Re: Chaos. (Chaaaooossss?)

From: Nils Weinander <nilsw_at_ibm.net>
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 19:07:16 +0200


Simon Hibbs:
>
> >I'd say extra-cosmic is one explanation _why_ they
> >show up as gut-wrenching corruption. Saying that chaos
> >_is_ extra-cosmic gives precedence to the Orlanthi/
> >Praxian view.
>
> I don't think it does. Illuminated Lunar philosophers
> may disagree with Orlanthis and Praxians on many
> points, but so far as I know they basicaly agree on
> the extra-cosmic orrigin of chaos. They do however
> completely disagree regarding it's moral status and
> value.

The lunars then exist (partially at least) in the same cultural sphere as the orlanthi and the praxians insofar as recognizing the same definition/explanation of chaos.

But, saying that chaos and its definition in itself is a universal constant is saying that the easterners are wrong, which goes against the basics of Gloranthan metaphysics.

Alex F:
>
>Then everyone would more or less agree that those horrors identified
>by the Orlanthi as 'chaotic' have some sort of 'extra-cosmic'
>ultimate origin.

I disagree. The East Islanders didn't even know of such a distinction until they heard visitors from the west talk of it. I'm sure there is stuff in the East Isles that an Orlanthi would call chaotic. I don't think an Islander would agree that it is extracosmic.  Since a chaos thingie, like a broo for example, is not the Ultimate it is part of the world to the Islander, including the chaotic part of it.

>Mystical traditions say the 'extra-cosmic' is rather 'the transcendent'.
>Orlanthi then get a deep, deep worried, and somewhat perplexed frown, and
>then say "Illuminant! Kill!!". ;-)

I disagree again. I don't think you can make a parallell between extra-cosmic (as in Orlanthi chaos definition) and the transcendent (or ultimate or what you prefer to call it). The nasties called chaotic are very clearly _not_ transcendent.

Alex F:
>
>> I'm just
>> saying that beyond the different cultural trappings,
>> there is a single layer of "reality". Since nobody
>> knows the whole "truth", you get different interpretations
>> of it. They are all right because nobody of them is.
>
>You haven't demonstrated any basic contradiction on this between _any_
>viewpoints yet, so I disgree that we need employ such handwaving at
>_this_ particular point.

Disagreement noted. I'll shut up before we start discussion objective vs subjective.



Nils Weinander | Everything is dust in the wind nilsw_at_ibm.net | http://www.geocities.com/Paris/8689/

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