“The metaphysical reinsurance is that of a rational organization of the world - Descartes must gamble on the supposition that our senses and intellect are not the toys of a malignant deceiver - and, even more importantly, on a morality of distributive justice …” - George Steiner
René Descartes points out that we are not the puppets of a master manipulator and shows us the morality within social systems propagating distributive justice. René Descartes was a forward-thinking Giant in his time, challenging metaphysical maxims and social commentary with the accepted norms and practices of the masses. Challenging the status quo worked for René Descartes or at least from our perspective 500+ years later. Distributive Justice? Where is it now? Feelings of social inequality only enhance the illusion of the ego. The solution: No more social inequality. Would a socially egalitarian society thrive? Is it possible? I rationalize moral violations as ego enablers. The move away from the ego is innately egalitarian. Ergo there goes the ego. René Descartes was but one stop on the deep space route of discovery. A long journey indeed.
“Certain systematic philosophies have asserted not only the natural everlastingness of their postulates (Descartes) but, more provocatively the finality of their truths, their capacity to end history. This is, famously, the case of Hegel and, more obliquely, that put in the introductory remarks to Wittgenstein’s Tractatus …” - George Steiner
The issue is not epistemological. No rhetorical claims needed. Just a statement in itself. They need some guideline. A truth-seeking missile of thought. The only fate of humanity that I accept. We all become individual truth-seeking missile silos of potentiality. Avoiding a pain stimulus is a metric for measuring consciousness. No difference with societies or large groups. We must address the pain points. When does the new plan roll out? In review before it’s even passed. Big Data can give us the collective truths of every individual. This has a huge humanitarian upside. Very big.
According to René Descartes, there should be an everlasting essence to an idea that is very distinct and different from spoken language. Derridean Statement: It's a very interesting thought to think how truth ends history. And we think to our past without remembering what we haven't forgotten. Steven Pinker's view aligns with Descartes on the language animal debate.
“Plato, Descartes, and Leibniz seem to have intuited this paradox. Pure mathematics would pertain to the realm of creation as do applied mathematics to that of invention. Again, absolute polarities are probably fictions. The gradations between naked abstraction and photographic realism, between emptiness and thronged assemblages, are multitudinous. There are frequent uses of willed abstraction or counter realism within classical representation…” - George Steiner
Brancusi blurs the line between forme and function, the collapse of form in the final touches of Monet, Turner’s eternal return, confusion from Jackson Pollock with his spaghetti junctions. Uccello battle-pieces are fascinating and makes me feel unable to fight in a battle like this. Humbling. How do we test for this? Big Data is my best guess. Now he have faster computational capabilities. Is the singularity near?
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