crocker (lcrocker@calweb.com)
Wed, 7 May 1997 16:23:43 -0700 (PDT)


> > How can one have a purpose other than one's purpose? I am using "will"
> > here in the sense of what one actually tries to accomplish, not in the
> > sense of whatever transient whims one might have.
>
> Understand. It was not the "will", but the need to subjugate the world
> with it, that I took issue with.

I didn't mean to leave that impression. I do not--I canot--"subjugate"
reality to anything. It just is. But in order to interact with it in
ways that accomplish my goals, I must have some idea of what it is like.
And I cannot choose not to interact with it, because it's still there.

> > If one has a goal, and wishes to accomplish it, one must commit to a
> > model of the world in order to achieve your goals within it.
>
> *Why?*
>
> That's not flip. Why do you need to commit to a model, one model, to
> achieve your goals? Are you talking about goals that can only be realized
> within the structure of one specific model? If so, then you're right. It
> is necessary to take on that model to meet those goals. But the model
> can be abandoned once the goals are met, or set aside in place of another

If I wish to feed myself, I must have an idea of which things in the
world are edible and which are not. If I wish to travel, I must have
some idea of the nature of space and time, etc. I'm speaking on a
very fundamental level here; something you probably take for granted,
but which some philosophers take so much for granted that they don't
see it, and come up with ideas contrary to it.

-- 
Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com>  <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html>
"All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past,
are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified
for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC