Answers float, feathers—
Not of angels, but finches—
Settling with autumn.
c
i
e
n
c
Eden’s tree sheds leaves—
Life forms, these than which nothing
Meeker can be thought.
Answers float, feathers— Not of angels, but finches— Settling with autumn. c i e n c Eden’s tree sheds leaves— Life forms, these than which nothing Meeker can be thought. |
Author's Comments
My entry for =Mattiello's Acrostic Haiku Contest (Or Haikrostu, as I like to call them). It's a bit of a complicated form, so, if you can't tell, there are two acrostic words here: "Anselm" (a Medieval philosopher) and "science", the latter linking the two stanzas as a 'liaison'.
EDIT: Well, I never did! I came first! I don't quite know what to say on the matter, I certainly didn't see it coming... Well, congratulations to the other winners (see them all here) and thank you to the judges and =Mattiello for organising it all! Hurrah! --- I think this requires a little explanation, please forgive me if I'm being astoundingly patronising, I promise I mean well... Anselm came up with an ontological proof for the existence of God which goes like this, according to the combined efforts of Captain Wikipedia and Professor Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: 1. God is that than which nothing greater can be thought. 2. God exists in the understanding. 3. It is greater to exist in reality and in the understanding than just in understanding. 4. Therefore, God exists in reality. I suppose I should leave it to you to decide if this proof seems logical and if, indeed, any proof should be sought for God's existence in the first place. So that's where the unusual wording of "than which nothing/ Meeker can be thought" comes from, I'm not inverting things weirdly just to make it aggravating to read.  --- Anyway, this is what happens when I try to fit the arguments between science and religion, Darwinism, ontological proof, and the waning importance of God in modern life into 34 syllables. Really, it would have been so much more sensible to stick with attractive nature imagery.  But it was fun to write, though it would have been nice to delve a little deeper with the themes. Why couldn't Anselm have a longer name??  Of course, I would really appreciate advice on this and any other feedback, if you have the time and inclination to give it to me!  |
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Comments
I think Kant and Hume did their bit to bring Anselm's, and later Descartes', argument to its knees. Yet it still registers in today's world. Yet all it essentially does is provide the evidence that God exists only in the mind - as existence is not a predicate. Anselm talk's of the 'fool', influenced by psalms, as that even the Atheist understands God as a being which nothing greater can be conceived - and thus the atheist understands that God exists, and his understanding proves his existence - according to Anselm. this is ridiculous however, as the Atheist is concerned with what is physical, and understands that there is no 100% empirical proof of God's existence - therefore Anselm's a priori argument, concerned by definition of the word 'God', is rendered irrelevant. For Haiku, it works very well - containing lovely imagery and attempts to display its themes simply and bluntly, yet very smoothly: Pound would be proud.
--
a voice inside my head breaks the analogue.
~Judas130
The whole proof seems to go on the basis that there must actually be a thing than which nothing greater can be thought, whereas, as you say, all it proves is that it exists in our minds. Hypothetically, that than which nothing greater can be thought would have to exist, but there's no reason for there to be a thing than which nothing greater can be thought. Believing that humans can essentially imagine things into existence seems rather arrogant to me... (And leads me to wonder if Anselm ever thought about whether God existed before there were beings able to have such complex imaginings... Though, of course, 'that than which nothing greater can be thought' would have to be eternal. Perhaps, once we came into being, God began to have existed for eternity?
And I think that, were there a satisfactory proof, it would take away a lot of what I like about faith. I don't really want certainty and logic when I feel the need for God; knowing that God definitely had certain properties would take away some of the comfort of being able to imagine God as I want God to be. If that makes any sense. *purses lips at own badly-worded ramblings*
Oh, and thank you very much for the kind words!
--
A stitch in time mucks up the space-time continuum.
Clicking this link will give you superpowers*.
*May just be a very sneaky way to make you look at my page. But probably not.
I feel you very much sum up the process of faith. Faith is, in the most pessimistic of rhetoric, a conclusive cognitive mechanism - it is natural to thought, and has been proven so. Faith is undoubted hope and assurance - yet this does not guarantee certainty in postulation. Faith is, however, a wondrous tool, capable of taking the theist from A to B with a hearty life, a morality system (perhaps), and a religion toward which a community can be subscribed - as well as the greatest of human capability and inspiration. Many people hammer their ideals of their God on their neighbours, and discredit all other interpretations of divine deities, yet how can their God be certain, if so many people see it differently? It thus rests that the believer must shape God to their needs and comforts. I believe Man created God (My God, if anything, is Spinoza's Deistic God - because it is empirically proven, only impersonal and uncaring) yet, conceptually, God can be anything and everything you want God to be - and this is harmless: it is the utilisation of God within life that truly matters however - how this symbolic guide will lead the believer over a horizon of inestimable situation and make the concious better for it
- happy journeying
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a voice inside my head breaks the analogue.
~Judas130
I'm done whispering now.
Accepted for the contest -- good luck!
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[link] Counting Clouds - an exciting book!
[link] My tutorials!
If you LOVE it then suggest it to a GM - now!
--
THIS IS THE GATE OF HEAVEN. ENTER YE ALL BY THIS DOOR. (This door is kept locked because of the draught - please use side door.)
Oh, and that's interesting! I had no idea Archimedes wrote anything on ethics, I'll look it up!
Great, thank you very much!
--
A stitch in time mucks up the space-time continuum.
Clicking this link will give you superpowers*.
*May just be a very sneaky way to make you look at my page. But probably not.
--
"My little old man and I fell out;
I'll tell you what 'twas all about,--
I had money and he had none,
And that's the way the noise begun."
This is just wonderful, and the rhythm of it is so serene (if that makes sense), and gorgeous, and I can't think of the right superlatives to properly praise this ending. The reference to "Eden's tree" (the tree of life?) shedding leaves which become life is such a calming and, well, irenic image. I love it.
And I am very grateful for your explanation - without it, I couldn't have properly appreciated the work you've put into this piece. I haven't read any of Anselm's works, but the one quote of his I do favour (as an amateur (in the "for the love of it" sense of the word) student of theology, my favourite Anselm quote is It gives me a real soft spot for Anselm - he gave himself over to God's grace, in faith, in order to be able to understand the things of God. Most people, especially modernists and post-modernists, are not prepared to take that step. For modernists, the proof has to be on the table before belief can be contemplated. At least that is an intellectually honest position - post-modernists side-step every issue of belief by waving the "each to his own" banner, which is blatant avoidance, or at least postponement, of the issue (yes, I do get a little worked up over this). Time for me to go ...
PS If you want a longer name to explore the issues, try Augustine (of Hippo, no less!)
--
Craig
--
A stitch in time mucks up the space-time continuum.
Clicking this link will give you superpowers*.
*May just be a very sneaky way to make you look at my page. But probably not.
--
"My little old man and I fell out;
I'll tell you what 'twas all about,--
I had money and he had none,
And that's the way the noise begun."
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