Thursday, December 17, 2009
Blogging
Writing these blogs over the past semester has been interesting. At the start I really didn't much see the point, but I have grown to enjoy them. As I have said, I enjoy learning, and I think, for the most part at least, this has done just that (especially these last 10 or so, with each averaging around 500+ words apiece). While I doubt I'll continue doing the blog, I do plan on continuing with the idea of it. I've found it interesting just googling random things and seeing what I get, and learning a bit more about the randomness out there that there is to learn.
The Art of War
Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War,’ was written around the 6th century, and is one of the most influential boos on was and military strategy ever written. Among the famous individuals claimed to have read the book include: Napoleon, George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, and General Paul Van Ripper said that it influenced his planning of Operation Desert Storm.
A famous narrative involving a young Sun Tzu and Ho Lu, King of the Wu state sealed Sun Tzu’s mastery of war in ancient times. In it, the king asks him to test his theory of war, using women from the palace, to which Sun Tzu agreed to. He separated 180 women into two groups, with one woman in charge of each. He ordered a left turn, to which the women only burst into laughter. He blamed himself for not being clear enough, so he gave the command again. Again, laughter. This time he blamed the head officers, and had them beheaded. After that the women answered his every order without hesitation or smile. He then told the king, “Your soldiers, Sire, are now properly drilled and disciplined, and ready for Your Majesty’s inspection. They can be put to any use that their sovereign may desire; bid them go through fire and water, and they will not disobey. The king answered by making him a general. Whether or not this actually happened, Sun Tzu really was a general who won battle after battle, leading King Ho Lu to gain much land and acclaim.
The book is divided into 13 chapters: laying plans, waging war, attack by stratagem, tactical dispositions, energy, weak points and strong, maneuvering, variation in tactics, the army on the march, terrain, the nine situations, attack by fire, the use of spies. He elaborates when an army should attack, when it should retreat, when it should hold ground. It discusses moral, and how to raise your armies and lower your opponents, and many other things that we now view as common warfare, but Sun Tzu put it into such simple terms, that works, that even today in modern warfare people still use The Art of War. Even businesses sometimes use the book to describe how to be successful in what your goals are.a
Sidereus Nuncias
References:
Sidereus Nuncias or The Sidereal Messenger by Galileo Galilei
Sidereus Nuncias is the text that famously got Galileo imprisoned by the Catholic Church. It is simply a lab wite-up, in which he describes what he saw through his telescope, the moons of Jupiter. The telescope that he used he actually made himself, because the common ones made were not perfect enough for him, magnifying only 3-4X, whereas his magnified 20X. He had to actually teach himself how to make and polish glass lenses for his telescope. The book might very well be the most important scientific book ever written, as it not only changed the Aristotelian view of science, in which only logic was needed to verify science, to a view of empirical evidence.
Galileo made everything perfect in his tests, not wanting anything to be wrong. He waited until it was well past midnight, at its darkest. He even didn’t look through the telescope longer than a brief moment at a time, so that the vapors from his eye wouldn’t fog up the lense.
The book also describes what he saw when he looked at the moon, the mountains and trenches, and his calculations on how tall or deep they were.
The book is full of his illustrations of what he saw, helping to prove the movement of stars and of the moons around Jupiter.
Sidereus Nuncias or The Sidereal Messenger by Galileo Galilei
Sidereus Nuncias is the text that famously got Galileo imprisoned by the Catholic Church. It is simply a lab wite-up, in which he describes what he saw through his telescope, the moons of Jupiter. The telescope that he used he actually made himself, because the common ones made were not perfect enough for him, magnifying only 3-4X, whereas his magnified 20X. He had to actually teach himself how to make and polish glass lenses for his telescope. The book might very well be the most important scientific book ever written, as it not only changed the Aristotelian view of science, in which only logic was needed to verify science, to a view of empirical evidence.
Galileo made everything perfect in his tests, not wanting anything to be wrong. He waited until it was well past midnight, at its darkest. He even didn’t look through the telescope longer than a brief moment at a time, so that the vapors from his eye wouldn’t fog up the lense.
The book also describes what he saw when he looked at the moon, the mountains and trenches, and his calculations on how tall or deep they were.
The book is full of his illustrations of what he saw, helping to prove the movement of stars and of the moons around Jupiter.
Satansim
Books used in reference:
The Satanic Bible by Anton Lavey
The Satanic Scriptures by Peter H. Gilmore
This blog I hesitated to do, based on the rather taboo subject, but I feel that taboo’s should be brought to light, so that people learn more about them, lessening the taboo. While I do not claim to hold the beliefs laid down by them, as I have previously stated, I hold an innate fascination in all religions, and Satanism definitely queued my interest when I first learned of its existence.
Modern Satanism, or that of the Church of Satan, was founded on April 30, 1966, by Anton Lavey. Contrary to what the name implies, those who classify themselves as Satanists are atheists, fully denying God and any afterlife. It is more a philosophy than a religion, one based on humanism. Satanism insists that since this is the only life that we have, that we should live it to the fullest extent possible, enjoying it however we feel.
To them, Satan represents an image, not an entity that actually exists. He is a symbol for the carnality that exists within the animal that is man.
Rituals are performed, but not the murdering, child-sacrificing sorts that have been used mostly as propaganda throughout history. Satanists believe that humans have an inborn need for dogma, which is one of the reasons so many flock to religion for answers and to be with others. There are many specific rituals cited, including The Satanic Funeral Rite, the Rite of Ragnorok, and the Ritual of Destruction. These are done simply to ‘let loose,’ and get rid of pent up aggression in a positive way that hurts no one.
Satanism also denounces the notion of ‘love thy neighbor,’ and ‘turn the other cheek,’ and instead argue that one should love those who deserve it and respect those who have earned it.
There are nine cardinal sins of Satanism, in order they are: stupidity, pretentiousness, solipsism, self-deceit, herd conformity, lack of perspective, forgetfulness of past orthodoxies counterproductive pride, and lack of aesthetics.
There are also nine satanic statements that are to be lived by, including:
Satan represents indulgence, instead of Abtinence!
Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years!
I found some very interesting philosophy in the 'Satanic' works, as well as some good humor. It didn't purport to take itself so seriously, which is something I feel people of a religious background are doing far to much of these days. I especially agree with the notion of 'live and let live, as long as they do the same.'
The Satanic Bible by Anton Lavey
The Satanic Scriptures by Peter H. Gilmore
This blog I hesitated to do, based on the rather taboo subject, but I feel that taboo’s should be brought to light, so that people learn more about them, lessening the taboo. While I do not claim to hold the beliefs laid down by them, as I have previously stated, I hold an innate fascination in all religions, and Satanism definitely queued my interest when I first learned of its existence.
Modern Satanism, or that of the Church of Satan, was founded on April 30, 1966, by Anton Lavey. Contrary to what the name implies, those who classify themselves as Satanists are atheists, fully denying God and any afterlife. It is more a philosophy than a religion, one based on humanism. Satanism insists that since this is the only life that we have, that we should live it to the fullest extent possible, enjoying it however we feel.
To them, Satan represents an image, not an entity that actually exists. He is a symbol for the carnality that exists within the animal that is man.
Rituals are performed, but not the murdering, child-sacrificing sorts that have been used mostly as propaganda throughout history. Satanists believe that humans have an inborn need for dogma, which is one of the reasons so many flock to religion for answers and to be with others. There are many specific rituals cited, including The Satanic Funeral Rite, the Rite of Ragnorok, and the Ritual of Destruction. These are done simply to ‘let loose,’ and get rid of pent up aggression in a positive way that hurts no one.
Satanism also denounces the notion of ‘love thy neighbor,’ and ‘turn the other cheek,’ and instead argue that one should love those who deserve it and respect those who have earned it.
There are nine cardinal sins of Satanism, in order they are: stupidity, pretentiousness, solipsism, self-deceit, herd conformity, lack of perspective, forgetfulness of past orthodoxies counterproductive pride, and lack of aesthetics.
There are also nine satanic statements that are to be lived by, including:
Satan represents indulgence, instead of Abtinence!
Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years!
I found some very interesting philosophy in the 'Satanic' works, as well as some good humor. It didn't purport to take itself so seriously, which is something I feel people of a religious background are doing far to much of these days. I especially agree with the notion of 'live and let live, as long as they do the same.'
Voltaire
The books referenced for this blog:
The Portable Voltaire
Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire
The Italian Renaissance Reader
Voltaire is yet another of my favorite authors. Born in 1694, Francios-Marie Arouet was educated in a Jesuit school in Paris. He spent a great deal of time in prison during his life, because he was great at causing controversy, and is granted as one of the greatest satirists to ever live. The French Enlightenment is often referred to as ‘The Age of Voltaire.’ Many of his works were outlawed in countries, such as his ‘Philosophical Dictionary’ and ‘Letters on England.’
No topic was too taboo (or illegal) for him to discuss. A Deist, he openly scorned and mocked organized religion. He was especially disgusted by the priests and those in religious power. In the section entitled ‘Priest’ in his ‘Philosophical Dictionary,’ he claims that the priests are hypocrites who encite wars, and who hold themselves greater than they could ever hope to be. In his stories, the Catholic priests are presented as fat, lazy, and who steal from the poor, whereas the people who hold scorned religions, like the Jesuits, are truly good people, who wish for nothing other than to help the poor and impoverished.
His ‘Philosophical Dictionary’ is written in alphabetical order, in which he writes about his views on virtually everything, from Hell and Fraud, to Bees and Cannibals. It was full of irony, sarcasm, maxims, and quotes. He wrote it in this way on purpose: it made it extremely hard to counter his arguments. Whereas others wrote about one thing and left it at that, he wrote such great volumes that the people he angered had little chance to stop him. The book itself was outlawed, but this didn’t stop the public from getting the book, piece by piece. A brief aside: Thomas Jefferson owned a full set of the original publications.
He also has claim to what I view as one of the greatest, and funniest, last words spoken ever. On his deathbed, a priest came to him and asked him to repent and denounce Satan. His reply: ‘Now’s no time to be making enemies.’
The Portable Voltaire
Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire
The Italian Renaissance Reader
Voltaire is yet another of my favorite authors. Born in 1694, Francios-Marie Arouet was educated in a Jesuit school in Paris. He spent a great deal of time in prison during his life, because he was great at causing controversy, and is granted as one of the greatest satirists to ever live. The French Enlightenment is often referred to as ‘The Age of Voltaire.’ Many of his works were outlawed in countries, such as his ‘Philosophical Dictionary’ and ‘Letters on England.’
No topic was too taboo (or illegal) for him to discuss. A Deist, he openly scorned and mocked organized religion. He was especially disgusted by the priests and those in religious power. In the section entitled ‘Priest’ in his ‘Philosophical Dictionary,’ he claims that the priests are hypocrites who encite wars, and who hold themselves greater than they could ever hope to be. In his stories, the Catholic priests are presented as fat, lazy, and who steal from the poor, whereas the people who hold scorned religions, like the Jesuits, are truly good people, who wish for nothing other than to help the poor and impoverished.
His ‘Philosophical Dictionary’ is written in alphabetical order, in which he writes about his views on virtually everything, from Hell and Fraud, to Bees and Cannibals. It was full of irony, sarcasm, maxims, and quotes. He wrote it in this way on purpose: it made it extremely hard to counter his arguments. Whereas others wrote about one thing and left it at that, he wrote such great volumes that the people he angered had little chance to stop him. The book itself was outlawed, but this didn’t stop the public from getting the book, piece by piece. A brief aside: Thomas Jefferson owned a full set of the original publications.
He also has claim to what I view as one of the greatest, and funniest, last words spoken ever. On his deathbed, a priest came to him and asked him to repent and denounce Satan. His reply: ‘Now’s no time to be making enemies.’
Dante's Inferno
This blog is about one of my all-time favorite books and, in my opinion, hands down one of the greatest books ever written: Infierno (or The Inferno) by Dante Alighieri.
A book that has been held in critical acclaim from its first publication to present day, it is without argument the most influential book on the Western perception of Hell. While Dante took many of facets of his work from early Christian Apocalypses, he melded them together with other modern perceptions in such a way that only a true master of language could possibly attain. The first book in his trilogy “The Divine Comedy,” in which Dante travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, finally seeing God in person, it is by far the most well-known and well-read. What truly fascinates me is just how flawless he managed to make his work, because of the sheer layout of the ‘Divine Comedy.’ It is divided into three books, each book has 33 cantos (chapters), each canto is divided into 33 stanzas, and each stanza is three lines, following an ABACDC rhyme scheme, and each book ends with the word ‘stars.’ When I first learned that, I was dumbfounded, and truly awestruck that a man was capable of doing this six centuries after he had died.
The Inferno follows Dante through Hell itself, lead by the poet Roman Virgil, whom in real life Dante greatly admired. Hell exists as an inverted cylinder, sinking further and further into the Earth, until the very center is found, with Satan himself trapped. Each level holds punishments worse than the next, each for sinners of greater and greater sin. The circles of Hell hold sinners as follows: virtuous pagans and unbaptized children, the lustful, the gluttonous, hoarders and wasters, the wrathful, the heretics, the violent, simple fraud, and finally compound fraud. The greatest sin is reserved for those who are treacherous to their benefactors. The three greatest sinners of humanity: Cassius, Brutus, and Judas, are forever chewed by Satan, who is himself trapped for all eternity in a lake of frozen ice.
The punishments Dante doles out to sinners is an ironic twist on their sin. Those who were gluttons in life spend their death bloated and sickened, those who were wrathful drag giant boulders behind them while attacking tooth and claw others who share their fate.
A book that has been held in critical acclaim from its first publication to present day, it is without argument the most influential book on the Western perception of Hell. While Dante took many of facets of his work from early Christian Apocalypses, he melded them together with other modern perceptions in such a way that only a true master of language could possibly attain. The first book in his trilogy “The Divine Comedy,” in which Dante travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, finally seeing God in person, it is by far the most well-known and well-read. What truly fascinates me is just how flawless he managed to make his work, because of the sheer layout of the ‘Divine Comedy.’ It is divided into three books, each book has 33 cantos (chapters), each canto is divided into 33 stanzas, and each stanza is three lines, following an ABACDC rhyme scheme, and each book ends with the word ‘stars.’ When I first learned that, I was dumbfounded, and truly awestruck that a man was capable of doing this six centuries after he had died.
The Inferno follows Dante through Hell itself, lead by the poet Roman Virgil, whom in real life Dante greatly admired. Hell exists as an inverted cylinder, sinking further and further into the Earth, until the very center is found, with Satan himself trapped. Each level holds punishments worse than the next, each for sinners of greater and greater sin. The circles of Hell hold sinners as follows: virtuous pagans and unbaptized children, the lustful, the gluttonous, hoarders and wasters, the wrathful, the heretics, the violent, simple fraud, and finally compound fraud. The greatest sin is reserved for those who are treacherous to their benefactors. The three greatest sinners of humanity: Cassius, Brutus, and Judas, are forever chewed by Satan, who is himself trapped for all eternity in a lake of frozen ice.
The punishments Dante doles out to sinners is an ironic twist on their sin. Those who were gluttons in life spend their death bloated and sickened, those who were wrathful drag giant boulders behind them while attacking tooth and claw others who share their fate.
The Eleusinian Mysteries
The sources for this blog are:
Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries by Mylonas
Classical Myth by Barry Powell
The Eleusinian Mysteries was a cult in ancient Greece, centered around the fertility goddess Demeter at the town of Eleusis. In mythology, only members of this cult could travel to the Underworld while still alive, and so every hero that did so (Herakles, Orpheus, Odysseus, etc.) was initiated into the Mysteries. Also, the only way to reach the Fields of Elysium (effectively the equivalent of our modern perception of Heaven) was to join the cult. In order to reach the fields, a shade (what was left over after a person died and travelled to Hades) had to say specific things to specific characters from mythology, the last of which was Achilles at ‘The Gray Oak Tree,’ after which the shade was allowed into Paradise. Almost everything that had to be said, and to whom, is known today, except for the last part. Scholars know that only once fully initiated was a person allowed to know the final secret. It was celebrated by a huge ceremony, that culminated in a High Priestess of Demeter opening a box that held the final secret. It has never been found what was in the box, if anything.
The strictest of secrecy was required of all initiates, and even the government of Athens made is a crime to let loose any of the secrets of the cult. In one instance, a member got drunk, and proceeded to act out certain parts of a secret ceremony. Because of this, he had all his property taken, and in another instance a person told all the secrets, to which the government ‘offered one talent for him dead, two to anyone who captured him alive.’
There were five stages or degrees of initiation. The first involved an initial purification, the second a mystic communion, third the initiate was granted the right to view holy object, fourth a crowning of garlands that proved full initiation into the cult, and finally a happiness resulting from a direct communion with the gods.
Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries by Mylonas
Classical Myth by Barry Powell
The Eleusinian Mysteries was a cult in ancient Greece, centered around the fertility goddess Demeter at the town of Eleusis. In mythology, only members of this cult could travel to the Underworld while still alive, and so every hero that did so (Herakles, Orpheus, Odysseus, etc.) was initiated into the Mysteries. Also, the only way to reach the Fields of Elysium (effectively the equivalent of our modern perception of Heaven) was to join the cult. In order to reach the fields, a shade (what was left over after a person died and travelled to Hades) had to say specific things to specific characters from mythology, the last of which was Achilles at ‘The Gray Oak Tree,’ after which the shade was allowed into Paradise. Almost everything that had to be said, and to whom, is known today, except for the last part. Scholars know that only once fully initiated was a person allowed to know the final secret. It was celebrated by a huge ceremony, that culminated in a High Priestess of Demeter opening a box that held the final secret. It has never been found what was in the box, if anything.
The strictest of secrecy was required of all initiates, and even the government of Athens made is a crime to let loose any of the secrets of the cult. In one instance, a member got drunk, and proceeded to act out certain parts of a secret ceremony. Because of this, he had all his property taken, and in another instance a person told all the secrets, to which the government ‘offered one talent for him dead, two to anyone who captured him alive.’
There were five stages or degrees of initiation. The first involved an initial purification, the second a mystic communion, third the initiate was granted the right to view holy object, fourth a crowning of garlands that proved full initiation into the cult, and finally a happiness resulting from a direct communion with the gods.
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