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professor-doc-emeritus · 14 days ago

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possible readings of the admech:

1 - admech rituals don't work and aren't necessary. imperium tech largely works based on a combination of dumb luck, ork-esque psychic gestalt fields generated by humanity's collective belief in it, and the efforts of the handful of heretic priests who worked all this out and now do all the imperium's actual IT/maintenance work in secret. The majority of the imperium, and the adeptus mechanics itself, still believe in the rituals wholeheartedly.

2 - admech rituals do work and are (mostly) necessary, but only because they are obfuscations of actual technical work, e.g. the application of sacred oils and incense is just an elaborately ritualized method of getting rusty old machines lubricated regularly, binaric prayers work because they actually contain bundles of voice commands to activate onboard error handling programs in most Dark Age of Technology artifacts, and "machine spirits" are just ancient and ornery onboard AIs that take pity on the occasional tech priest asking for help. This status quo is an unintentional side effect of millenia of collective trial and error; virtually all members of the admech genuinely believe in the cult mechanicus & are unaware there's any material benefit to their rituals.

3 - same as the above, except the admech are (or at least used to be) in on the ruse. The rituals do work, for the above stated reasons, but are deliberately designed to be as mysterious, impenetrable, and terrifying as possible. The people who made them didn't believe in the omnissiah, and sufficiently well-informed members of the admech don't either, often foregoing their rituals entirely when in private or in a pinch. The median admech member understands the basic principles of technology FAR better than they let on, and the cult mechanicus in general exists as part of a massive conspiracy meant to keep humanity at large ignorant, and the control of technology exclusively in admech hands, which they use to their own nefarious ends. This fact used to be common knowledge within the faction itself, however the heresy era split, the subsequent millenia of conflict, and their own overzealous propaganda have all eroded their collective memory. The truth is now only known to its highest ranking and longest-lived members, and is doled out on a need-to-know basis to a select few. This is why most tech priests that feature in the books and video games unironically believe in the omnissiah: they haven't yet been told the truth.

4 - admech rituals do work and are necessary, and the spiritual aspect of it is at least partially true, but this is only because the omnissiah is actually a manifestation of Mag’ladroth the Void Dragon, C'tan god of technology and Aeldari god of oblivion, a shard of which was defeated and imprisoned beneath the surface of mars by the emperor. This shard, either intentionally or unintentionally, influenced and warped the collective psyche of the mechanicum of mars until they became the admech we know today. Their apparent control over technology is the result of some combination of their proximity to the shard giving them aspects of its power, intentional siphoning of the shards power by the mechanicum, the shard itself lending them power as part of a long-term plan to corrupt & use the imperium as a means of revenge against the necrons that shattered it, and the Emperor's defeat of the shard granting him its domain over technology. It's this domain the Emperor won that allowed humanity to expand out and conquer the stars without their tech getting corrupted by the warp, and why technology made by other species and the machines-making-machines-that-make-machines (i.e. the men of iron) fall to the warp faster and more often than human technology

5 - the admech are just batting a thousand and are right about pretty much everything.

#for my personal vote I think 3 is the coolest #but that's probably just becaue I'm a Foundation fanboy and want the admech to become the Church of Science #i think 4 is probably closer to what I'd actually like the answer to be in-canon #while 5 is honestly what I think the most likely answer is given what we've seen in the books #also i didn't come up with the last part of 4 i saw it on reddit and thought it was cool #admech #adeptus mechanicus #warhammer #warhammer 40000 #warhammer 40k #wh40k

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talonabraxas · 3 months ago

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Phoenix Arcanum XIX, The Sun

Divinatory Meaning of this Card

Every day the golden light beams of the sun disperses the darkness of night and the 30th path on the Tree of Life links the sphere of Yod (Splendour-Mercury) with Yesod (Foundation-Moon) from the left hand side to the central pillar. In Tarot symbolism it is known as the “Collective Intelligence” which translates as the sum total of the 12 zodiacal influences, the celestial portents as well as the fixed stars in the science of astrology that represent the total evolution of the human personality through the process of reincarnation. However, astrologically, it also represents Mercury, as spirit or intellect, acting through the sphere of the Sun, as the masculine principle upon the Moon as the feminine principle. The Sun is simultaneously a receiver and transformer of other planetary influences within its own solar system. In this sense therefore, as it is part of the astral triad, it denotes the rigour of the heart or emotions combined with that of the “hidden soul body”. In declaration of the phrase;

“We do not observe the Sun by the light of the Moon,

No, even the Sun is illuminated and perceived by its own radiance.

Similarly, the true self is made real in this world by the eminence of its own light.”

The gestalt image of a face (Resh) or countenance implying that this path is actually an alchemical synthesis of solar and lunar energies, often represented in the subtle body as the alternating, coiling spirals of ida and pingala usually illustrated in the winged symbol of the caduceus carried by the Greek god Hermes. This path or journey is both individual and universal since it embodies and integrates the physical, the intellectual and the emotional aspects of the personality. It suggests working in harmony with other forms of consciousness, the necessary application of the human will or directive, and the recognition in human affairs of the subtle influences of the collective sub-consciousness.

Positive: Union, material happiness acclaim and recognition celebration of friendship or marriage, success in creative endeavours, openness with children. New achievements, growth and liberation from negative forces. Altruism.

Negative: Loneliness, dissolution abnormal relationships, regression inadequacy.

SPHERE: The Collective Intelligence Resh – A Face Astrological: The Sun in Leo, the 5th House. Constellation: Pegasus – The Flying Horse Sacred Gemstone: Tiger’s Eye or Sunstone

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phaeton-flier · 2 months ago

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So I know there's been plenty of discussion over the decision to turn Tuvix back into Neelix and Tuvok, but has anyone ever considered the ethics of Jadzia demanding back the Curzon memories from Curzon Odo?

Exactly how much of a "person" former Trill host memories are isn't clear—the other former hosts don't seem to care about having their existence be a chain of several hours every few decades—but Curzon Odo was a person, with desires and wants. I kind of think the same principles that make the Tuvix decision hard should apply here as well!

There's an argument, I suppose, that Curzon (implicitly) agreed as part of being a joined Trill to pass on memories to a new person who would not have personal responsibilities to him, and thus he doesn't get to take back the memories*. And Odo was only being lent the memories so he could temporarily host, so he didn't have a right to them either.

Unlike under Janeway, there is neither the argument of practical need for Tuvok and Neelix separately; DS9 is not trapped in the Delta Quadrant, and there is not a pressing need for specific officers. Nor is there the argument that the lives of two people require the sacrifice of one; Jadzia is impoverished by the lack of Curzon's memories but still exists.

But to what extent was Odo-with-Curzon an individual entity with his own rights, separate from the constituent parts? Did he have right of his own? Is he bound by agreements made by the originals? He didn't seem to think of himself as a separate person, the way Tuvix did, but "this person think they're not a person and so doesn't think they deserve human rights" would itself be a Star Trek episode. I think there are questions that at least should be brought up.

'* Given that he drops some surprises to Jadzia in that episode, there is presumably some method by which hosts can keep some memories from being accessed by future hosts. This would allow keeping some secrets that you'd want to take to the grave, or just privacy for some special moments. But "You must pass on the general gestalt of memories to the next host, and give up rights to them" is presumably the general agreement for being a host.

#star trek #ds9 #star trek ds9

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des1014thibaultn · 2 years ago

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Gestalts principles through M.C Escher work

Relativity (1953)

In this illustration made by M.C Escher named “Relativity”, we can see a considerable reference to the Gestalt principles, here one of the principles named symmetry and order is clearly present in this example by the three different angles that the illustration was made.

Even if the stairs and characters doesn’t seem to be equal and entirely similar, the structure and symmetry shaping by the 3 different point of perspective, leave the spectator questioning whether or not, the design invite us to turn our head in different angles in order to compare each scene and actions omnipresent into this art piece.

“Symmetry and order” is a powerful way making the ambiguous or complex mechanism simpler for the audience to understand, it’s a following order of the law of symmetry.

Perspective and relativity are two really close ideas, sharing a meaning of “point of view”, this term can be analyze in our everyday life, same as this picture, if you rotate it, the meaning and the scene change as much as the relativity does when we have to face different situation, it’s mainly up to our ourselves and “point of view” to change or not, our way of thinking.

Waterfall (1961)

In this different example, named “Waterfall” by M.C Escher, the Gestalt principle mainly used the continuation, laws of continuity are substructure by our eyes, the way we consciously or unconsciously chose a smoother path to end our road.

But sometimes, artist used those exact same laws of continuity to make us confuse on the fact there is not only one smother way or path, this example above express a continuous line surrounded by different type of structure but it seems that the line change whether we looking on it from the bottom or the top. A real illusion of depth indicating a visual paradox that leaves us perplex toward the sense of this image.

It's a clever mechanism to confront the proportion of each elements present on the picture, they sort of all convoying into the same goal.

Drawing hands (1948)

For this last artwork, one of M.C Escher masterpiece named “Drawing Hands” creating in 1948, is another type of illusion based essentially on similarity and proximity, those two different principles are really in ad equation one to another giving a considerable impression on the audience.

One of the first effect after seeing such a unique picture, I do feel that those two hands are feeding each other’s, if we are following the logic above, the existence of one hand is depending on the other one, but that fact can also be pointing out by the proximity and similarity principles.

In those examples, you need a referencing object similar and close to the other one in order to establish structure and interpretation. Those same two hands are so similar and close to each other, that even the way they look seems unreal or nearly created in a non-human ingenuity.

As a result, a paradox leave the public questioning himself on the impact and dependence of entity link into each other and the result coming from it. Those sorts of meaning are present all around us, living organism depending on each other for surviving purposes are a good example.

#m.c. Escher #gestalt principles #design principles #design

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laurelwen · 7 months ago

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Texts in Like Minds: Sally's Books

After her first encounter with Alex, Sally returns home and consults a stack of books while listening to the recording of their discussion. Of this stack, only two titles are discernible. The first book is shown briefly and set aside, and the second is opened to a bookmarked page. This large tome is titled Principles of Criminal Psychology (Fifth Edition), by George R. Booth and Andrew Porter. Sadly, I cannot find even the tiniest scrap of the existence of this book online. It is clearly a textbook, and presumably one she would have kept from her school days given that it’s directly relevant to her career. The bookmarked page is titled “Chapter 27: Gestalt Theory”, and the opposite page features photos of Leopold and Loeb, who I have discussed elsewhere. The text itself is unfortunately not clear enough to be readable.

Returning to the first book we see, there is much more information to be found online. It is titled Gestalt Therapy: The Attitude and Practice of an Atheoretical Experientialism by Claudio Naranjo, first published in 1993.

The recording Sally plays during this moment is their exchange regarding gestalt. This concept is one that the movie highlights in this scene and again at the end during Sally’s address to her peers, but it does not clearly define or explain the idea of “gestalt” for the audience. Gestalt first arose as a philosophical principle suggesting that the experience of the parts of something cannot fully represent the whole of that thing, like the notes of the song versus the experience of the song itself. A cursory search of various articles online can give a brief overview of the core ideas of gestalt psychology. Wikipedia says this:

Gestalt psychologists believed that breaking psychological phenomena down into smaller parts would not lead to understanding psychology. Instead, they viewed psychological phenomena as organized, structured wholes. They argued that the psychological "whole" has priority and that the "parts" are defined by the structure of the whole, rather than the other way round. Gestalt theories of perception are based on human nature being inclined to understand objects as an entire structure rather than the sum of its parts.

This gives us a more thorough explanation of Alex’s very brief description of “gestalt”, but does not provide much insight into the meaning of his hints to Sally or why gestalt would have any bearing on his relationship with Nigel. The implication we are left to surmise is that these two separate boys have combined as individuals to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts, and Sally lampshades this idea at the end in her speech referencing the movie title. However, examination of these two books has given me some new thoughts about the use of gestalt in the film and about Sally’s conclusion regarding the dynamic between them.

Alex’s next words to Sally feel extremely significant and should be considered thoroughly: “It’s not what it is. It’s how you use it.” Given that both these books reference “gestalt therapy” specifically, it’s worth looking beyond the core theory of gestalt psychology to see how therapists actually use these ideas in practice. I found a clear explanation on this page:

Gestalt therapy is an existential and experiential psychotherapy that focuses on the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts in which these things take place, and the self-regulating adjustments people make as a result of the overall situation. It emphasizes personal responsibility. Gestalt therapy was co-founded by Fritz Perls, Laura Perls and Paul Goodman in the 1940s–1950s.

Gestalt therapy is built around two central ideas: that the most helpful focus of psychology is the experiential present moment and that everyone is caught in webs of relationships; thus, it is only possible to know ourselves against the background of our relation to other things.

I think we can already see some connections with the story as Alex presents it. Alex and Nigel are inextricably entwined in a web of relationship, and we the audience find it impossible to understand either character outside of this context.

Here I would like to suggest some Doylian interpretation which I believe to be possible or even likely, but for which I can offer no concrete evidence. We know that Greg Read initially intended to make a documentary about the phenomenon of two people who match each other’s freak so well that they enable a worsening of sociopathic tendencies to the level of violent criminal behavior. In one interview, he referenced a paper he read about gestalt psychology which opened doors in his mind and led him down this path. He had developed the documentary idea enough to show it to other people, and someone told him it would make a great fictional movie. Based on this, I assume he must have acquired additional materials beyond that first paper, conducting extensive research on the idea in preparation for the documentary. I posit that the books Sally uses in this scene are Greg’s books, or copies of the same books he had referenced. All of Sally’s scenes were filmed in Australia, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he simply brought (or already had) his own books on set.

Working from that assumption, the ideas found in Gestalt Therapy: The Attitude and Practice of an Atheoretical Experientialism might be taken as extremely influential on Greg’s thought process in writing this film. While the whole text is not available online, there are a few excerpts one can read for free here. (The book itself is available through multiple websites for around US$40 at the time of this post.) If we examine the excerpts below within the context of the movie, a few things really stand out (emphasis mine):

Perls sometimes stated the principle entailed in such strategy as one of absolute validity: You never overcome anything by resisting it. You only can overcome anything by going deeper into it. If you are spiteful, be more spiteful. If you are performing, increase the performance. Whatever it is, if you go deeply enough into it, then it will disappear; it will be assimilated. Any resistance is not good. You have to go full into it—swing with it. Swing with your pain, your restlessness, whatever is there. Use your spite. Use your environment. Use all that you fight and disown.

This sounds remarkably like the process Alex goes through with Nigel, resistant at first and gradually leaning into the swing, learning to embrace and roll with all the things he was fighting against. A case might also be made that Nigel partakes in this process as well: he too is resistant to Alex initially, but the train scene marks a turning point in which he seems to make the decision to lean into the violence that Alex offers.

Returning to Alex’s assertion that it’s not about what gestalt is, but how you use it, these passages take on a whole new meaning. Sally’s speech at the end of the movie suggests that she arrived at the conclusion, based on her belief in Alex’s version of events, that Nigel essentially used the techniques of gestalt therapy in a twisted, malicious way to manipulate Alex towards the culmination of the film. As she says,

“What follows, through a system of either intimidation, manipulation, or coercion, is the dominant individual begins to focus and influence the thoughts of the subordinate partner. This process nurtures a subjective gestalt where similar thoughts, fantasies, and other interlocking elements conspire to form a greater and more volatile whole, therefore, a merging of like minds.”

Now read the excerpt below in light of these descriptions:

In the strategy which pervades Gestalt practice, the therapist is leading the patient through a process similar to that through which a child that is learning to sit on a chair needs to discover that he can sit only by giving his back to the chair, not by moving towards it. While this is a discovery that many make at a certain point in a typical session, a spectator may not share the insight. The patient discovers that his resentment was a diluted and devious form of healthy aggression, for instance, but this spectator may be frightened by what he sees as destructive loss of control; what the patient experiences as a rewarding and cleansing explosion of grief, brought about by the exaggeration of emptiness, the observer without familiarity with Gestalt may fear that the therapist, by urging on the patient’s symptoms, may lead him to suicide. The therapist’s ability to bring a patient to the turning point where his disowned destructive energies become his own purified strength will depend, in large measure, not upon technique alone, but on his experiential knowledge that this is possible, and in the consequent sense of trust in the constructive drives of which pathological manifestations are a distortion brought about by unhealthy denial and which can heal by itself in the presence of awareness. Such trust will enable him to pursue a given course of action to an effective degree, in spite of the patient’s chaos, rage, or loss of control—and will be important, too, in eliciting the necessary trust in the patient for him to let go. Gestalt therapy is based on the principle that to alleviate unresolved negative feelings like anger, pain, anxiety, and resentment, those emotions cannot just be discussed, but must be actively expressed in the present. Without that, psychological and physical symptoms can arise.

These passages represent the intended healthy expression of these principles. If we take these ideas and techniques and twist them into an unhealthy, intentionally manipulative and toxic dynamic, it maps quite clearly onto the relationship between Alex and Nigel and the actions they take throughout the film. Sally assumes that Nigel is in the role of the “therapist” leading Alex the patient through this process. The movie’s ending presents itself as a twist and suggests that these roles were in fact reversed, particularly in light of Alex’s first interview with Sally and his ominous and vague statements about Nigel's death being a necessary means to an end. If we accept that conclusion at face value, then consider how Alex “urging on the patient’s symptoms” may have actually “led him to suicide”.

The Gestalt therapist contrives experiments that lead the client to greater awareness and fuller experience of his/her possibilities. Experiments can be focused on undoing projections or retroflections. They can work to help the client with closure of unfinished Gestalts ("unfinished business" such as unexpressed emotions towards somebody in the client's life).

What is the climax of this movie if not Nigel creating a violent type of closure with his unexpressed emotions toward his parents? “It’s how you use it.” Did Alex use gestalt therapy techniques to draw Nigel into this violent chain of events as “a means to an end”? If so, what actually was the “end” he desired?

Incorporating this information into our interpretations of the movie still does not necessarily force us into accepting Alex as Mastermind as the only reading. I think you can certainly see that dynamic, but it doesn’t preclude Nigel as Mastermind. In my further reading regarding gestalt therapy, I found this passage in a blog post:

A thirst for experience is part of all life. Often though, this takes the form of a wanting to move on and on to other experiences than those at hand. A craving for more replaces the need for depth that could be our natural mode of contacting the world, had we not become desensitized to it. Intuitively seeking that depth or fullness of awareness that is on our birthright, and not finding it, we seek the substitute of environmental stimulation: spicy foods, rock climbing, high-speed sportscars, competitive games, tragedies on the movie screen.

This describes Alex perfectly and speaks to his own need for the gestalt therapeutic approach. We could argue that Nigel addresses this drive for more experiences by bringing Alex into a focus on the depths of the present moment, existing in the now that Nigel creates for him as he attempts to understand his own feelings and reactions. As the book puts it:

The Perlses believed that it is not our responsibility to live up to others' expectations, nor should we expect others to live up to ours. In building self-awareness, gestalt therapy aims to help clients better understand themselves and how the choices they make affect their health and their relationships.

My own interpretation is one of equal partners both playing the role of therapist and patient to each other. Gestalt therapy relies on the ability of the therapist to set aside their own interpretations of the patient's experiences in favor of allowing or guiding the patient to arrive at their own understandings and conclusions. I do not think that sole responsibility can be placed on either Nigel or Alex, and the events of the movie could not or would not have transpired without the active participation of both boys in each other's lives. While the context is a dark expression of these ideas, both Alex and Nigel help each other build self-awareness and achieve a better understanding of themselves.

Like Minds Masterpost

#i just had to put that shot of Sally at the end because she's so absolutely gutted at her own failure - i'm so mean #greg really did say what if two guys matched each other's freak #like minds #nigel colbie #alex forbes #nigel colbie x alex forbes #tom sturridge #eddie redmayne #murderous intent #like minds 2006 #like minds analysis #murder boyfriends

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