The next big thingagainst_demonsMay 10 2006, 23:08:33 UTC
It depends on what happens in the next century, I think. Romanticism arose after the industrial revolution, modernism arose as a response to romanticism (actually, I'm not sure where modernism came from...I should ask my English prof), and postmodernism arose as a reaction to WWII, as well as being a reaction to modernism. So I don't know what this next big thing is...there's probably information about it online somewhere. It's interesting to think about, though.
Yeah the arguments people use for the "dichotomy between mental and physical" are pretty ridiculous. However, I've always kept the possible existence of the soul in mind because of how hard it is to imagine yourself after death. You are probably not in an eternal dream state since your brain is rotting; the logical option is you fail to exist any more but that gives many people (including myself) trouble because you seem to be losing the identity and existence that you worked so hard to build. Try imagining your death scene: lying on bed, everything goes black, and then poof, I don't exist anymore? Of course, it could very well be the matter of pride preventing the people from being able to imagine the world going on without them
( ... )
Yeah, of course these scientific speculation hold more credibility (at least for me) than emotional rationalization but I guess humans are just more comforted by concrete evidence, which is an integral part of science as well.
My physics examples are merely a demonstration of how you can keep asking the question of how the universe started until you get to how did matter come to exist. So even if we do solve the problem of the brain chemicals vs. soul by proof/evidence, the physical existence of the universe (which might seem even more impossible to reconcile) is going to still be a topic of competition between the scientists and the religious people.
It's a shame actually, that we can't really perform MORE science (empirical: switching brains, cloning, etc.) in these areas because of the eminent ethical issues associated with it.
What are some of your favorite contemporary authors? I don't read many, because I haven't found that I like them very much, but I can say that I haven't been able to find any sort of... connecting theme in any of them. We're kind of like the Random Generation, as opposed to the Lost Generation. But then again, I'm just a stupid little girl who probably can't see things in perspective.
I have Heart of the Matter, but Meera tells me to read End of the Affair!
Oh crap, I meant End of the Affair. I blame it on the bump to my head. And I don't read that many contemporary authors either, partly because it's hard to tell who's going to be a classic and I realize I've been trying to read classics. But that's sort of boring; it'd be more interesting to keep a mental list of what next generation's classics will be, and see how I compare.
Toni Morrison is good without being really enjoyable... Amy Tan's subject matter is more redemptive than her actual writing... Er, I do read a lot of literature that's destined not to be classic, though. Harhar.
Toni Morrison... I don't know. I didn't like Beloved at all, I thought Song of Solomon was good but pretty forgettable. Amy Tan... I actually really like her writing, but get excruciatingly bored with her subject matter. She writes about the same thing over,and over, and over, and over again. And sometimes she does read too much like an Asian version of Danielle Steel.
I actually really liked Beloved, much more than any other book by her, and I really don't know why. Hmm. Her books are uniformly difficult to enjoy, especially when you want her to hurry up and forget the "poetic" prose.
Amy Tan's writing style is great, it's really fun to read, but she's only on literature lists because she writes about Asians becoming bananas.
Christine, you should write the next big piece of literature! so I can read something that's not boring or abstruse or bloggy...
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My physics examples are merely a demonstration of how you can keep asking the question of how the universe started until you get to how did matter come to exist. So even if we do solve the problem of the brain chemicals vs. soul by proof/evidence, the physical existence of the universe (which might seem even more impossible to reconcile) is going to still be a topic of competition between the scientists and the religious people.
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I should really start doing my homework.
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I have Heart of the Matter, but Meera tells me to read End of the Affair!
Reply
Toni Morrison is good without being really enjoyable... Amy Tan's subject matter is more redemptive than her actual writing... Er, I do read a lot of literature that's destined not to be classic, though. Harhar.
Reply
Reply
Amy Tan's writing style is great, it's really fun to read, but she's only on literature lists because she writes about Asians becoming bananas.
Christine, you should write the next big piece of literature! so I can read something that's not boring or abstruse or bloggy...
Reply
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