Earwa > General Earwa

IDENTITY vs BECOMING

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What Came Before:

--- Quote from: Madness ---I have thoughts about these subjects a la Duskweaver's, perhaps, my interest is more psychologically academic rather than narratively academic...

Depending on where the conversation extends, I'll partake. Just going to let the thoughts blend for now.

For thoughts though:

I always wondered at the analogy between Greater Brain and Blind Brain - Blind Brain is human consciousness in its worldly manifestation and Greater Brain is the Outside...

I like the idea of the Legion of Consciousness being mirrored by the Legion of Gods.
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What Came Before:

--- Quote from: Galbrod ---I would see individuals as having element of both aspects, but in different mixes As Duskweaver correctly observes, the function of identity is dependent upon the collection of personal memories. It is thus interesting that the characters in bakker's universe that have taken the biggest steps towards a state of pure becoming are the memoryless nonmen Erratic and the Dunyanin (trained since childhood to 'rise' above the emotions of ordinary men and thus de-personalise the experiences/memories they have).
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What Came Before:

--- Quote from: Auriga ---Interesting thread.

I once posted something similar, along the lines of "the Nonmen are already dead; they only experience but don't actually live, since a living identity is built of memories, and they have no true "self" as a point of reference."

I basically agree with the idea that the "self" is an illusion (although an important one, which we couldn't function without).There is no "real" you. No one has an eternal, inviolable, unchanging identity that defines them from the day they're born to the day they die. I'm not the same person I was ten years ago, and I won't be the same person ten years from now. I'll have the same name and see the world through the same eyes, but events in and out of my control will permanently change me.

Sadly, I haven't read enough of Plato's writing on Being and Becoming. I'll have to read up on my Plato one of these days...


--- Quote from: Madness ---I like the idea of the Legion of Consciousness being mirrored by the Legion of Gods.
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Bakker makes this parallel himself, IIRC. The whole thing about the Hundred Gods being "aspects" of one God, a bit like personality traits in a single brain.
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What Came Before:

--- Quote from: Madness ---Indeed, I only meant to utilize the ready associative terms from the books :).

I like your thoughts, Auriga - indeed, they reiterate my assertions, which took it the one further that if the Dunyain had Conditioned Ishterebinth, they might try and create new, controllable "selves" in the Nonmen husks. (Sorry - not intending to detract from your separate hypothesis, sometimes meaning is easier to exploit out of another's words. I need to capture all the communication tools I can.)
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