Re: virus: Re: Discipline of Translation

brett robertson (unameit@tctc.com)
Wed, 09 Jul 1997 02:26:19 -0500


At 08:46 PM 7/8/97 -0700, you wrote:
>
>
>
>> On Mon, 7 Jul 1997, David McFadzean wrote:
>>
>> > Hmmm, reasoning about Zen? That's supposed to be impossible.
>>
>> You can reason about abnormal pych. as well. But I have yet to see
>> someone chart the causality of magical thinking.
>>
>> -Prof. Tim
>
>Sorry, that last part should read, "...chart the internal causality
>/within/ magical thinking."
>
>For clarity sake-
>-Prof. Tim
>

Here's an attempt to chart the internal causality within magical
thinking:

A chart with four quadrants can be drawn (see attachment...oops can't
send attachment) which categorizes "mind", "spirit", "body" and "matter"
into separate areas connected only by the central point "acceptance/non
acceptance". Acceptance is further defined by the terms "hope",
"desire", "need" and "want" which are then plotted as 4 separate points
outside of the dimensions represented by the original graph (hope
between mind and spirit...desire between spirit and body...need between
body and matter...want between matter and mind). The interactions of
any 4 designations produces the correlatives labeled "inspiration",
"healing", "miracles", and "revelation".*

The point of this graph is to illustrate that ones degree of acceptance
of the correlation between mind and body (for example)--is related to
the extent to which matter meets ones wants and needs. The area on this
graph which corresponds to non-acceptance of this relationship is
labeled "miracle". The assumption being that acceptance is rational and
unacceptance irrational (rationality defined in this case by the
prevailing societal perspective of focus on spirit, body, matter, mind
and acceptance; rather than a second perspective which focuses on hopes,
desires, needs, wants, and non-acceptance). Still, the "correctness" of
either perspective is exactly equal, mathematically speaking, as the
chart can be folded in upon itself--the center point becoming the outer
points/the outer points becoming the center--to represent this second
perspective without changing the plotted relationship.

*I am assuming that these categories satisfy your requirement for
"magical thinking"

Brett