Sophia

Sophia- the Greek word for the mind. What exactly should this encompass? Wisdom, intellect, rationality? "I think, therefore I am."  There are pitfalls with all of these definitions. I don't want to attempt to define wisdom or rationality; I am not an expert with either. Let's try Sophia- the development of concepts beyond the Soma.

Baseball, hot dogs and apple pie.  All material things belonging to Soma.  However, as a metaphor for quintessential Americana, they can also be Sophia.   Truth, Justice and the American way. Sophia. Superman?  Superman would be an Archetype.  Undoubtedly Sophia, sweet Sophia.  Dark matter or  Higgs-Boson?  How wonderful to concieve such marvolous ideas!  Rationality, wisdom, concepts and theories. Sigh.    http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2013/06/dark-matter/  I MUST read more about this! Argh. Focus. Focus. Focus.
  Note to self: Never blog about anything that requires more than five minutes of thought.  Too much sustained thought is dangerous.
Ok. I will focus and try to wrap this up.  I am boring myself.

“Let me ask you outright, gentle reader, if there have not been hours, indeed whole days and weeks of your life, during which all your usual activities were painfully repugnant, and everything you believed in and valued seemed foolish and worthless?”― Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann

Soma: Part 2

Let's look at some examples of Soma.
Body in Motion  and Body at Rest. Both are examples of Soma.  Is one better than the other? More appealing? Perhaps, but this discussion is not about beauty or moral values.  This discussion is about Art, which should not be hindered by such considerations.
Yes, I know that I said that soma requires a living body. A corpse is a material object, not a living object. However, other beings can experience the sight, the smell and the touch of the corpse.
So, soma encompasses the physical world including the inanimate; but only living beings can experience soma.

Now, let's look at Sophia.

Soma: Part 1

Soma- the Greek word for body. Also the mind impairing drug from Huxley's Brave New World.  Obviously, an excellent word choice for this grandiose theory.
The body. Surely an easy thing to define. Webster's says "n. 1 a. the physical structure and material substance of n animal, plant, or other organism. b. the trunk torso, or main mass of an animal, as opposed to the head, limbs, or appendages." Hmmm.... Sorry Webster, I think a headless body is a corpse.  However, I will add a qualifier- soma is a living body.
Now, can soma exist in a partial body? A body missing a little finger. Yes. A quadriplegic? Yes.  With the marvels of modern medicine, I think you could have soma in a body without a heart.  What about a brain? Can you have soma without  a brain?  Unconscious- yes, insane- yes. Brain dead- I think this is the next qualifier. Soma is a living body that is self-aware.  Not yet the "I think, therefore, I am." awareness.  Just a simpler "I am" awareness. Just to be annoying, let's call it the "great I am."
Okay- what else needs to go into soma?  Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, pleasure and pain.
So far, soma includes both humans and animals. There is also the possibility for created mechanical soma.  There are already sensors that can detect sights, sounds, scents and touch far better than humans.  The self-aware machine has arrived. http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/09/25/first-self-aware-robot-created/

What is art?

Philosophers have struggled to define art with little success. Many contemporary scholars believe that art can not be generally defined; that it is different for each individual.  I'm going to attempt to define what art is to me .

What things am I going to consider as art? I'm not sure yet.  The categories may change as my definition evolves. For now (subject to change at my whim), art encompasses  painting, sculpture, music, dance... and maybe literature.  There are many other things that suppose be evaluated as art, but first I need to establish my definition.

Grandiose Theory of Art
Hypothesis One.
Art results from a union of mind, body, soul and spirit. Yeah, I know. That sounds like complete bullshit, and for now it is complete garbage.  Mind, body, spirit and soul are very loaded terms. Everyone thinks that they know the meaning of such simple words, but few can agree. So to make a fresh start, I'm going to use the Greek words.  A fine scholastic tradition, and since the words are less familiar, they carry fewer preconceived notions.

This Venn diagram is extremely simplified, but it will do as a starting point.

First, I plan to define soma, sophia, psuche and pnema.  As I establish these definitions, I expect my views and thoughts to change. No whining about inconsistency.  This is thought in progress, not a master's thesis.

Warning!

This blog is not for children under the age of 30. It is offensive....no,no,no. Offensive might make you want to read it. It is boring....Yes, this is a very dull and boring blog. Go away.

This blog is to help me organize my thoughts, which are, at best chaotic and random.  There are no brilliant ideas here. No originality. No profound insights. Therefore, the internet is the perfect location.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.  Why are you still here? I'm really not sure that I want an audience. Fortunately, with all the random things in cyberspace, it is unlikely that many people will find this little corner.

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." -ok, last warning. If you don't recognize the quote- you should leave.