An Algorithmic Earwa: A Bakker Philosophy Performance Piece

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Madness

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« on: February 10, 2017, 06:34:31 pm »
I think I should say spoilers for the whole series.

This is video of a piece that Bakker did in Toronto in Nov this past year I believe. Someone posted it to Facebook this morning. Dude is scary smart.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WrKDXWvpHJQ&feature=youtu.be

Edit: That is Bakker lying under the table the whole time. Lol.
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Jackehehe

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« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2017, 01:24:34 pm »
What is this lol? also wth that cant be bakker! Doesnt look like him at all!

Madness

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« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2017, 06:56:16 pm »
Nah, you're right, that's not he.
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Wilshire

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« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2017, 08:39:13 pm »
Lol I got a whole 8 minutes in and stopped. Pretty funny that there's about 1-2 people in the audience that consistently laugh at what I imagine are jokes, not that I understood a word of it.
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Hirtius/Pansa

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« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2017, 03:15:07 am »
Anasurimborges is an interesting turn of phrase. Makes me think there is something analogous to The Garden of Forking Paths and the TTT. That short story by Borges is a very literary and philosophical take on multiverses and contingent conditions for events in the future. Not to mention literature itself is described as a labyrinth a la Thousand Thousand Halls, something to navigate infinitely.

The Second Apocalypse, "second" as in an interval measurement of time as opposed to an ordinal number is something that sounds very relevant and interesting. But I don't have the brainpower to parse exactly what it's supposed to mean.

H

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« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2017, 01:08:06 pm »
Nah, you're right, that's not he.

It does vaguely look like him, with a passing glance though.  I doubt that was an accident.

Lol I got a whole 8 minutes in and stopped. Pretty funny that there's about 1-2 people in the audience that consistently laugh at what I imagine are jokes, not that I understood a word of it.

Intellectual humor, go figure.  Not really funny, but clever in a way that is novel and so, imitates humor.  I definitely chuckled at a few, like "the postman rings twice, but the post-human rings thrice."

Anasurimborges is an interesting turn of phrase. Makes me think there is something analogous to The Garden of Forking Paths and the TTT. That short story by Borges is a very literary and philosophical take on multiverses and contingent conditions for events in the future. Not to mention literature itself is described as a labyrinth a la Thousand Thousand Halls, something to navigate infinitely.

My guess is that the mention is something of this aspect of The Garden of Forking Paths:
(click to show/hide)

As we know, time on Earwa is not exactly linear, so what if the Thousandfold Thought is simple the following of the one (or "a one") thread where Kellhus succeded?  So, we ask, how could all these improbable things work out?  The answer is, this is just the one time (place?) where it has.

The Second Apocalypse, "second" as in an interval measurement of time as opposed to an ordinal number is something that sounds very relevant and interesting. But I don't have the brainpower to parse exactly what it's supposed to mean.

This is pretty hard to unpack.  It's difficult to know if Bakker is just being cagey with some fun word-play, or if this was a part of the series always.  I think it is a little of both, The Second Apocalypse being a play on several things, not the least of which being Second Apocalypse to Bakker's much bandied Semantic Apocalypse.

Consider though, that Bakker has always had an interest in the incremental nature of time, see this paper here, page 11 (no need to download it, you can see it in the preview) and I don't believe in coincidences.
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

H

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« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2017, 01:32:53 pm »
See also, An Algorithmic Agartha: Welcome to the Electrocene and what seems to be an actual transcript of that here.
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

Wilshire

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« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2017, 02:01:26 pm »
H, youtube provides a similar video for Algorithmic Agartha, and there is another rendition of Madness' link that's slightly different - split screen with a different camera. Seems this is a performance that they do semi regularly with different pieces?

Seems my devices won't let me play the videos anymore, strange. I get some loading error whenever I click on any of the Algorithmic Earwa links.

Definitely some humor there, but again, just over my head. I'm not quick enough - reminds me of shakespeare in that its funny if you can catch the word play fast enough, otherwise its just words streaming by.
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H

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« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2017, 03:19:25 pm »
H, youtube provides a similar video for Algorithmic Agartha, and there is another rendition of Madness' link that's slightly different - split screen with a different camera. Seems this is a performance that they do semi regularly with different pieces?

I don't know, it's some kind of conference that is held somewhat regularly, although the pieces in each range in topics (it would seem).
Seems my devices won't let me play the videos anymore, strange. I get some loading error whenever I click on any of the Algorithmic Earwa links.

Mobile devices?  Perhaps try it in the YouTube app, if it isn't loading there by default?

Definitely some humor there, but again, just over my head. I'm not quick enough - reminds me of shakespeare in that its funny if you can catch the word play fast enough, otherwise its just words streaming by.

Yeah, I guess, I mean, I definitely missed stuff even the second time listening to it.  That and my trouble attending to the man's voice over the woman's (an evolutionary psychology bullshit feast-day).

Also, I attempting to plumb the depths of the Finnegan's Wake mention and holy shit, have I opened Pandora's Box.

For posterity, this the Line 11 and 12, that is mentioned:

"unto him: Immi ammi Semmi. And shall not Babel be with
Lebab? And he war.
And he shall open his mouth and answer:"

I have bolded what I imagine he is talking about, since the other parts are no complete within lines 11 and 12.  But damned if I have discovered what it might mean...
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

MSJ

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« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2017, 07:33:16 pm »
The thing they found hilarious time and again, I think, was that a 8 tipped on its side is infinity..... And, a few other tidbits. But, that must be an inside joke for Academia? I caught a few good tidbits and might listen again to the part where they both speak. I think that would be the gold is hidden. :)
“No. I am your end. Before your eyes I will put your seed to the knife. I will quarter your carcass and feed it to the dogs. Your bones I will grind to dust and cast to the winds. I will strike down those who speak your name or the name of your fathers, until ‘Yursalka’ becomes as meaningless as infant babble. I will blot you out, hunt down your every trace! The track of your life has come to me,

H

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« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2017, 08:49:58 pm »
There is also the consistent references to threes and trinities.  Owing to Bakker's Christian upbringing no doubt, but I wonder if any are really more than window-dressing?

On the Finnagan's Wake point, I believe it goes back to the opening, about ears and hearing, war and conflict, as that passage seems to speak of the juxtaposition of Babel and Lebab, basically language and heart, a palindrome as well, then set against the idea of war (but Joyce seems to mean it differently as, He Was, but maybe so does Bakker).  In this way, perhaps (I think it was Locke who first did, maybe others) pointing out that Earwa is an anagram for Aware does have meaning.

Also interesting in looking at this, was how Yatwer is a two letter substitution for Yahweh, but that is neither here nor there in probability.

EDIT: Also, IIRC, there is a mention of Shambhalla in relation to WiFi as well, which is actually from the modern Doctor Strange movie (apparently, I haven't actually seen it yet), where "shamballa" is the password.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2017, 08:55:15 pm by H »
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira

Madness

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« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2017, 08:57:09 pm »
I have it. Bakker's intent on beating Kabbalahists at their own game. Parts of TSA are meant to be utteral and inutteral - and neh, second inutteral - and the entire text is one long Metagnostic recitation that will grant the singer the power of sorcery... or as the Kabbalahists might put it, to speak the God's own language ;).
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H

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« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2017, 12:37:55 pm »
I have it. Bakker's intent on beating Kabbalahists at their own game. Parts of TSA are meant to be utteral and inutteral - and neh, second inutteral - and the entire text is one long Metagnostic recitation that will grant the singer the power of sorcery... or as the Kabbalahists might put it, to speak the God's own language ;).

The God's own language?  That is Psûkhe-speak, man...
I am a warrior of ages, Anasurimbor. . . ages. I have dipped my nimil in a thousand hearts. I have ridden both against and for the No-God in the great wars that authored this wilderness. I have scaled the ramparts of great Golgotterath, watched the hearts of High Kings break for fury. -Cet'ingira