Erudition

Seig

Anyone here interested in Theology, Metaphysics, Spirituality, Divine Metaphysics, Meditation, The Art of Warfare, Celestial Mechanics, Ancient History, Occult Studies, the Esoteric, or any other branch of knowledge?

Borscin

Well.. I like funny pictures of cats..

Seig

Funny pictures of cats = Comedy. Comedy is an important branch of the human expierance.

Arbre

Didn't you just say "is anyone interested in anything that exists?"

Seig

I dont remember saying that anywhere, but that's a fine way to put it. People with a natural, unyielding thirst for the knowledge contained within the fabric of reality is what I created this little forum discussion for. I can safely assume that such people exist within the confines of the Aetolian Community.

Seig

Let me make something utterly clear. This discussion thread is not for those who think they are better than anyone else. A truly curious soul who wants to know more is humble, and slow to judge or put down his fellow man when it comes to delving into various branches of knowledge. I am NOT a psudo-smart ass, and I take no steps to flaunt what I know in front of others. Behavior like that is disgusting and does not lead to the pursuit of true knowledge.

Lin

Calm thyself, broseph. Arbre's making a joke.

We all have our interests - I could chat you up about futurology, programming, or linguistics, for instance. You just need to be more specific, or I'm afraid it does sound very much like you're trying to coyly ask for the company of smart people.

Aldric

..Are we pretending to be our characters here, or are you just really into this stuff?

Seig

I'm actualy interested in this stuff. My character is a dumping ground for various aspects of myself. But for me to go into detail about that, it would be best for a seperate thread to be created, and I dont really want to do that right now.

 

Lin, what drove you to the study of linguistics? When someone taps into a particular branch of Knowledge, I find that there is usualy a root reason that fuels that drive and immersion. I'm curious as to what the root reason for you was.

Arbre

My post was only half-way a joke - I'm pretty sure that's what you said, and therefore this thread is so incredibly inspecific as to lend me no idea what or how to reply.

Seig

I will give you light, Arbre. This thread is for the discussion, pursuit, obsession, immersion, and cultivation of any and all branches of knowledge. Picture the collective knowledge of the universe as a giant oak tree. Climb it's branches until you come to rest on one that is comfortable for your mind.

Arbre

So, again, it's a thread about anything.  I'm sincerely not trying to troll you, nor do I think you're stupid for this, I just think you're trying to present it in an.. inapplicable manner.  Saying "let's talk about anything!" is great, but doesn't -actually- lend itself to productive conversation.  Now, if you want to pick a starting topic and run from there with the clause "there's nothing off topic in this thread" or some such, you might actually get somewhere (I hope that sentence made sense).

I'm not sure why I'm posting, even.  Mild case of "someone on the internet is wrong" syndrome.

Lin

Lin, what drove you to the study of linguistics? When someone taps into a particular branch of Knowledge, I find that there is usualy a root reason that fuels that drive and immersion. I'm curious as to what the root reason for you was.

For the better part of seven years, I was practically joined at the hip to a girl whose friends commonly thought of her as the "English Teacher." She introduced me to the book Snow Crash, which for the unaware, explores the concept of infecting people with language, with the ability to control them through special use of it. Between that and the idea of Newspeak in 1984, I was hooked. Good intentions, I know.

I love languages, the way they evolve, they way they're not just limited to the words themselves but also inflection, tone, emotion and context. Language is an artform, every bit as expressive as painting or music.

Kiyotan

I read a book in my Multicultural Lit class at UMD that demonstrated how language links to a person's definition of self. Wish I could remember the title

Oh god inb4 "you forgot it because pot addiction lol"

Daskalos

you forgot it because pot addiction lol.

Serrice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifteen_Decisive_Battles_of_the_World

I really like this book. It's hilariously racist in this quaint, 19th century paternalistic way.

Innin

Well, I'm interested in the mechanics of relationships, how they evolve, peoples expectations in them, the driving forces behind them. I dabble into string theory and its possible affects on the way we shape our own reality. I keep a pocket version of Sun Zu with me in my bag, if nothing else to see what someone else would have done in a situation I might find myself in (I view it as a mini-guide of sorts in my professional life, in the light sense of the word). Other things interest me aswell, of course, but I'm responding-ish to what you seemed to be asking for. Like Arbre, however, I'm not quite sure what the purpose of the thread is? If you're wanting to create a page for general discussion, on any and all topics, mayhap you could start with posing a question on something that interests you out of the examples you've given, and I'm sure people will have things to say. 

Seig

Lin said:

For the better part of seven years, I was practically joined at the hip to a girl whose friends commonly thought of her as the "English Teacher." She introduced me to the book Snow Crash, which for the unaware, explores the concept of infecting people with language, with the ability to control them through special use of it. Between that and the idea of Newspeak in 1984, I was hooked. Good intentions, I know.

I love languages, the way they evolve, they way they're not just limited to the words themselves but also inflection, tone, emotion and context. Language is an artform, every bit as expressive as painting or music.

I have a book in my library that is a particular favorite of mine, called The Great Transformation, by Karen Armstrong. In one portion of the book, she touches on how the Aryans considered Language in itself a "Divine" aspect of reality. Basicly the spoken word was a God. This carried on into the Brahmin Hindu faith, during it's early forms, when Aryan cattle raiders and warriors led a combined invasion/migration from their steppe homes into India. One of their rituals was for two individuals to sit opposite of one another, and speak back and forth to one another. They would speak to one another about the mystery of the Universe, and as each individual spoke their turn, they would have to compact and shorten their explanation. Eventualy, each person was brought down to Silence, and they basked in the personification of the Mystery of Time and Space, which was the Silence that was generated by their failure to sum it all up.

Valenae

This sort of reminds me of Being and Time by Heidegger. 

Seig

Innin said:

Well, I'm interested in the mechanics of relationships, how they evolve, peoples expectations in them, the driving forces behind them. I dabble into string theory and its possible affects on the way we shape our own reality. I keep a pocket version of Sun Zu with me in my bag, if nothing else to see what someone else would have done in a situation I might find myself in (I view it as a mini-guide of sorts in my professional life, in the light sense of the word). Other things interest me aswell, of course, but I'm responding-ish to what you seemed to be asking for. Like Arbre, however, I'm not quite sure what the purpose of the thread is? If you're wanting to create a page for general discussion, on any and all topics, mayhap you could start with posing a question on something that interests you out of the examples you've given, and I'm sure people will have things to say. 

If you are interested in the mechanics of relationships, and so on, you might be interested in the concept of Esprit De Corp. It holds alot of sway and power within military spheres of influence, but can be applied to the civilian sector as well.

 

Sun Tzu's Art of Warfare is an outstanding book, and you are not wrong to apply it to your life in things not related to direct combat or the application of combative groups (such as an Army). Alot of the lessons in The Art Of War can not only be applied to warfare, but also day to day life. I have a copy of it that includes alot of commentary and in-depth looks into what Sun Tzu was actualy writing and musing about. Alot of peace doves (anyone that shuns violance or conflict of any type), tend to write the book off as not worth the effort of reading, but there is more to gain from Sun Tzu's text than just proper ways to execute the art of war.

If you like The Art Of War, you might also like The Prince and Other Writings by Niccolo Machiavelli.

Demarcus

Naval Warfare, Astrophysics and Astronomy, and Medical Physics for me. Cheers.

Seig

Anyone here interested in Music Theory? Or just the general study of Music all around?

Kiyotan

Obs made that his life's purpose. Wish we could get him back here.

Ghetz

Kiyotan said:

I read a book in my Multicultural Lit class at UMD that demonstrated how language links to a person's definition of self. Wish I could remember the title

Oh god inb4 "you forgot it because pot addiction lol"

Something like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity ?
I've kind of been interested in linguistics for a while, but when I read about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that kind of blew my mind.

Seig

Anyone here on the forums ever had a moment of Synesthesia?

Lin

Umm, well, my dealer has this strain of 303 Kush that does the trick... does that count?

Seig

I would be paying if it did count.

Emelle

Seig said:

Anyone here interested in Music Theory? Or just the general study of Music all around?

Sure.  What do you want to know?

Seig

As much as possible. Do you think it is possible for music to be wielded in the same manner as language? Using music as a means to translate empathy and mental disposition on a much higher scale than verbal/word communication would be able to achieve?

Emelle

That's a loaded question -- I'd say both yes and no.

Why yes: Music allows us to say the unsayable.  All of us could tell just from listening to a piece of music where it falls on the emotional spectrum, and that understanding has been encoded in us from a young age (the theory behind that is pretty fascinating).  Take film music for an example -- it often tells us how to feel and what to expect before our eyes do.  That guy sneaking around the corner could have a bouquet of flowers, or KNIVES.  Music gives the viewer that cue.

There are also cultures in which music closely imitates language.  In some regions of West Africa, there are tribal/community musicians who play talking drums.  These guys spend their lifetimes learning to play, as well as learning the local history and stories of their villages.  They could recite six generations of someone's genealogy, tell a popular story, or communicate danger to a nearby village all using their drums, which imitate the natural inflection of their native speech. 

Why no: That whole concept of "music as a universal language" is a misnomer.  Like any language, music has dialects, and its aesthetics differ from region to region.  The even phrasing and harmonic language we use in America differs vastly from that used in China or in Indonesia, and because of that our appreciation of their music is limited.  We can learn to appreciate it, but it would take years of study and experience to really understand another culture's music on a level that we naturally understand our own.

There's even variation with what people can appreciate and understand within their own culture.  The symphony orchestra has been with us in America since our ancestors arrived here, but many people living here today would have no idea how to appreciate (or behave at) such a performance.  It's all dependent on the relationship we have with music during our upbringing and over the course of our lives.

Seig

I was highly confused when you more or less described a Bard (any Human that dedicates their lives to a geographical location, and the music and knowledge that is inherent in it's indigenous population). I personally had come to the conclusion that the last Bardic Tradition had died with the Old World due to the rise of the Modern Era, making the need for a walking sponge of knowledge to no longer need it's place among humans.

I did some research and digging around, and I came across a caste of West African Bards called Griot, the same people you described above. These individuals are highly structured around Endogamy when it comes to interactions between segments of the human population and geographical regions, in regards to marriage, clan bonds, or "blood and soil" matters. This group of humans are true Bards in every sense of the word, preserving the practice of merging strong musical traditions with the pursuit of knowledge. I will admit, that I was more than a little disbelieving when you described a caste of Bards within West African society, and instead of putting down what you shared, once my research was complete, I instead opted to have my mind blown. These Griot's are remnants of the Old World, preserving an archaic caste of humans that I truly hope never fades away from the Earth.