"More light"

Ray Bradbury's "Mr. Electrico" would agree, light is life. As Ophelia Benson ‏@OpheliaBenson says, this was "one of the best finales on Northern Exposure, which had lots of stunning ones."

meaning (2)

You can google "meaning of life"...
Or, you could just ask Tooley:


I taught a course called "The Meaning of Life" several years ago, and this was our exit note - on an old VHS tape ripped from the original telecast. Then as now I don't insist on this being THE meaning. It's one of the good ones though, no?

Scott Pratt

1. What is the relevance of the Tualatin people's creation stories? What becomes of the people, in each successive wave of creation?

2. What does American Indian theologian George Tinker think indigenous creation stories can do for humanity? What behavior of indigenous peoples causes Luther Standing Bear to agree? What is Tinker's definition of "liberation"?

3. What is Pratt's thesis regarding pluralism, epistemology, and the relation between European and native American traditions? For what kind of compatibility, & from whose perspective, does he argue?

4. Who is the leading American Indian philosopher of the last fifty years? Does he wish to make common cause with all oppressed minorities?

5. What is most importantly implied by indigenous claims that the earth and its people are a "creation"? How does this differ from the Christian perspective? What is the latter missing, from an indigenous perspective?

6. What is Tinker's proposed "practical response" to environmental crises?

7. What does the Lakota phrase mitakuye oyasin mean?

8. What does Daniel Wildcat propose as the proper outcome of a shared vision between indigenous and non-native peoples? What kind of epistemology will it require?

9. How might we reconcile the two different accounts of river flow (the Skyhomish and the "school" version)? How would you? Or would you?

10. Can origin stories be accurately understood in a pragmatic way that does not contradict scientifically established facts?

There's lots more to talk about, but maybe ten quiz questions is nearly enough. Just one more?

11. Wildcat quotes Bill McKibben: "the most fundamental chemistry lesson for the 21st century is that burning one gallon of gasoline in your car inevitably results in the placement of 5.5 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere." This lesson comes from western science. Is indigenous knowledge irrelevant, in this case?

Just for fun... but does Ed have a point?

more light

Speaking of flashy light shows... This is not the pyrotechnics episode I was looking for, the one with the rockin' soundtrack, but it makes the point more sweetly and vividly. More light = more life.

irresistible

Addiction has a bad name, and usually deserves it. Sometimes it can be channeled in positive ways. Probably not, though, in Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible" story, or Joel Fleischman's. (Did you know he was multi-lingual?) I mention them here self-indulgently, and in an attempt to discharge the memetic loop of that song in my brain triggered by thoughts on this topic. The song is  just fun, and the video just went up on YouTube in time to echo my obsession.

Another example of irresistible, bio-chemical compulsion: the Star Trek crew's addiction to a game, secretly and sinisterly a weapon. Is this what gets people lining up for iPhones et al? Hope not.

"The Meaning of Life"

I once taught a course called "The Meaning of Life" -- lots of fun, if ultimately inconclusive. But on the last day of class we looked at a clip from my all-time-favorite TV show "Northern Exposure" which implied that the M.o.L. is "that old-time rock-&-roll" (music and lyrics by Bob Seger). The point was less literal, of course: we all need to find the particular music of our lives and "dance" to it. Anyway, Terry Eagleton has a new book on the subject. Here's a review excerpt.

Eagleton finally plumps for happiness, currently enjoying a revival among economists, philosophers and even politicians. But he points out with Aristotle that happiness comes in many and devious forms. . . Happiness disengaged from selfishness and allied to the Greek love for humanity (agape) passes muster, at times almost lyrically so.
The meaning of life is thus not "what you make of it". It is not a passing pleasure, which humans share with animals. Indeed it is not even an answer to a question, but rather "a matter of living life in a certain way". It is an ethical construct and involves treating others as you want them to treat you, caring for those close to you, helping strangers, thinking long term.
The meaning of life to Eagleton is like a jazz band, individuals engaged on a collective endeavour in pursuit of happiness through the mutuality of love.
--Simon Jenkins, in The Guardian -- http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/politicsphilosophyandsociety/0,,2030253,00.html

NOTE to the invisible (hypothetical?) readers of this blog: With the end of Spring Break and my return to reality (and a very large stack of ungraded essays), Delight Springs shifts to a slower pace of publication. New posts will now appear on Tuesdays and Saturdays. But as always, feel free to comment on any of these bottled messages whenever they find you.