Comments on: The Premiseless Imperative: Shooting for the Existential Buzz http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/ Gnosticism, Forteana, fun and more from a modern Gnostic Minister. Formerly "Fantastic Planet." The opinions expressed hereon are solely those of the author, and do not represent the opinions of The Palm Tree Garden Gnostic Community. Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:22:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Russellji http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/#comment-27 Russellji Sat, 16 Jun 2007 06:52:56 +0000 http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/#comment-27 Shades of Ouspensky!!!! I am really enjoying this series. I am a relative new comer to the Gnostic works on the Web, although I have dabbled in some Gnostic literature. My own tradition over the decades, has been within Theosophy, Yoga, Mahayana Buddhism, and Advaita with a daily spiritual discipline coming from A Course in Miracles. I am finding your discourses to date reaffirming what I have learned from these. Keep in mind I only found this site the other day. I was going to ask about eternity, but see that you're going to cover it - can't wait!!! Shades of Ouspensky!!!!

I am really enjoying this series. I am a relative new comer to the Gnostic works on the Web, although I have dabbled in some Gnostic literature.

My own tradition over the decades, has been within Theosophy, Yoga, Mahayana Buddhism, and Advaita with a daily spiritual discipline coming from A Course in Miracles. I am finding your discourses to date reaffirming what I have learned from these. Keep in mind I only found this site the other day.

I was going to ask about eternity, but see that you’re going to cover it - can’t wait!!!

]]> By: speedbird http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/#comment-30 speedbird Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:05:43 +0000 http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/#comment-30 I first got the Big Numbers Headrush when (I forget where, unfortunately) I saw my first Schmidt plate. A Schmidt camera is a telescope designed for mapping the sky in detail - it magnifies a small patch of sky into a photographic negative about a foot on a side. They had one of these on a light box, with a magnifier for looking at the detail. Through the magnifier, all you can see is soot on a white background. But after a while you notice that most of the stars look kind of smeary, like the lens isn't quite right. And then it hits you... each grain of soot isn't a star... it's a galaxy... Cantor rocks. First think of every possible fraction: 999/1000, 1000/1001 etc. Cantor says that between even the closest possible fractions there are more numbers than even the total number of fractions. Trippy, huh? Puts a whole new spin on the 'God of the Gaps' theory. Ever heard of Hilbert's Hotel? Hilbert's hotel (named after a mathematical giant of the nineteenth century) has an infinite number of rooms (1, 2 ...), all occupied. One day an infinite number of guests arrive. 'No problem,' says Hilbert, 'Everyone in the hotel, move into the room with the number twice your own, and all the new people move into the odd-numbered rooms.' Cantor showed that the number of possible subsets of a set is always bigger than the original set - even if the original set is infinite. So if we tried to set aside a room of the Hotel for each possible different combiniation of guests to have a party in, /we'd run out of space/. :-D I first got the Big Numbers Headrush when (I forget where, unfortunately) I saw my first Schmidt plate. A Schmidt camera is a telescope designed for mapping the sky in detail - it magnifies a small patch of sky into a photographic negative about a foot on a side. They had one of these on a light box, with a magnifier for looking at the detail. Through the magnifier, all you can see is soot on a white background. But after a while you notice that most of the stars look kind of smeary, like the lens isn’t quite right. And then it hits you… each grain of soot isn’t a star… it’s a galaxy…

Cantor rocks. First think of every possible fraction: 999/1000, 1000/1001 etc. Cantor says that between even the closest possible fractions there are more numbers than even the total number of fractions. Trippy, huh? Puts a whole new spin on the ‘God of the Gaps’ theory.

Ever heard of Hilbert’s Hotel? Hilbert’s hotel (named after a mathematical giant of the nineteenth century) has an infinite number of rooms (1, 2 …), all occupied. One day an infinite number of guests arrive. ‘No problem,’ says Hilbert, ‘Everyone in the hotel, move into the room with the number twice your own, and all the new people move into the odd-numbered rooms.’

Cantor showed that the number of possible subsets of a set is always bigger than the original set - even if the original set is infinite. So if we tried to set aside a room of the Hotel for each possible different combiniation of guests to have a party in, /we’d run out of space/. :-D

]]> By: JP http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/#comment-31 JP Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:23:45 +0000 http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/#comment-31 Eee-yikes! This is really awesome stuff. Eee-yikes! This is really awesome stuff.

]]> By: JP http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/#comment-34 JP Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:44:44 +0000 http://www.palmtreegarden.org/fp/2007/06/15/the-premiseless-imperative-shooting-for-the-existential-buzz/#comment-34 <i>Russellji: I was going to ask about eternity, but see that you’re going to cover it - can’t wait!!!</i> I'm not sure that the next post is going to address eternity in the way you're anticipating, Rus. Please let me know if you have any questions! Russellji: I was going to ask about eternity, but see that you’re going to cover it - can’t wait!!!
I’m not sure that the next post is going to address eternity in the way you’re anticipating, Rus. Please let me know if you have any questions!

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