this is a metaphor
but
it might be a parable - only i cannot remember what exactly a parable is
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background:
i have had this idea on my mind for a while now
it is sort of a response to the 'what the fuck is really going on?' question which is still liable to swim thru my head
as of late - it was inspired by a conversation in another forum about krishna which had me rolling my eyes
Quotethe person on the other forum wrote: According to Bhagavadgita, we are parts and parcels of God (Krishna). We are Krishna's marginal potency, which means that we have free will. We're one with Krishna and different from Krishna at the same time. This philosophy is called acyntia abheda bheda tattva -inconcievable potency of God. We're one in quality, that means that as God has free will, we also have free will in minute form. But in quantity we're different. Krishna is greater than us in that sense, that he is all pervading, we're not.
it was also brought to mind by this comic:
(http://www.pbfcomics.com/temporary/PBF015ADFreakingVortex.jpg)
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here is the lowdown:
you create a fictional character
you are the creator of this character and this character is able to live as long as you do
this character knows that you are its creator
and knows that it lives as long as you do
nothing goes on for this character
it has no need for anything
because
you provide for it
because of the relationship the character has with you
it has no need to do anything
ever
so
for the fuck of it
you create a character of the opposite sex
you let this character know the lowdown as well
and you provide the means for them to create more characters on their own
so your two characters get busy making more
but
they decide not to let their offspring know about you
and instead
they tell them other versions of
where they came from and how to provide for themselves
(fear etc)
eventually
all knowledge of you
-the creator-
gets jumbled into a mess
fast forward until the civilization that you created has 6.5 billion people
some of these 6.5 billion have NO FUCKING IDEA that you created them
and they are approaching this universe you created
with the intent of controlling it all
yes
that means some of these characters
which exist in your imagination
have NO IDEA that they are in your imagination
and they are trying to control you
yes
fictional characters
trying to control you
eventually
they develop an internet-type system for communication
and due to the seemingly infinite amount of information available to them
some of the imaginary characters manage to piece together what the deal is
that they are a part of your imagination
these characters cease trying to control the universe that you created
because they realize that it would be ridiculous
i am not sure where this goes yet
but
the characters wind up realizing that they could create a metaphorical scenario where
they create characters in their imagination
and they wind up posting messages very similar to this one on the internet
*****
can somebody please let me know where this metaphor falls apart?
I like it. As usual.
It reminds me of a story I know, "The Conversation" by MA Foster. It's about an author. He gets obsesed with his own charaters (as authors tend to do sometimes). But then he makes one of them a philosopher who thinks about the creator (the author). After a little while the other characters start to do it. The author is convinced his creation is real and exists apart from him, and he goes nuts thinking about whether they have free will and if he's a good god or an evil one. By the end of the story you're not sure any more either which is true, and I still wonder whether the real author (Foster) intended both levels to be equally real. I think so though.
(The story can be found in a collection called Owl Time, now 20 years out of print. Might be findable at a used bookstore, though. Mike Foster was a great writer. I recommend him to anyone who likes late 70s - mid 80's SF.)
Quote from: ataraxiaI like it. As usual.
It reminds me of a story I know, "The Conversation" by MA Foster. It's about an author. He gets obsesed with his own charaters (as authors tend to do sometimes). But then he makes one of them a philosopher who thinks about the creator (the author). After a little while the other characters start to do it. The author is convinced his creation is real and exists apart from him, and he goes nuts thinking about whether they have free will and if he's a good god or an evil one. By the end of the story you're not sure any more either which is true, and I still wonder whether the real author (Foster) intended both levels to be equally real. I think so though.
(The story can be found in a collection called Owl Time, now 20 years out of print. Might be findable at a used bookstore, though. Mike Foster was a great writer. I recommend him to anyone who likes late 70s - mid 80's SF.)
ffffffffffffffuck
this shit is ridiculous
its like
bill murray - groundhog day
It sounds good, but only if you can actually give the sub-characters free will, and have them think for themselves. It seems that some of the sub- and sub-sub charaters are so far removed from your own attention that they cease to exist, except for as a concept.
Additionally, it goes so far into the meta and meta-meta imagination that the only end result would be insanity, on the obsessive/compulsive and schizophrenic type.
Quote from: LMNOif you can actually give the sub-characters free will, and have them think for themselves. It seems that some of the sub- and sub-sub charaters are so far removed from your own attention that they cease to exist, except for as a concept.
whoa
thats a great insight
Quote from: LMNO
Additionally, it goes so far into the meta and meta-meta imagination that the only end result would be insanity, on the obsessive/compulsive and schizophrenic type.
yes
this may appear problematic
Quote from: fluffy
we all know who would win
gnomes are full of shit
That's because of all the cookies.
Quote from: fluffy
i want to know what makes him think the alts aren't already fighting for dominance?
seems to me like that goes on all the time
just trying to distract somebody to let whoever is losing pick up some steam