• The Banality of Evil OR the Evil of Banality

    From Sanford M. Manley@21:1/5 to Ned Ludd on Tue Feb 9 05:36:58 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    On 2/9/2016 12:14 AM, Ned Ludd wrote:
    OMG! And it's just in time for V-day! (Feb. 14th)

    Let's make a poster for "micro-appreciation".

    Of course, then there is macro-appreciation:

    She: You...you just ejaculated on me!
    He: Well, I like you!


    --
    Sanford

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From x@21:1/5 to Sanford M. Manley on Tue Feb 9 20:01:45 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    On 02/09/16 18:37, Sanford M. Manley wrote:
    On 2/9/2016 12:19 AM, oxtail wrote:
    Good for you.
    You noticed that they notice.
    The awakened are supposed to be all knowing,
    quite possibly in that sense.

    I thought you said you were ignoring me.


    he tends to ignore himself (self flagellation?).

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Sanford M. Manley@21:1/5 to oxtail on Tue Feb 9 05:37:38 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    On 2/9/2016 12:19 AM, oxtail wrote:
    Good for you.
    You noticed that they notice.
    The awakened are supposed to be all knowing,
    quite possibly in that sense.

    I thought you said you were ignoring me.

    --
    Sanford

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From {:-])))@21:1/5 to oxtail on Tue Feb 9 05:12:59 2016
    XPost: alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen, rec.arts.int-fiction

    oxtail wrote:
    {:-]))) wrote:
    oxtail wrote:

    I would rather do a game for ethicists.

    Morality, as artificial as it is, is natural enough for your species.

    That sure sounds like a moral judgment.

    You mentioned something as being unnatural.

    You also suggested how some things are.

    Natural for your species.

    Other species may do artificial things.

    Using their beaks or claws or other tools.

    I don't know if they write them down.

    Nor up their chains of command.

    Other species may be seen.

    To have their moral codes.

    And be as ethical as yours.

    Perhaps, even, oddly, even more.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From {:-])))@21:1/5 to All on Tue Feb 9 05:08:42 2016
    XPost: alt.zen, alt.philosophy.taoism, rec.arts.int-fiction

    oxtail appeared to wonder:

    Have you ever fished with live bait?

    Fishing is evil as far as I can determine.
    Chopping off their heads. Gutting them.

    Eating fish is perfectly fine however.

    I've never caught a chicken with bare hands,
    nor wrung its neck nor plucked its feathers.

    That's entirely evil.

    Eating chicken, not so much. However.

    I've never fed a cow with hay
    not hit one over the head and slaughtered
    its parents nor its children, for that is evil.

    Ground beef is my favorite food
    how ever it is cooked.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From {:-])))@21:1/5 to Sanford on Tue Feb 9 05:25:51 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    Sanford wrote:

    I took a short video course at my new employer and I actually learned >something. Something as small as saying hello to some people and
    not others can be noticeable.

    Therefore, I have been practicing micro-appreciation and
    micro-loving people. They seem to notice.

    Way to go!

    Jogging down the trail, yesterday morning,
    there happened to be a smile on my face.

    A hiker, on the way up, said,
    thanks for the smile!

    Appreciation can be a boon.

    Today I shall appreciate beer.
    For it is a ritual I do enjoy.

    Celebrate life.
    And work.

    Cheers!

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From {:-])))@21:1/5 to Sanford on Tue Feb 9 05:31:09 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    Sanford wrote:
    oxtail wrote:

    Good for you.
    You noticed that they notice.
    The awakened are supposed to be all knowing,
    quite possibly in that sense.

    I thought you said you were ignoring me.

    He can't help himself.
    Ignore what he said about ignoring you.

    Recently I was awakened
    and left no footprints in the park.

    http://terebess.hu/english/tao/gia.html#Kap27

    Yesterday, some soft sand was on the trail,
    and I, reflecting on leaving no tracks,
    pondered how, leaving no tracks,
    does not a sage make.

    Then, clobbering my foot on a stone,
    as if to confirm my suspicion.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From {:-])))@21:1/5 to All on Tue Feb 9 05:36:00 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    On Tue, 9 Feb 2016 20:01:45 +0800, x wrote:
    On 02/09/16 18:37, Sanford M. Manley wrote:
    On 2/9/2016 12:19 AM, oxtail wrote:

    Good for you.
    You noticed that they notice.
    The awakened are supposed to be all knowing,
    quite possibly in that sense.

    I thought you said you were ignoring me.


    he tends to ignore himself (self flagellation?).

    A pastor was preaching about giving
    and pointed out how Jesus was watching
    while people gave their offererings to the temple.

    The pastor said Jesus knew their hearts,
    and how many hairs were on their heads.

    I wondered, why would Jesus watch people
    if he knew everything and was all knowing?

    Are the awakened supposed to be all knowing
    and not all powerful nor everywhere all at once?

    What if the awakened one fell asleep
    and forgot about being all knowing
    or being as each and every one
    while dreaming of being
    every thing.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Kitty P@21:1/5 to Ned Ludd on Tue Feb 9 06:16:06 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    "Sanford M. Manley" wrote in message news:n9bqpe$cau$1@dont-email.me...

    On 2/8/2016 7:17 PM, Ned Ludd wrote:
    That makes me feel so abased. In fact, I'd call it a micro-aggression.

    Where do I file for compensation?

    I would say that many micro-aggressions are almost subconscious.
    I took a short video course at my new employer and I actually learned something. Something as small as saying hello to some people and
    not others can be noticeable.

    Therefore, I have been practicing micro-appreciation and
    micro-loving people. They seem to notice.

    Sanford
    _______________________-

    Nice about the job. I like the idea of micro-appreciation. When I had to
    work with people I used to fake being nice to everyone until I finally
    actually felt it though. I saw it as a social mask...but in a good way,
    because if I didn't, I would have hit them over the head with something. Sometimes I just thought about pony whips. I'm much better now snort

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ned Ludd@21:1/5 to Sanford M. Manley on Tue Feb 9 08:17:11 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    "Sanford M. Manley" <ansaman@gmail.com> wrote in message news:n9cfat$61r$1@dont-email.me...
    On 2/9/2016 12:14 AM, Ned Ludd wrote:
    OMG! And it's just in time for V-day! (Feb. 14th)
    Let's make a poster for "micro-appreciation".

    Of course, then there is macro-appreciation:
    She: You...you just ejaculated on me!
    He: Well, I like you!
    --
    Sanford


    Truly, ejaculating on some people and not others can be noticeable.

    Ned

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Nobody in Particular@21:1/5 to Kitty P on Tue Feb 9 13:49:38 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    On 2/9/2016 6:16 AM, Kitty P wrote:


    "Sanford M. Manley" wrote in message news:n9bqpe$cau$1@dont-email.me...

    On 2/8/2016 7:17 PM, Ned Ludd wrote:
    That makes me feel so abased. In fact, I'd call it a micro-aggression.

    Where do I file for compensation?

    I would say that many micro-aggressions are almost subconscious.
    I took a short video course at my new employer and I actually learned something. Something as small as saying hello to some people and
    not others can be noticeable.

    Therefore, I have been practicing micro-appreciation and
    micro-loving people. They seem to notice.

    Sanford
    _______________________-

    Nice about the job. I like the idea of micro-appreciation. When I had
    to work with people I used to fake being nice to everyone until I
    finally actually felt it though. I saw it as a social mask...but in a
    good way, because if I didn't, I would have hit them over the head with something. Sometimes I just thought about pony whips. I'm much better
    now snort

    A friend of mine, when asked, "How are you?" replies: "Well, let me tell
    you. Pull up a chair..."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From daletx@21:1/5 to Ned on Mon Feb 8 16:46:26 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    On 2/8/2016 3:15 PM, Ned wrote:
    Kitty P <kittyp2060@hotmail.com> wrote:

    What is clear is that
    I'm not going for a murder mystery,
    in spite of Dostoevsky and Agatha Christie.
    I do need to utilize some generalizations and structures
    to maintain a semblance of playability.
    But my main objective is to help myself and players
    to awaken to the banality of our existence.
    ----------------

    It's a great concept. Some of us are lucky enough to have sangha members
    who just tell us heh


    Fer sure. And failing that, just drop by absfg. Abasements are us!

    Ned

    Not me. Ground's too hard around here for abasement...

    DT

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ned@21:1/5 to Kitty P on Mon Feb 8 13:15:10 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    Kitty P <kittyp2060@hotmail.com> wrote:

    What is clear is that
    I'm not going for a murder mystery,
    in spite of Dostoevsky and Agatha Christie.
    I do need to utilize some generalizations and structures
    to maintain a semblance of playability.
    But my main objective is to help myself and players
    to awaken to the banality of our existence.
    ----------------

    It's a great concept. Some of us are lucky enough to have sangha members
    who just tell us heh


    Fer sure. And failing that, just drop by absfg. Abasements are us!

    Ned

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Kitty P@21:1/5 to Kitty P on Mon Feb 8 12:35:30 2016
    XPost: alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    "oxtail" wrote in message news:n97vq7$7mt$6@dont-email.me...

    Kitty P wrote:

    "noname" wrote in message news:n97atn$q96$1@dont-email.me...

    oxtail wrote:

    Kitty P wrote:

    "oxtail" wrote in message news:n8vvq4$6vo$6@dont-email.me...

    {:-]))) wrote:

    oxtail wrote:

    I'm dreaming about writing a computer game exploring the issue of >>>>>evil in this world.
    Today, I was pondering about the soundness of the doctrine of the >>>>>banality of evil. http://www.massviolence.org/Banality-of-Evil-The

    Can you sum it up in a sentence?
    The link didn't work for me.


    Just Google for it.

    Then I found the criticism of the idea,
    that can be called, tongue in cheek,
    the evil of banality. >>>>>http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2009/10/ >>>>>the_evil_of_banality.single.html

    What did you get out of it?
    I didn't read the article.


    Just read the last paragraph.

    People are a strange species of animal.
    They think and act in most interesting ways.
    As individuals and as groups, tribes, nations, etc.


    Good point.
    "Moral Man, Immoral Society".

    This pervasive banality of evil like racism, provincialism, >>>>>corruption, etc. in the modern society is probably what caused me to >>>>>think about starting on the game, in the first place.
    I'm more concerned about the evil of the unreflective lives of >>>>>callous people than the evil perpetrated by diabolical schemers.

    Since there appears to me to be little to do about practically all of
    the problems I find in terms of getting terribly involved in what I
    see as being terrible, I am mostly unconcerned at large in terms of
    active-action.

    No matter how much I reflect and callous I tend to be in doing
    nothing.

    Too much reality pains me.

    And there's all too much of it going on in reality.

    Also, I'm lazy.

    Looking for what's wrong on Earth,
    I can find plenty of trouble. And so I ask myself, why would I want
    to look for trouble?

    Trying to fix the world breaks the world.

    If it does not pain you,
    you are off the hook.
    I'm here concerned with the suffering mass.
    Talking about "doing nothing" might be a good game for some of them.


    Treating reality as sacred, as being not-10k-things, not-two,
    technically,
    affords me a great luxury to marvel at what others see as evil and
    good.

    There is m'ore than enuf two go round.

    What "two"? ;)
    Does it pain you even not to think about them?
    ---------------

    I read this whole thread and think that your game is a delightful
    idea. It has already sparked no end of insights for some (or should if
    they looked closely at what they wrote) just talking about it.
    The creative process does that when it's successful.

    This probably won't help - but it's about creating. I created a game
    (in this case a board game) for one of my graduate final thesis
    projects, to explain a complex process that needed an easier way to
    teach how to incorporate creative subjectivity and objective
    concepts. It was a lot of fun and easy to defend since I just had the
    committee play the game. It's a perfect way to get concepts across -
    and nudging the creative side of the brain is probably something
    people who are rigid in their Buddhist practices could use.

    Since I feel that evil is just a concept name we put on things we
    don't understand, I think your game would be something useful for me
    to question my own concepts.

    Thanks.
    There are so many ways I can follow.
    The easiest way would be to hang the whole game on a sensational crime
    story.
    But knowing myself, I would go on and on,
    with inept generalizations as valid choices,
    until most players get bored enough to give up.

    "To Arendt’s mind, Eichmann willingly did his part to organize the Holocaust — and an instrumental part it was — out of neither anti- semitism nor pure malice, but out of a non-ideological, entirely more
    prosaic combination of careerism and obedience."
    http://www.openculture.com/2013/01/
    hannah_arendts_original_articles_on_the_banality_of_evil_in_the_inew_yorkeri_archive.html

    "Banality refers to Eichmann as a character: his way of speaking, his
    use of clichés and stock phrases applicable to any situation and
    supported by the Amtsprache (officialese), which he still admitted in
    1961 was the only language he knew. Secondly, his motives were also
    banal: ordinary, trite and intrinsically non-criminal. That is, he was
    ready to do anything to advance in the Nazi bureaucratic grades."
    http://www.massviolence.org/Banality-of-Evil-The

    I'm most interested in the mechanisms of self-rationalization most
    decent people use to cover up their banality.
    I believe the Buddha knew all about them.

    If the Buddha didn't know all about them there was some amazing shit
    going on, because the mechanisms are simple and obvious and it's all
    about desire.

    The motor that drives banal evil is the faulty belief that material
    reality is all there is.

    Every part of banal evil derives from that belief, because given that
    belief, humankind lives in a box of fixed size and the rats must combat
    one another for the limited supply of food, more viciously as population increases, more subtly as technology increases. Sufficiently starved
    rats will do anything for food, and sufficiently oppressed humans will
    follow any orders, no matter how insane, if they promise survival and
    hint at surplus.

    Nobody reading this has ever spent two instants in the same universe.

    Every choice we make steers us through the multiverse and lands us in
    the universe we have chosen, the "next" universe, the universe of the
    next instant.

    If our choices are driven by the desire to be upwardly mobile and
    succeed in the eyes of those in power over us, the next universe may be
    one that includes being the guest of honor at a war-crimes trial.

    If, instead of doing the accepted expedient thing to remain on the fast
    path to power and more food, we do what is right, the next universe may
    be one in which the war for power has been lost and we are freed from
    the death box.

    The multiverse is not fixed, it is self-inventing. Right-action invents right universes, and the converse remains as an exercise for the
    student.

    It is as though some God decreed, "do right, or eat shit and die", and
    made that a basic law of the universe.

    People choose, it's easy; choose, people.
    noname.1234567.abcdef@gmail.com ---------------------

    I think evil is about desire as well - but also sometimes about
    neurological issues in the brain. For instance, someone without
    conscience is described in psychological terms, but it's probably just a difference in brain function. In those cases, I would be fascinated to
    see if something like a game could be effective in changing those
    patterns or help in some way develop a new function not unlike some of
    the new technologies that most likely are developing new neuron paths
    around ones that are self or outwardly destructive.

    I like the idea of a crime for a game though. But since I don't think
    evil exists in a vacuum I would have a structure that I don't think is
    where you (oxtail) are going. If I did it, there could be a crime for
    each different kinds of evil to not get bogged down with trying to investigate a wide variety of things in one story. If trying to
    communicate with folks who grew up in a Judeo-Christian heritage, one
    crime for each of the 7 deadly sins might make an interesting structure
    that would be flexible enough to have questions that are more like
    koans. (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth with the definition of failing to act when one should)

    But Banality is my middle name sometimes heh Kitty

    What is clear is that
    I'm not going for a murder mystery,
    in spite of Dostoevsky and Agatha Christie.
    I do need to utilize some generalizations and structures
    to maintain a semblance of playability.
    But my main objective is to help myself and players
    to awaken to the banality of our existence.
    ----------------

    It's a great concept. Some of us are lucky enough to have sangha members
    who just tell us heh

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ned Ludd@21:1/5 to daletx on Mon Feb 8 16:17:17 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    "daletx" <daletx@gnusguy.com> wrote in message news:n9b5q805pg@news7.newsguy.com...
    On 2/8/2016 3:15 PM, Ned wrote:
    Kitty P <kittyp2060@hotmail.com> wrote:

    What is clear is that
    I'm not going for a murder mystery,
    in spite of Dostoevsky and Agatha Christie.
    I do need to utilize some generalizations and structures
    to maintain a semblance of playability.
    But my main objective is to help myself and players
    to awaken to the banality of our existence.
    ----------------

    It's a great concept. Some of us are lucky enough to have sangha
    members
    who just tell us heh


    Fer sure. And failing that, just drop by absfg. Abasements are us!

    Ned

    Not me. Ground's too hard around here for abasement...

    DT


    That makes me feel so abased. In fact, I'd call it a micro-aggression.

    Where do I file for compensation?

    Ned

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From oxtail@21:1/5 to All on Tue Feb 9 03:08:35 2016
    XPost: alt.zen, alt.philosophy.taoism, rec.arts.int-fiction

    {:-]))) wrote:

    oxtail wrote:

    Humans have evolved to eat and digest meat.

    And to make war.

    To live in cities, made of concrete and steel.
    To scrape the sky with tall buildings,
    as if such things were natural.

    We also have evolved out of eating other humans.

    Physically at least.

    If someone is not sure about that,
    he deserves to perish, one way or another.

    To feed off other people, to stab them in the back while climbing a
    ladder,
    tends to corporate naturalism.

    Some people might have evolved to have enough empathy to know whether
    fish are happy or not.
    But probably not enough for shrimps. ;)

    I don't mind eating them.
    Such a form of evil is banal for me.

    Tearing their legs off isn't too bad.
    It ripping off their heads that gets me.

    Have you ever fished with live bait?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From oxtail@21:1/5 to All on Tue Feb 9 03:09:41 2016
    XPost: alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen, rec.arts.int-fiction

    {:-]))) wrote:

    oxtail wrote:

    I would rather do a game for ethicists.

    Morality, as artificial as it is, is natural enough for your species.

    That sure sounds like a moral judgment.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Sanford M. Manley@21:1/5 to Ned Ludd on Mon Feb 8 23:46:18 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    On 2/8/2016 7:17 PM, Ned Ludd wrote:
    That makes me feel so abased. In fact, I'd call it a micro-aggression.

    Where do I file for compensation?

    I would say that many micro-aggressions are almost subconscious.
    I took a short video course at my new employer and I actually learned something. Something as small as saying hello to some people and
    not others can be noticeable.

    Therefore, I have been practicing micro-appreciation and
    micro-loving people. They seem to notice.

    --
    Sanford

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ned Ludd@21:1/5 to Sanford M. Manley on Mon Feb 8 21:14:53 2016
    XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.taoism, alt.zen
    XPost: rec.arts.int-fiction

    "Sanford M. Manley" <ansaman@gmail.com> wrote in message news:n9bqpe$cau$1@dont-email.me...
    On 2/8/2016 7:17 PM, Ned Ludd wrote:
    That makes me feel so abased. In fact, I'd call it a micro-aggression.

    Where do I file for compensation?

    I would say that many micro-aggressions are almost subconscious.
    I took a short video course at my new employer and I actually learned something. Something as small as saying hello to some people and
    not others can be noticeable.

    Therefore, I have been practicing micro-appreciation and
    micro-loving people. They seem to notice.

    --
    Sanford


    OMG! And it's just in time for V-day! (Feb. 14th)

    Let's make a poster for "micro-appreciation".

    Ned

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)