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072: The Invention of Belief

"We believe that we invent symbols. The truth is that they invent us; we are their creature, shaped by their hard, defining edges..." (Gene Wolfe from The Shadow of the Torturer)

A comment which reflects Jung's concept of the collective unconsciousness, Huxley's commentary during his mescaline experience of the existence of the Not-Self reality of objects, and Plato's concept of the Ideal Form. God is in the details, we say, but aren't the details just symbols?

Okay, I may be stretching on the last one, but the idea started in my head by Travis in the thread comments of the last entry is that we don't invent anything, we rediscover through a process of remembering what is already there.

Which, as an aside, reminds me of a thought experiment about the commingling of genetic theory and the existence of Adam and Eve. Now, if we accept the possibility of genetic drift brought about by mutation and you accept that the eating of the apple as First Sin, then it follows that this was the introduction of a mutation into the system which, through the generations which follow, gradually decayed the human DNA. Now, I'm not bringing this up as an argument for racial purity or some such thing, but as an observation of an abstract system. If your system is pure, then it won't develop anomalies. Since we, as human beings, have anomalies (birth defects and what not), then we can conclude that our genetic makeup isn't as rarified as it once was. And, purely as a thought experiment as to the makeup of our mental and physiological states, how like we've become the runt children of Adam and Eve. How less "human" are we?

Now, I'm a child of evolutionary theory and the use of Christian theory of our existence is simply a useful tool to concretualize the discussion of a single point of creation. What I'm circling throughout these observations is the idea that there is some underlying unity to the human experience which supersedes the regionalisms and culturalisms which make us think others are different or of a lesser quality than ourselves. Beneath all the distinctions is a unified system of symbols -- of Ideas -- and it is our ability to touch this abstract (or truly Real) system which makes us human.

And, as we become more and more the stunted runt of the litter through our perseverence in a course of forgetting and denial, are we becoming less human and more just like animals that happen to walk upright and put on fancy dresses for parties?

Anyone remember that dream sequence of the wolves at the dinner party in The Company of Wolves?

Posted by Teppo at February 23, 2004 10:52 PM

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