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Ladder/Raft, or, Read The Book, Then Burn It

Started by NWC, December 13, 2010, 08:37:05 PM

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Slyph

I'm always really nice to Witnesses. I don't know why. I just figure, fuck it. Anyone can be rude to a Jehovah's Witness. I think being nice to Christians shows them they don't have a monopoly on civility, you know?

Telarus

Quote from: Ratssinis on January 30, 2011, 08:29:06 PM
Quote from: Telarus on January 25, 2011, 06:20:41 PM
Quote from: Slyph on January 25, 2011, 12:23:43 PM
Truly, I'm pleased that you have explained to me that I don't have to live my life by the Principia Discordia. Shit, dodged a bullet there eh?

It's really fun to do for short periods, just don't make it a habit.

I can agree with that, seems every-time you come back and look there's a little more to it then before. Which I guess makes Discordia a pretty unique ladder, what with the getting taller and taller thing... Maybe its a human ladder?

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Kai

Quote from: NWC on December 13, 2010, 08:37:05 PM

So, as we often see here on this board, many people find the Principia, read it, and then swear by it. While reading some stuff on Wittgenstein lately, I came across something he wrote at the end of this Tractacus that seemed quite relevant to this situation. It was his belief that his, and any other, philosophy, should be considered as a ladder. You climb the ladder to get a better view of your surroundings, but then you don't stay up there, you get down and get on with your life. My personal addition to this concept is that each philosophy is a ladder that will show you a different secion of the landscape, and so you can climd as many as you wish in order to get varied views, and then remember what you've seen, but move on.

Andre Compte-Sponville, in his books L'Amour, la Solitude, referenced a slightly different version of this, which apparently comes from the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha, arriving at a river, building himself a raft to cross it. Once built, the raft serves its purpose of bringing him to the other side. However, having crossed the river, the Buddha would not continue to carry the raft on his back, which would only weigh him down.


So yeah, once the Principia has served its purpose, the pineal crap should be left behind. Not saying I don't still get a laugh out of the pentabarf, but come on.

The Christians also have a saying about "coming down from the mountain", which also fits.

I don't agree with the title though. It's nice to have references on the shelf. After I finish the TaNaKh and conclude that the ancient israelites and their god were deceitful, violent desert dwellers that somehow lead to more well meaning people, I'm not going to throw it out. It's in my head, no matter how hard I try to move on, and therefore in a way I own it, and have to be responsible for that ownership.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. --Loren Eisley, The Immense Journey

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NWC

The title was more of a metaphor than anything else. I still have a 6 year old copy of the principia in my bookshelf, hanging out between Illuminatus! and Merleau-Ponty.
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