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FALSE_CENTER
September 28, 2000
Add: January 22, 2009
Add: February 11, 2009
HONEST_JOHN
Much of philosophy is at heart a
search for the heart of things,
the core of reality It may be an error
to assume that there
the source of all values is only one.
the god of all gods CLOUDS
the center of the self
This need for a center is so
strong, many people seize on the
first good candidtate they find. FOGGY_BOTTOM
And these may very well be
"false centers"
John Cage said the piece
titled 0'00'' was really
about just going on with 0'0'' was the sequel to
your day, doing whatever the infamous "silent"
you're going to do "as piece, 4'33".
long as it's not selfish".
The original score
In context the dig was one line:
against being
"selfish" seems really "In a situation
peculiar... he's provided with maximum
fixated on this idea amplification (no
that "selfishness is feedback), perform a
bad", so it crops up disciplined action." One might
in odd places. wonder why
He later clarified it must be
Which left me thinking about that he meant 'disciplined'.
how some people notice a non-musical
problem, and seize on the action, and that The classical
wrong thing as the "cause", the action should music affectation?
and become obsessed with that differ in every
one thing as their guiding performance. Cage's sense
principle. of solemn
Zen austerity?
It was a common enough
obsession in the sixties: Perhaps: socialism A line drawn
Selfishness, the source of hammered into place (arbitrarily?)
all the world's ills. by the failure of the between art
depression; followed and non-art.
Transcendence by the cooperative
of the ego. "there's a war on" Here we go:
spirit of WWII.
And Cage took this to "When this freedom is
include passion and given to people who are
self-expression as well. not disciplined and who
QUIET do not start ... from
zero (by zero I mean the
absence of likes and
Then there's the dislikes) who are not,
libertarian/objectivist in other words, changed
take, which is perhaps individuals ... then,
equally insane, the idea of course, the giving
that anything altruistic of freedom is of no
is necessarily evil, interest whatsoever."
that the best thing that
you can do with yourself John Cage, 1972,
is to watch out for your "Conversations
immediate interests. With Cage" (1987)
Or to take a (perhaps?)
smaller, less grand
issue: people get stung So, in effect, I am making
by rudeness, they watch a plea for moderation, an
many mindless flame wars argument against fanaticism;
break out, and they perhaps against principle?
resolve to create
situations where Be true to your
politeness will be principles, but first
required, legislated... be sure of them...
and when are we ever?
Missing the point.
Assuming there can be one point.
Going for the obvious point
and only the obvious point.
Vonnegut in "Cat's Cradle", talked
about "granfalloons", but it's a
lousy sounding piece of jargon.
So what's the right term? December 2, 2000
False center
False obsession
Bluntpoint
Choose one from each column:
point lost
mind less
cause false
center wrong bad mind
obsession bad
trail
way
ideology CORE_DUMP
core
Look for a metaphor?
mask
kissing the mask
give the water
bra a squeeze
squeezing the
silicone
neither blood from stone,
veil nor milk from silicone
curtain
The Wizard of Oz
Zardoz.
Kissing Nixon's ring.
Eh.
(June 12, 2004)
In a paper I wrote for my
undergrad "Existentialism"
I think I like class, I was going on
"false center" about "choosing a center"
the best. or some such, and the prof
scribbled in red in the
margin:
"Beware of
basket terms" Like, say
"basket term",
for example?
Beware of
basket cases, SYSTEMS_OF_THE_MADMAN
is more like it.
(The only guy who had the
nerve to give me a "B" on
a philosophy paper.)
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