Contemplating Change September 24, 2008
Posted by Stewart in All posts.Tags: change, dynamic, nature, philosophy, stasis
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It seems almost characteristically human that we human beings desire to lock favorable traits and circumstances in a state of enduring stasis. We desire to keep what is favorable in a state of constant preservation, free from change, alteration or modification – immutable in a sense. It is like locking something, usually precious, in a deep vault in the corner, attempting to secure it there where it is one’s vain hope that it will not become subject to any change from the outside world; that it will be preserved and endure. In the short-term, this hope is not vain. However, in the long-term, it is inevitable that even the vault itself will change form as time corrodes its exterior, laying bare its interior.
Despite these desires, however strong they may be, nature is dynamic. Its various environmental factors are in constant change, most of which is beyond our control. Change in environmental conditions is the driving force behind adaptation. We adapt to our dynamic environment in order to best survive and navigate it successfully. Without change in the environment, whatever that change may be, there would be no development, no evolution, no formation of character or conscience. In that sense, change, though we may not always like it, is necessary for growth to occur, and while we may resist it at times, change seems not only inevitable in this world, but necessary for its development.
The Matrix – exploring philosophy July 12, 2008
Posted by Stewart in All posts.Tags: philosophy, the matrix
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The Matrix, written and directed by the Wachowski brothers is an impressive science-fiction action film set in the distant future where intelligent machines are the dominant species and free humanity struggles for survival while the rest of their brethren are utilized as an energy source to power the machine world. In the film, ‘the Matrix’ describes the “computer generated dreamworld” that the vast majority of humanity plugged into it believes is real, when in fact it is nothing more than a web of illusion – a computer simulation designed as a system of control – a “prison for [one's] mind.”
Set in this context, the Wachoswki brothers encourage the audience, like Neo, to break through the illusion and ask the question “What is real?” It is a fundamental philosophical question that the film explores to a high degree. The Matrix is not real, it is an illusion, but also more importantly, a system of control. Here perhaps, the Wachoswki brothers make a social critique or commentary. They prompt the audience to consider the systems of control that exist in their own lives – the matrix in the real world.
The machines themselves act as a powerful symbol. They represent “rigid thinking and institutionalized control” (see video below – Return to the source.) And the matrix itself represents what becomes of humanity when we become “passive consumers” and when we are ‘asleep’ so to speak. When we are ignorant or unaware of our situation, we become open to manipulation, or in the case of The Matrix, we become the batteries that power a mechanical society – a “means of production” to an end. The Wachoswki brothers offer this commentary through such powerful plot devices, and lead us to ponder whether we are ‘asleep’ to reality or at least unaware to the point that we may become suggestible or subjects of systematic manipulation in a system of control.
2007, Return to the source [online], Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnn3Y9v_cww [Accessed: 12.7.2008].
The above video Return to the source offers some interesting analysis of the philosophical aspects that permeate throughout The Matrix triology. The commentators offer their insights and draw parallels between the narrative and themes of The Matrix, ancient stories, myths and beliefs, and society itself. It is an interesting look into the ideas that the film explores and highlights profoundly some of the messages the Wachoswki brothers sought to communicate to the audience.
Mysteries July 11, 2008
Posted by Stewart in All posts.Tags: knowledge, mystery, philosophy, theology, understanding, wisdom
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Mystery abounds in the cosmos. The universe is a mysterious place to us humans, for humanity with its finite knowledge and intellect bound by the limits of sensory perception cannot fully understand or comprehend all that there is to know- all phenomena and aspects of existence. Wisdom thus begins when one acknowledges that one’s knowledge and intellect is finite and limited. It is about embracing the mystery of creation and accepting uncertainty.
Can the human, on his own accord and applying the means of his own feeble intellect, ever come to an understanding of total veracity? Despite the limited capacity of our psyche can we ever possibly – by ourselves and our means of intellectual exercise with its ever evolving sphere of cultivated consciousness – reach an ultimate understanding of reality? Or is it the case that no matter how far we broaden the horizons of our understanding through inquiry, that we shall not, by our own means, come to the fruitful insights of all things real?
We may think that we know. However, even our thinking is limited by that which we can perceive through our senses, and even if it is perceived correctly, stimuli may be interpreted incorrectly, leading to false conclusions or premises that are not based on reality, but merely a misaligned perception of it.
We may think that we do know, or that we can comprehend, perhaps in the future, all that there is. However, this kind of pride is a delusion, or a false and illusory hope that humanity may be able to one day overcome its natural limitations and finite intellect to comprehend even the infinite using human rationality alone. How can that which is finite comprehend with complete accuracy that which is infinite? The infinite is far beyond our comprehension and certainly cannot be grasped by the application of intellectual activity alone.
Being limited in our knowledge, understanding and intellect, therefore, humanity can never fully comprehend the magnificence of its Creator. We fail to fully fathom the majesty of our Maker. St. Augustine contemplated this in having said, “God is not what you imagine or think you understand. If you understand you have failed.” In other words, God is beyond the realm of human comprehension, and no intellectual exercise can ever be performed to offer a full understanding of him. God, our infinite Maker, transcends the full comprehension of finite intellects. In Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, Dante sees a vision of God that is inexplicable and indescribable. Indescribable, as Dante remarks, “that was not a flight for my wings.” Dante admits that he cannot fully understand, comprehend or describe that which he experienced. It was simply beyond his imagination and reckoning. William Kilgore, in Our Mysterious God writes “God transcends human comprehension. He is beyond human logic, beyond man’s ability to reason and deduce.” Kilgore mentions Pslam 139:6, which reads: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” Kilgore comments that “David’s awe-struck confession should be our own when encountering the mysteries of theology.” He concludes his piece, stating that, “our God is indeed ‘mysterious’, transcending finite comprehension.”
How then may we understand anything of God? Through revelation. God chooses what he wills to reveal to us about himself, the nature of creation and our own humanity. God chooses to enlighten humanity by the truth which he reveals, and with that truth comes liberation (John 8:32).
Admitting that we simply do not know everything about our Maker, ourselves and creation is an incredibly humbling experience. It reminds us that we are finite in our abilities; finite in our intellectual capacity, our knowledge and our understanding. It allows us to admit that we do not have all the answers, and indeed we cannot arrive at all the answers by our own limited means. We recognize, therefore, not only our limitations, but the need for faith and trust in our mysterious Maker, who reveals to us what he chooses too and what we could not possibly attain by our own means of understanding which are limited in scope. We are humbled, then, realizing that by our own merits we can never reach a state of static certitude. We are humbled in acknowledging the profound mysteries of our existence and contemplating the mysteries of the cosmos. We may not have all the answers, but perhaps that is where the beauty lies, in the mystery.
