Conspiracy Theories

“Superstition brings bad luck” Ray Smullyan 5000BC There exists a secret society with branches throughout the world, and its plot is to spread the rumour that a universal plot exists. Synarchy – a new European order led by a government of wise men, above party lines – […]  is a plot of international technocrats. It’s … Continue reading “Conspiracy Theories”

ZMM Brainwashing

Interesting reference in Umberto Eco’s “Foucault’s Pendulum” – the book is (a fiction) about a germ of deadly truth behind endless crackpot mystical and occult theories of mythical conspiracies of Aryan, Hebrew, Templar, Catholic, Masonic coincidences and cabals. I’m only 40% through, but whilst Eco doesn’t mention Pirsig or ZMM work by name he does include this … Continue reading “ZMM Brainwashing”

Psybertron’s Pirsig Pages

Robert M Pirsig (6 Sept 1928 – 24 Apr 2017) Author and creator of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” (ZMM-1974) “Lila – an Enquiry into Morals” (Lila-1991) The Metaphysics of Quality (MoQ – Timeless) Click Here for Latest Pirsig News Click for #ZMM50th Introduction [Introduction] [Timeline] [News] [More] [Links] [Top] [Blog] Since 2002, … Continue reading “Psybertron’s Pirsig Pages”

Wittgenstein Disappointment

Instead of reading David Morey’s novel (which I had with me on our trip to the Gulf Coast over the Thanksgiving holiday) I finished Wittgenstein’s “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus” and got about half-way through “Philosophical Investigations”. The latter so far just seems to continue casting doubt on the science (logic) of natural language, and of course logic … Continue reading “Wittgenstein Disappointment”

Enlightened Reading ?

I’ve barely blogged or posted anywhere in the last few months, almost none in the last month. Just too busy with the day job, and in a temporary state domestically. We move into a longer term place next weekend. I have however found some disjointed time to do some reading. I think the last things … Continue reading “Enlightened Reading ?”

More on Memes

I need to get this topic at the right level, following the Blackmore vs Midgley outing of yesterday. Before memes, let’s get the garbage out of the way …. It was set up as Blackmore vs Midgley, a combative argument – I have (on this very blog) agreed with both Midgley and Blackmore – I … Continue reading “More on Memes”

Consciousness and Pirsig

Following a search hit I find a source that links many of mine …. Pirsig and VUB/Heilighen, (Einstein Meets Magritte) with Josephson (explaining the paranormal with open minded science) with Dennett, Searle and Chalmers (PoM / Consciousness) in the Journal of Consciousness Studies. A paper in the 1995 JCS reviewing the 1995 Einstein Meets Magritte … Continue reading “Consciousness and Pirsig”

Semantic Web n’all that

I took delight in discovering some time ago that the “semantic web” was coined by Michel Foucault (“Les Mots Et Les Choses” 1966, aka “The Order of Things” to distinguish it from Quine’s “Word and Object”) many years before Tim Berners-Lee came along. Not that I have anything against Sir TBL – it’s just part … Continue reading “Semantic Web n’all that”

Philosophy of Technology Reading List

Philosophy of Technology Reading List – From the UIUC (Uni Illinois at Urbana) – eight years old, but interesting nevertheless. (Marx, Wiener, Heidegger, Baudrillard, Herrigel, Pirsig, Buckie-Fuller, Foucault, Penrose, Theroux, to name a few)