PCAPPC

Culture is a shared map of self-evident truths – of metaphysical reality. What's accommodated within the boundaries of the map is what we define as real, as hyper-real, and what lies beyond the boundaries of the map is simply unthinkable. If some influence threatens to perforate the boundary it is quickly extinguished. This is law, and law perpetuates the good and eliminates evil. It holds culture together by nurturing the truth and defending it against threats. Evil gives shape to good, so evil must be invoked and occasionally punished – whether in symbolic ritual or in brutal fact. Culture sometimes defines criminal acts as unnatural, and natural acts as those within the bounds of civil restraint. Science's "natural" laws, once broken, cease being laws altogether. This is what's meant when we say that science is self-correcting. The “natural” law invoked by culture is altogether different; these laws are enforced only in their breaking, and set aside and forgott...

One more post on the subject of God and the Brain before we move onto Harper's. Paradigm shifts, according to The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn, are the changes in world view that enabled and drove western civilization’s scientific advances. But Russell in his book From Science to God says that there are other, wider-reaching paradigms under which the paradigms that Kuhn describes operate. There is, he says, a “meta-paradigm” operative in all civilizations that may be too large, too pervasive for us to even notice. And I believe that these meta-paradigms, too, shift occasionally. Here's my take on three possible paradigm shifts we've experienced in western civilization, and a fourth I think we're almost ready for. I see the following meta-paradigm shifts as part of a continuous spiral: Man is part of the natural world, and what we take from nature must be returned in a gift cycle. This environmental ethic was the meta-paradigm under which society ...

The idea for our next PCA meeting ( Friday, May 11th ) will be to read as much or as little of the March or April issues of Harper's as you like. If you feel inspired, write a blog entry on anything that intrigues you, and comment on other's entries. I will also be posting entries about some of the articles I've read in the past and found especially good, and perhaps a little about the history of the magazine. OK, this isn't a deep, single topic, but it should stimulate a few good conversations and blog threads (since we seem to have so little to discuss when we are together). I've been reading Harper's for a few years. I wish I'd discovered it a few decades ago. I love the length and depth of the articles. I like the political viewpoint that seems very different from any other established magazines. When I have the time to read it, I find the fiction excellent. I hate to sound like an ad, but if you find you enjoy Harper's, you may want to subscribe f...