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stoicbreviary · 2 years ago

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Sonnets from Marcus Aurelius 1

Much like the poems by Ellis Walker on Epictetus, I came across these sonnets by James Vila Blake on Marcus Aurelius quite by accident. This time, in search of poetry with a Stoic character, I found them scanned in an obscure corner of the internet, the digital equivalent of a dusty shelf in a back room, and I have yet to hold a physical copy in my hands. Though I have always preferred the feel of real paper, this version will surely do for the moment.

I had never heard of the author before, and a bit of digging revealed that James Vila Blake (1842-1925) was a Unitarian minister, best known for his essays, sermons, and as an editor of hymns. Though I am largely unfamiliar with the Unitarian tradition, I was quite taken by his words on the mission of his church:

Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law. This is our great covenant: To dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.

Beyond all our theological bickering, it would be nice if more of us could hold to such basic principles.

In his foreword, Rev. Blake explains how he came to write these poems, so I will only add how happy I was to see someone taking the time to reflect on the writings of Marcus Aurelius with such reverence and affection. If I had a gift for verse, I would attempt something similar, as a sort of homage, but I can only manage my cumbersome reflections.

There are 31 sonnets here, each working from a specific passage in the Meditations, plus a proem and and epode. Blake includes these sections of the original text before the poems, both in the Greek and his own translation.

Now while my Latin has become passable over the years, I have sadly never been able to move beyond the most rudimentary grammar and vocabulary for Greek, and so I cannot make any judgments about the quotations I see here. For the sake of completeness, I have included the Greek as it appears in the scan, fixing only the most obvious typos, and I have left the rest as it is.

If you happen to have any talent in Greek, and you find glaring mistakes, which are quite likely in such a transcription, I would encourage you to embrace the task of a thorough edit. I'm sure a proper academic could do this in very little time, by comparing the Blake copy to a scholarly edition. Your effort would be of great help in keeping this fine work alive!

—3/2010

* * * * *

Sonnets from Marcus Aurelius James Vila Blake THOS. P. HALPIN COMPANY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Copyright by JAMES VILA BLAKE, 1920 TO THE Rev. A. W. OXFORD, M. O. LONDON, ENGLAND

FOREWORD When I had read the book of Marcus Aurelius many times, and was reading it after a long interval once again, which was also in company and aloud, I noticed the worthy matter for poetic treatment presented by the great Emperor’s noblest and most characteristic sayings. I marked such passages, and they remained for many years marked and no more.

Then I remembered them, recurred to them, and found my former impression confirmed. Hence these heroic hymns, as perhaps I may call them, the sonnet appearing to me the poetic form most suitable and germane. Do or can the lofty thoughts herein versed, gain from verse? The reader must judge, and possibly the fortunes of the present recital may afford some indication whether the stern and high terseness of the original can profit by the expansion, diction and imagery of verse.

Certainly in clarity, no; but in persuasiveness, possibly yes. The question seems much like a query whether excellent drawing in ink can gain by brush and color. What is proper matter for poesy, is a question belonging to poetic technics, and there is wide space and a thousand species between a geometrical demonstration or a bit of chemical nomenclature, and the heroics of a ballad; but at first blush perhaps it may be surmised that whatever thought is big enough and humane enough, may lay all Nature under contribution, and need not disdain the warrant of poetic fancy, trope, form or diction.

As to the diction, for aught that appears, the word rondure which Shakespeare liked, is as good as roundness, or sphericity, or circularity, or curve, or curvature, or concavity, or convexity, or circumbendibus, and if this be granted, poetic language scores a point perhaps, though I have known poets and others look askance at “rondure.”

The Greek and a prose rendering are placed together, and the sonnet opposite them. In the rendering I have not sought to give a literal transcription of the original, but rather the embosomed spirit and redolence of it. But it may be hoped this will be acceptable, since for those who might disapprove the Greek is added.

The text is accepted from “The Communings with Himself of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Emperor of Rome, together with his Speeches and Sayings. A Revised Text and a Translation into English, by C. R. Haines, M.A.,, F.S.A. London, William Heinemann. New York, G. P. Putnam’s Sons.”

—J. V. B.

The Greek excerpts are taken by means of a photo-etching process. Of course the result would have been more elegant if I had employed a Greek compositor; but the virtue of the text is not affected, and J have done what I could under the conditions.

* * * * *

PROEM

Marcus, thy stoic wit lacks naught in-door; Out-door methinks thou shouldst be more at play, Hill, vale, wood, brook, be fellows by thy way, And wider wanderings on the sea-green shore. Thou shouldst a stilly meadow pool explore For doubled lustres of the early day, Or soft reflections of capacious gray That hath the meadow’s verdure tented o’er. O if a rose had trembled to thy kiss More than some culprit quailed before thy power, Mayhap I had not now been writing this, Thou being too great to gain thy day and hour. Well, well, wide soul thou wert, kind heart, mind’s dower, And to thee I am pious and submiss.

* * * * * 1. Εωθεν προλέγειν ἑαυτῷ: συντεύξομαι περιἔργῳ, ἀχαρίστῳ, ὑβριστῇ, δολερῷ, βασκάνῳ, ἀκοινωνήτῳ. πάντα ταῦτα συμβέβηκεν ἐκείνοις παρὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν. ἐγὼ δὲ τεθεωρηκὼς τὴν φύσιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ὅτι καλόν, καὶ τοῦ κακοῦ, ὅτι αἰσχρόν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος φύσιν, ὅτε μοι συγγενής, οὐχὶ αἵματος ἣ σπέρματος τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ νοῦ καὶ θείας ἀπομοίρας μέτοχος, οὔτε βλαβῆναι ὑπό τινος αὐτῶν δύναμαι: αἰσχρῷ γάρ με οὐδεὶς περιβαλεῖ: οὔτε ὀργίζεσθαι τῷ συγγενεῖ δύναμαι οὔτε ἀπέχθεσθαι αὐτῷ.

At early morning warn yourself thus: Today I shall happen on busy-bodies, ungrateful fellows, insolent boors, deceitful plotters, spiteful churls, unkind neighbors. All these ills have befallen them by reason of their ignorance of good and evil. But I have understood the nature of the good, that it is beautiful, and of the evil, that it is ugly, and of the ill-behaved man himself, that he is of the same source, kith and kin, with me—not of the same blood and flesh, but sharing in reason and a divine part; for which cause I neither can be injured by any one of them (since no one can wrap me up in baseness) nor can I be angry or hold bitter feeling against this kinsman of mine.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.1

When the sun riseth, consider what he sees, And tell thyself that surely through the day Thou shalt see like the sun. Not hills, and trees On them, green meads, kine grazing, lambs at play, Soft clouds, and birds sipping at brooks—not these I mean, albeit they sparkle wide away; But surly men, churls, fops at insolent ease, The gossip, knaves that envy, steal, betray. But what! If so they be, be so must I? Or to do like them, is that arms to meet them? So hapless they in sense, ’tis mine to ply My wisdom for them, not flout or ill-entreat them. Fine wit ’s most dowered, and hath his best estate, When civil most to wits less fortunate.

#stoicism #james vila blake #marcus aurelius #philosophy

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wanderingsofal · 4 years ago

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Can you tell me (in general, not asking for specifics) what you do for your job and how fulfilling it is other than current uncertainty? I've never had a career, only part time work but I'm 30 and I have no idea "what I want to be when I grow up". Plus the only jobs I can ever think of as possibilities are retail, which are ಠ︵ಠ. I'm just looking for some insight from people I admire to get some direction. (If this is too personal a question I understand, so please dont feel pressured to reply.)

Hi! Thanks for asking! I’ll try to answer, though I’m not sure how helpful I can be - my career has been a series of just sort of ‘falling into it’ situations that led me to a job I honestly love, even with all the uncertainty.

My current position is pretty new for my agency. Technically, I’m an analyst. There’s several thousands of these sorts of positions if you’re looking at the job title, however they aren’t all the same. Most will involve some sort of data analysis/data science, but that’s where the similarities end.

For mine, I’m on a tech team for my agency, where we oversee the modernization of its programs and practices. As in, we upgraded the old MS DOS (a code language widely used in the 70s) systems into more modern languages with more capability. As someone who came from “the field” I oversee some of these projects as a subject matter expert, giving advice and guidance to the developers and making decisions on what features to add into the finished program. I also build reports on the data from our programs - anywhere from reports that go to our Fraud division to try and root out people who are taking advantage of new immigrants, to scheduling reports sent to upper management to show how well our field offices are doing in getting to all of our applicants in a timely manner.

But the best part, the part I really really love, is that I also get to build some of these programs. From smaller local programs utilizing Microsoft Access, to large-scale web applications using more advanced coding languages. There’s just something about being able to sit down and sketch out what a program will look like, then see it taking shape under your fingers. I realize this will sound odd to a lot of people, but there’s a sort of high in building a button, then clicking on it, and watching your program do exactly what you told it to.

I love working with code. It’s a different sort of ‘creation’ to writing or drawing, but it’s creation just the same. It’s taking a bunch of letters and symbols and lining them up exactly right so that something happens just when you want it to. It’s seeing something in your head, and then making that vision come to life. Code is logical. There is no grey area in code. There is just what works, and what doesn’t. And if your code doesn’t work, then you have to find out what’s wrong. There’s very little you can’t do with coding (inside of a computer at least). The only real limit is your imagination.

Oh, I’ll complain (and have on here a few times) about losing commas or parenthesis, and spending hours looking for that one lost quotation mark. That’s an aspect of it too, yes. But even the mundane and sometimes tedious tasks are worth it when I can turn in a finished website that I made, and know it will be useful to someone.

It’s worth it to note here that I do not have a Computer Sciences degree. I have a degree in Japanese. I taught myself nearly everything I know about coding, up until about a year ago when I started taking a class on a newer coding language so I could use it at work. Most code development uses an astonishing amount of google. I’ve heard a lot of senior developers say that to get good at coding, all you really need to do is know how to use google effectively.

Before this job I had essentially the same job title, but I spent most of my time doing scheduling for interviews, and some minimal data analysis on what we needed to do to keep up quality service to our applicants. The job itself wasn’t fulfilling really - it was long hours, and pretty stressful due to the large workload and the fact that I was hired at a really bad time when the rest of the team had quit. But it was worth it because I was working to schedule asylum interviews, meaning I was helping people who desperately needed it. I likely wouldn’t have left that job if this exact position I’m now in hadn’t come up.

And before that, my first “real job” outside of the Peace Corps, I was an office assistant. I answered email inquiries, did file management, and basic paperwork. It was boring. There was absolutely no mental challenge. But I found ways to do things I was more interested in. I modernized our spreadsheets and found better technical solutions to our case tracking issues. I was usually bored out of my mind, but there’s something to be said for an honest eight hour day with no threat of working late or being forced to come in early, and where you don’t take your work home with you. It wasn’t a good fit for me, but it was a great fit for some others I knew.

I think the best advice I can give is just to start somewhere. Even if you have to take a less exciting job right off the bat. Everyone has to start in the less exciting jobs usually. But pick a company or an agency you want to work for, and get into an entry-level position. As you learn about the company, you’ll see more of the positions they offer, and figure out what you want to try to be. Then, if you have good supervisors, they’ll help you get there. That’s what the “boring” entry-level jobs are for - to take in new talent, and let them experience what life at the company is like while still doing necessary work. The good supervisors for those positions will be all about helping you grow your career and finding what path you want to take.

From there, find the good people and follow them. That’s what truly makes a job good or bad, I’ve found. If the people you work with are good and honest and kind, then your job will be enjoyable. If the people you work with are mean or catty or closed-minded, it makes the job that much worse and even a dream job will become terrible in the long run.

#Anonymous #wow I got a little wordy there - sorry!#I hope this helps you at least a little

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sineala · 5 years ago

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Author Meme

Author Name:

Sineala

Fandoms You Write For:

Currently, Marvel Comics. You may also remember me from The Eagle.

Where You Post:

AO3.

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wingsporkhalo · 8 years ago

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Legend of the Barren Lands, an original (bad and unfinished) story

Another classic from the depths of @mysticdelphox97’s old documents! This one is about 12 pages long including comments, so it’s even shorter than Through Burning Ashes! This one features many Pokémon references, unfortunate blonde stereotypes, and ruby-colored glowing winged hive-minded vampire wolves!! Short excerpt above the cut; the rest is below it!

Also, “I’m doing very well today, although my stomach is empty and I am in need of a good soul.” (I honestly love this spork please read it)

Mystic: omg i found another old fic that you can totally spork as well

Wing: YAAAAAAAAAAY send it over

Mystic: it's NOT EVEN FINISHED OMG Mystic: DID I JUST STOP WRITING IT BECAUSE OF HOW BAD IT WAS

Wing: Oooooh OPENING IT

Legend of the Barren Lands

~*~*~*~*~

Wing: Oh god the tilde-asterisk linebreak is my FAV LINEBREAK EVEN THOUGH I RECOGNIZE HOW BADFIC-Y IT IS

The Barren Lands are worthless, some say. Nothing more than a large stretch of dull stone, with no trace of green in sight. Life? There is said to be none. A wasteland. The Barren Lands had not, have not, and will not be useful. A dissipate of precious space.

Wing: "dissipate" That word, I do not think it means what you think it means

Although removing these grounds is highly prohibited,

Wing: And how would you..."remove the grounds"? You just gonna pick up a huge chunk of earth with a crane or something

Mystic: This is technically a 2011 fic so it's like, really hella old and untouched Mystic: so there's gonna be golden spork content to work with I guanrantee it Mystic: honestly just go savage with this fic Mystic: it's gonna go into like, Deviantart oc angsty content really soon

since it dates back to the ancient days where it played a very important part in the evolution of our people.

Wing: Oh, so I guess you lied when you said they have not been useful Wing: Well I guess what you said was "have not be useful" but I'm paraphrasing

Mystic: True true

Our current culture, however, fails to acknowledge that, and everything that was once pure about this terrain is no more.

Even though, sadly, this is true, the Lands are also very intriguing.

Wing: So basically: "yo these lands are totally useless, I agree, BUT HMM SO INTERESTING???"

Mystic: PFFF Mystic: Basically ye

It contains something that scientists still cannot comprehend—the “freaky weather” that only occurs within the Barren’s perimeters.

Wing: Ah yes, the scientific term “freaky weather.” And “within the Barren’s perimeters”... that sounds insulting to women unable to bear children

Mystic: PFFFFFFFFF

The sun’s rays have never touched its sorrowful grounds for centuries.

Wing: Those poor virgin grounds. They need some sweet, sweet solar action. Need to have some life put into 'em. Awwwwww ye.

Mystic: sunshine shenanigans ensue

Dark grey, almost black clouds cover most of the sky. Continuous bolts of lightning would strike the outskirts of the area. Vibrant colors of white, aqua, scarlet, viridian, and others could be seen over the horizon.

Wing: “Scarlet”? “Viridian”? Calm down; what are you, Kanto?

It was unexplainable. There wasn’t a single answer as to why this is so.

Wing: UM HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF RAINBOWS OR AURORAS

Mystic: I'm reeling holy shit

There is another odd factor to be considered, as well. Lately, there have been reports from travelers and merchants who have witnessed strange silhouettes in the crevices of stone, or hearings of a distant growl

Wing: The Distant Growl did not show up at its court date, though, so really it was pointless to give it a hearing.

Mystic: poor Distant Growl

or other noise in the smoky breeze.

Wing: Smoky breeze...sounds like a men’s fragrance

Now, you’re probably thinking: “But wasn’t it mentioned that there was no life in the Barren Lands?”

Wing: Actually, no. I'm thinking “Why are you guessing what I'm thinking, Narrator?”

Technically, there is no record of any living thing inside the Barren Lands. So, who knows, maybe there is something—or maybe more—thriving on the Lands’ ‘useless’ territory.

And who knows what it is that is living there…

Wing: I'm guessing you do, Narrator.

~*~*~*~

Rain slowly began to sprinkle onto the lifeless grounds of the Barren Lands. It was a harmonious gift from God;

Wing: Harmonious? Was it making music?

water was scarce within the Lands, and hardly a speck of any type of liquid entered its territory. Even so, the downfall was light; not enough to quench the Lands’ thirst.

Wing: They so thirsty [waggles eyebrows]

Before the dreaded curse was place upon it,

Wing: So The Curse was actually a place before it was...a curse?... Wing: Or no wait, it's a place now.

Mystic: I think it's supposed to be placed

rain came down in giant pours, and the Barren Lands flourished greatly when it was in its prime. But now, it was only lucky to receive even a drop of water.

A flash of vibrant red dashed across the stone area.

Wing: IT'S BLEEDINGGGGGGGG

It was accompanied by other neon colors. At a closer glance, the distinct outline of many animals could be distinguished.

As the creatures raced across the dull horizon, their intellect focused on two life forms… two fresh… young… tasty life forms.

Wing: ….uh

The ruby-hued animal looked back at its companions, and made several clicking noises. Then it doubled its speed. The others followed suit.

Wing: Look I actually really like this paragraph. I have no issue with any word in this 3-sentence paragraph. Good job Young!Mystic

Mystic: eyyyyy that makes me happy T^T

After travelling a good distance, the pack settled down near a small section of land surrounded by jagged boulders. They spread out, making themselves scarce amongst the towering rocks. They were ambushing two teenage girls within the center of the circle. One was a blonde with a stick-figure body, wearing a low-cut shirt, jeans that hugged her skinny legs, and flip-flops. Not exactly the best traveling attire.

The other, however, was more suited for such an environment. She had cherry-red hair, and rather pale skin compared to the blonde’s tan stature.

Wing: Tan is a stature now???

Mystic: apparently Mystic: in 2011 it was I guess XD

Wing:: "So like, how was he built, Rachel??" "Ohmygod, so hot." "But like, how would you describe his height?" "Tan"

Mystic: PFFFFFFFFFFFF

She wore a grey sweater (a lighter tone that the blah color of the stony ground),

Wing: I read this five times before realizing that the reason this wasn't making sense was because the "that" was supposed to be "than" Wing: I was like WHAT??? WHAT DID THE BLAH COLOR OF THE STONY GROUND DO TO THE LIGHTER TONE???

Mystic: I think i was trying to find a synonym for "dull" and thought that "blah" was passable for some reason

camouflage-colored cargos,

Wing: ...Sure. If tan is a stature, camo can be a color I guess

Mystic: Oh Mystic: i totally missed that

and brown hiking boots. She was in conversation with her partner,

Wing: [waggles eyebrows]

probably to consult their current location.

Wing: OH MIGHTY LAND BENEATH OUR FEET. WE CONSULT THEE FOR THY DIVINE GUIDANCE.

Of course, the illuminated spirits could understand perfectly well of what they were saying.

Wing: What whoa I totally missed when they introduced any glowing spirits

“Ugh, Jasmine! It’s, like, no use! We’re gonna be, like, totally stuck in this wasteland!” the revealingly dressed blonde complained, disgust etched on her narrow face.

Wing: Whoa. Okay, the narration just said she had a low-cut shirt, but was otherwise wearing jeans. So, not revealing. THE NARRATION HATES SKINNY GIRLS AND/OR BLONDES

Mystic: ..... that was definitely me in middle school Mystic: probably because the girls that bullied me were thin and had blondish hair Mystic: obviously i don't stereotype like that anymore thank god

Wing: I was bullied by thin blonde girls too. But also thin brunettes. Thin girls of any hair color, really. Probably some stocky girls too. And guys. Don't forget all the guys. Wing: But as a blonde, I never really gelled with the universe's grudge against blondes. They're either pigeonholed as airheaded cheerleaders or stuck-up popular queen bees ugh Wing: Unless you're in an anime, in which case it's "WOW SUCH BLONDE SO FOREIGNER WOW"

Mystic: pff yeahhh

The redhead, or otherwise known as ‘Jasmine,’ rolled her eyes. “I don’t think so, Claire. See, if you read this map,” she gestured to the unrolled scroll she held in her hands, “we’re right in the heart of the Barren Lands. If we keep heading north…” her finger traveled up the map, “we’ll hit the Carada Ocean, where Tierra Village rests.”

Wing: “Oh, Carada, our home and native land...”

“Yeah, yeah, but honestly, my feet hurt. Why did you drag me out here anyway?” Claire asked.

Jasmine turned to face her ‘friend’ and placed one hand on her hip.

Wing: Sure, quotation marks. Because god forbid anyone be unironically friends with a blonde, amirite

“Claire, you wanted to come. I asked you if you could come with me because, in order to travel through the Lands, you need to have at least one other person with you, and I needed a person. Before I even told you the risks, you said you were delighted to come, because there were ‘cute boys’ at Tierra Village.”

Wing: [CRINGES MEGA-HARD]

Mystic: I CRINGED TOO

Claire put her hand on her chest and mock-gaped. “I so did not! You practically begged me to go with you!” she retorted.

Jasmine rolled her eyes a second time. She muttered a “Yeah, sure, whatever,” under her breath before turning her attention back to the map.

The fiery colored animal, revealed to be a wolf,

Wing: Revealed by whom? The narration? Did the girls suddenly put on some glasses?

glared intently at the two girls. The blonde’s soul was useless—

Wing: .......................................................................................welp

I feel unwanted

Mystic: SENPAI NOOO ;A; Mystic: YOU ARE VERY MUCH WANTED

Wing: S'alright, not the first time I've encountered such sentiments [crouches in a Corner of Woe and draws circles on the ground] TnT

Mystic: NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ;A; SENPAAAIIIII

under its watchful analysis, it concluded that the only result of devouring her soul would be to satisfy their hunger. But the red haired one… the one called Jasmine… her soul wavelength produced a high-leveled aura, and it’s those energetic kinds of souls that were of more use to the neon spirits. They increased their vitality, meaning that their own corrupted, unpurified souls wouldn’t fade away. Their existence relied on her soul. With hers, their kind would continue to maintain their immortality.

Wing: Ah yes, the legendary wolfpire

Suddenly, a shadow befell over it.

Wing: I'm just...why bother to say "befell" if you're also going to say "over"...it's like Turnabout Matrimony but somehow still not as bad

Mystic: oh my god

The blood-red creature looked back, and came face-to-face with its master. A lean, black wolf with crimson stripes stood before it.

Wing: ORIGINAL CHARACTER DONUT STEAL

Mystic: IT'S LITERALLY A DEVIANTART WOLF OC

He folded his recently used wings and scanned his viridian eyes over the spirit.

Wing: I CAN'T EVEN Wing: IT HAS WINGS AND "VIRIDIAN" EYES

Its head was shaped like a wolf, but it had no legs. Its body ended in a smoky tail.

Wing: IT'S A FUCKING RED-TIGERSTRIPED GENIEWOLF WITH WINGS??? Wing: I SAY GENIEWOLF BECAUSE IT HAS NO LEGS, NOT BECAUSE IT GRANTS WISHES. IF IT GRANTED WISHES IT WOULD HAVE GRANTED MINE TO NOT BE READING THIS ANYMORE

Mystic: i think the winged wolf has legs, it's the weird colored spirit ones that don't have limbs

Wing: Ohhhhhhhhh okay I get it now

The neon wolf bowed to the battle-scarred canine. “Greetings, Lord Gherous.

Wing: [ominous battle theme chanting] GHEEEEEEEROUS. GHEEEEEEEEEEEROUS. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~

Mystic: IT'S FUCKING GHETSIS

Wing: YUP

Mystic: I literally thought that as soon as i read the name

Wing: GHEROUS WILL NOW BE KNOWN AS DENNIS IN MY SPORK.

Mystic: did i literally just rewrite Ghetsis as Gherous xP Mystic: i think that's what that originated from

Wing: omfg DID YOU??? I WOULD ALMOST BE DISAPPOINTED

Mystic: I'M FAIRLY CERTTAIN Mystic: because if that fic's from 2011, that means that Black and White had been released Mystic: sooo, yeah, I'm pretty sure that's where that came from xD

May I ask of your status for the day?”

Gherous’s intensive pupils honed in on it.

Wing: These pupils aren't for the faint of heart. They are...more rigorous. More demanding. More INTENSIVE

“Thank you for asking, DNAnimal Experiment number 47,”

Wing: .........[Curls into a ball and pulls the covers over my head]

Mystic: oooof....

he responded. “I’m doing very well today… although my stomach is empty and in need of a good soul.

Wing: “I’m doing very well today although my stomach is empty and I'm in need of a good soul.”

Me every day

Mystic: PFFFFFF OMG

Tell me, have you selected the right enhancements?”

Wing: Your Yahoo! mail inbox in 2003 be like

Mystic: PFFFDJSADFH'JAODGHIASDG

Number Forty-Seven grinned, its own green eyes glowing. “Indeed, Master. As you can see,” it gestured with its tail-end to the duo of the female humans, “we have two choices. The blonde’s isn’t of much use, only to satisfy our hunger.

Wing: ;-;

The redhead, however…”

“Can be used for an enhancement,” Gherous concluded.

“Correct, Master. But, as you know, our kind can only absorb one soul a day. So, we have a choice—hunger satisfaction, or a level up.

Wing: The Cafés in Festival Plaza

Mystic: bruh Mystic: BRUH

Your choice, Master.”

Gherous closed his eyes. He concentrated harder when he did this.

Wing: Just this time, or always?

It’s one or the other, he thought. He took in the smell of the brisk wind that gently flowed by him.

Wing: "UGH, GOD, FORTY-SEVEN. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO NOT EAT SOULS THAT TASTE LIKE BROCCOLI."

"Sorry, Master."

"GAWD. IT'S LIKE SOMETHING DIED INSIDE YOU. GO STAND DOWNWIND"

Mystic: PFDDF OH MY GODN

The incense was that of burning cedar wood, drifting from the other side of the Barren Lands. A joyous smile formed on the charcoal wolf’s lips, in awe of the amazing aroma.

Wing: He be like "Hehe... u pooted" Wing: i'm crying with laughter

Mystic: i juST SHAT MYSELF OMG

Wing: ROFLLLLLLLLLLLLL I SINCERELY HOPE THAT'S HYPERBOLE

He finally opened his eyes.

“Take the blonde. We’ll reserve the other girl for later.”

Wing: Big Bang Theory be like Wing: (the show, not the scientific theory. LOL)

Mystic: [SNORTS] yeah i got that xD

Number Forty-Seven smiled evilly. It floated up to the tip of the boulder from where it was hiding, and then it released internal wavelengths which humans can detect, injecting the sense of fear into their minds.

Wing: Presumably with some kind of mind-syringe

Claire started to feel nauseous. Her breathing grew more and more shallow. She whipped her body around, frightened, every sense inside of her becoming sensitive,

Wing: What about the ones outside of her?

searching for the signs of danger.

Wing: You mean like this?

“Claire? Are you okay?” Jasmine asked. She, too, was starting to experience similar symptoms as her friend, except not as severely.

Claire faced Jasmine, her face extremely pale and precipitation streaked across her forehead.

Wing: It was...raining across her forehead?... How could you see it? Was it muddy??

Jasmine had never seen her so worked up before. “Jasmine… are you, like, sure that there’s nothing out here?” she asked, her voice shaky and barely a whisper.

Jasmine examined the surrounding area. “I… I was told there was no life out here… but I don’t know,” she responded.

“I… I don’t like this… I have a really bad feeling about this place…” Claire suddenly grabbed Jasmine by the shoulders, trembling, eyes widened. “We have to get out of here!”

Before they could react, the band of DNAnimals appeared from their hiding places and charged at the girls. They stood back-to-back as the weird brightly colored creatures circled them, howling and screeching and intimidating them.

Wing: DNANIMAL's Intimidate cuts Claire's and Jasmine's Attack! The opposing DNANIMAL used HOWL! DNANIMAL's Attack rose! The opposing DNANIMAL used SCREECH! Claire's Defense harshly fell! Jasmine's Defense harshly fell!

Finally, they halted and formed a barrier around them, preventing any escape. An opening was made, and Gherous walked through it, revealing himself to them.

Jasmine stared in disbelief. The sheer size of the winged canine was larger and more built than any wolf she had ever seen before.

Wing: "Yo...that wolf be swole"

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE ADMIRING HOW BUILT HE IS, JASMINE"

"He's like, so tall he's almost tan"

Mystic: SWOLE LIKE BUZZWOLE Mystic: why did i just say that Mystic: why

Wing: YUP U GOT IT

It superseded her height, over 5’6”, and it emitted an intimidating aura. Jasmine’s instincts told her to run, to get out of this place, but her body did not respond.

Wing: “Jasmine's instincts told her to run, to get out of this place, but her body did not respond” again, me every day

was frozen in place by her fear, and she knew better than to try and escape—these weird creatures were dangerous, and she did not doubt that they would kill her if she tried.

The monstrous wolf-being began to round them up, displaying his sharp white fangs. He could feel their emotions flooding off them in great waves. ‘Nothing is more delicious than a soul pulsing with life…’ Gherous thought hungrily.

Wing: Almost as creepy as his namesake.

He was taken by surprise when the ginger-haired girl spoke up. “Who—who are you?” she stuttered.

Gherous snapped back into reality. He noticed something odd

Wing: HE NOTICED SOMETHING ODD

Wing: the end forever.

Mystic: THE END FOREVER INDEED

Mystic: AND THAT IT SHALL STAY Wing: Well, yup, it sure will stay something odd forever.

If you liked this, let me know! I’d love to hear feedback on doing snark for original fiction!

#mysticdelphox97 #bad fiction #original story #badfic #spork #wingsporkhalo #barren lands

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trickstercaptain-archive · 8 years ago

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REALLY LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES. repost, don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good luck ! TAGGED. @murroyilodel TAGGING. @donapirata, @thecodekeeper, @twisted-but-pretty, @piraticalwit, @invictusmanet, @lordiism & anyone else who’d like to do this, go right ahead -- don’t feel like you have to do this though lmao

BASICS. FULL NAME : Captain Jack Sparrow NICKNAME : Jackie, witty Jack, mi corazón, captain looby AGE : 38 in his main verse BIRTHDAY : 6th August ETHNIC GROUP : Caucasian ( English, but with Spanish heritage ) NATIONALITY : English LANGUAGE / S : English, Spanish, French, some Portuguese, Latin and others SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Bisexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Demiromantic RELATIONSHIP STATUS : Single & lowkey married to his ship unless specified otherwise in a particular verse CLASS : An outlaw, exists outside the class structure completely but if you had to place him, he’s certainly lower class HOME TOWN / AREA : Shipwreck Cove, somewhere in the South Atlantic ( legend says the island moves ) CURRENT HOME : On board the Black Pearl, anywhere in the entire ocean PROFESSION : Pirate Captain

PHYSICAL. HAIR : Thick, extends to his mid-back, is virtually always tied back with his favourite red bandana and braided at the back. All sorts of small trinkets are tied into it, including a shinbone from a reindeer. EYES : Large, dark eyes with long lashes. Easily one of his most defining features, and he takes to emphasising them even more with the use of kohl to help the reflection of the sun off of the sea. NOSE : Straight, slightly arched; a defining feature but not obnoxiously so save in that one scene FACE : An undeniably pretty face, with his sharp cheekbones as his most striking feature LIPS : Fairly full lips, another particularly expressive feature of his face COMPLEXION : He usually has a very glowing complexion thanks to his deep tan, but depending on lack of sleep or stress etc, he’s sometimes forced to use the kohl to hide the circles under his eyes. He’s always slightly paler when he’s particularly stressed or hasn’t been sleeping well. BLEMISHES : An abrasion on his chin that has never healed, the odd freckle and mole here and there. SCARS : A small scar across his right eyebrow from a sword nick during a fight, the ‘P’ brand on his forearm, extensive burns along his left arm, scar on his right palm from lifting the Aztec curse, two powder burns from bullet wounds on the right-hand side of his chest, several other marks across his torso and back. TATTOOS : Flying sparrow over waves on his forearm, above his brand, mi corazón tattooed across the left hand side of his chest, several others inc. quotations from the poem Desiderata HEIGHT : 5′10″. WEIGHT : --- BUILD : Average build; toned but lean. FEATURES : Very striking features -- in particular his eyes, especially when lined with kohl, and his sharp cheekbones. ALLERGIES : None. USUAL HAIR STYLE : Dreadlocks at the front, with the rest of his hair tied back by a bandana, and part of it contained in a braid extending down his back. USUAL FACE LOOK : Jack’s face is extremely expressive; his eyes in particular will often betray any emotion that he is fighting to conceal from view, but his usual expression will depend entirely on his mood and his opinion of any present company. You’ll know if he’s in a bad mood: his face is harder, more inclined towards annoyance or boredom, but for several individuals close to him this harshness will soften whenever he’s in their presence. USUAL CLOTHING : His ‘iconic’ look; tricorn hat, red bandana, shirt, waistcoat, brown coat, belts, striped sash, breeches, boots. He prefers loose-fitted clothing given the climate of the Caribbean, despite it’s so-called impropriety, and has a sentimental attachment to his outfit which means that he’s reluctant to trade any of it in for anything newer.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Being forgotten, death, abandonment, betrayal, rejection, fire, failure, not being good enough. ASPIRATION / S : In canon, his goal from a very young age was to become a famous pirate captain, to earn a title for himself and, most of all, to be remembered and to matter to people. Once he gains his captaincy, his goal shifts to solely being that of bolstering his own reputation, to make sure that after his death he won’t ever be forgotten. POSITIVE TRAITS : Openminded, unprejudiced, has the potential to display incredible selflessness and compassion, intelligent, flirtatious, witty, well-read, charming, merciful, ambitious, individualist, opinionated. NEGATIVE TRAITS : Distrustful, manipulative, paranoid, self-serving, egocentric, can be emotionally cold and distant, obsessive, unreliable, chaotic, unpredictable, moody, inclined towards cowardice. MBTI : ENTP ZODIAC : Leo TEMPERAMENT : Somewhere between sanguine and melancholic. SOUL TYPE / S : Leader ANIMALS : Sea lion VICE HABIT / S : His fondness for rum is probably the main one, along with his penchant for overindulging of all kinds. He leans towards an addictive, obsessive personality so he rarely does things by halves. FAITH : He doesn’t count himself as religious, so he holds no faith to nor does he worship any particular God, but from his exposure to heathen Gods and understanding of the Classics ( the Greek and Roman Gods ), Jack can certainly be understood as polytheist even if he’s sceptical towards the idea of religion. If he had to identify as one, however, he’d be of the protestant faith. GHOSTS ? : Jack has seen ghosts so, yes, he believes in them. AFTERLIFE ? : I think Jack likes to believe that there is some sort of afterlife, but after his experiences in the Locker he’d a little less sure if he wants it to exist. REINCARNATION ? : Jack is pretty sceptical on this one tbh. ALIENS ? : In canon and modern Jack is certainly open-minded to the idea, but it’s only really in verses with the Doctor that he actually believes in them. POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : Jack is certainly a liberal in both canon and modern, but in modern I guess he’d lean towards the labour party in the UK -- but honestly I feel like he’d be very cynical of the political establishment as a whole. ECONOMIC PREFERENCE : In canon his financial situation is pretty dire. It’s not that he doesn’t earn money, either crewing on other ships or, after he gains his captaincy, on his own ship, but he’s terrible at managing it. His situation is a lot better in modern verse -- he has money enough to support himself and live in his own apartment ( albeit with Gibbs as a roommate ), but he often teeters on the edge of his overdraft. SOCIOPOLITICAL POSITION : A pariah and outcast of society in canon, but in modern verse he’s a regular citizen of the UK ( although also a criminal ). EDUCATION LEVEL : Jack is educated in canon, though not formally ( most of it was self-taught but a fair amount came from his parents, such as his literacy from his mother and a lot of his navigational prowess from Teague ). In modern, Jack is educated to secondary/high school level but did not go on to university level education except in his professor AU.

FAMILY. FATHER : Captain Edward Teague, the Keeper of the Pirate’s Code. MOTHER : Maria Sparrow, a daughter of a slave-owner who ran away from home and eventually joined Teague’s crew as a ship’s cook. She gave birth to Jack in a typhoon, and died of illness ( complications caused by her second pregnancy ) when he was seven years old. SIBLINGS : Technically speaking Jack has none, save an unborn sister who died alongside his mother. To this day he has no idea that his mother was pregnant before she died. EXTENDED FAMILY : Oh he has so many that I’m not gonna name them all. The most important are his paternal grandmother, Anne Teague, a former Pirate Lord, and his paternal grandfather, Bartholomew, who was one of the individuals who laid down the Code. NAME MEANING / S : Jack is a diminutive form of John, and just means man or boy lmfao HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : Umm well Jack isn’t strictly based on any pirate of history, although there are connections you can draw between Jack and the historical Jack Rackham, if only for the name and the fact that Jack also has no issue about sailing alongside women. I’ve also read somewhere that there’s a muslim pirate with a connection to Jack but don’t quote me on that. Mainly he’s a character who draws heavily on the romantic archetype of the pirate through history -- his clearest literary predecessor, however, is Lord Byron’s Conrad.

FAVOURITES. BOOK : My Lyfe Among the Pyrates, Captain J. Ward, the Divine Comedy, Dante, Hamlet, Shakespeare, Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe. MOVIE : In modern verse, Jack is a fan of adventure flicks, and notoriously hates romcoms. 5 SONGS : I’m just gonna cheat and put this one. Spanish Ladies is another, if we’re talking historical sea shanties, and while it’s an anachronism you might as well put Stevenson’s fifteen men on a dead man’s chest too. DEITY : None, although he was close to Calypso, albeit without knowing that she was a goddess in human form. HOLIDAY : Jack notoriously dislikes holidays. He rarely celebrates his birthday or Christmas of his own accord and is ambivalent towards Valentine’s or Halloween. One that he does enjoy is probably New Years. MONTH : July SEASON : Summer PLACE : Tortuga WEATHER : Sun and clear skies is his preferred sort of weather, but he does love a good storm too. SOUND : The sea, the wind filling the Pearl’s sails, the creaking of her wood, sea shanties and musical instruments being played on board. SCENT / S : Spices, sugar, rum, salt of the sea, gunpowder, fresh varnish and tar. TASTE / S : Fresh meat and fish, rum, anything sweet in flavour. FEEL / S : The wood of the Pearl’s railing beneath his fingers, the thin, loose fabric of his clothing, parchment and unfurled maps. ANIMAL / S : Dogs if he had to choose any at all. NUMBER : None. COLOUR : None in particular. The brighter the colour, the better.

EXTRA. TALENTS : Navigation, cartographical skills, shipboard work, aiming and firing a gun, fencing, thinking on his feet, impractical escapes, manipulating others to his advantage, swimming, fishing. BAD AT : Trusting the right people, or trusting at all when it comes to his later verses, and this refusal to put faith in people only serves to perpetuate the view that he is unreliable and untrustworthy and therefore worth betraying before he betrays you in return. He’s also shit at romance and sentimentality; he can put forth the effort when he doesn’t really care for the other person, but when it comes to romantic gestures for someone he truly cares about or reacting to a romantic gesture in return, he honestly does not know how to respond. TURN ONS : Intelligence, a shared love of freedom, charisma, appearance, strong opinions and convictions, loyalty, individuality, strength of character, cockiness. TURN OFFS : Ignorance, stupidity, prejudice, willingness to conform or fit the mould, passivity, disloyalty. HOBBIES : He enjoys swimming, fencing, gambling, reading and fishing, aside from his first love, that of sailing and navigation. TROPES : The obvious two are the trickster and the byronic hero, but also being good sucks, beware the silly ones, breakout character, the chessmaster, cultured badass, deal with the devil, the gunslinger, hidden depths, no such thing as bad publicity, pretty boy and shrouded in myth are my faves. his entire tv tropes page can be found here and it’s glorious AESTHETIC TAGS : -- GPOY QUOTES : “There is no end to our story.”

FC INFO. MAIN FC / S : Johnny Depp. ALT FC / S : None. OLDER FC / S : None. YOUNGER FC / S : none yet lmfao the search for a child fc continues VOICE CLAIM / S : Johnny Depp GENDERBENT FC / S : None.

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : if you could write your character your way in their own movie , what would it be called , what style would it be filmed in , and what would it be about ? A1 : It would be a film adaptation of The Price of Freedom l b r. It would probably have to be streamlined for runtime purposes, but all of the important parts would be there B) Q2 : what would their soundtrack / score sound like ? A2 : insert the potc soundtrack here Q3 : why did you start writing this character ? A3 : Because Jack Sparrow has held an incredibly important place in my heart since I was eleven years old. He was really the first live-action character I properly connected with, my first on-screen crush, and idk there was just something about him that really appealed to me. He’s also just an insane amount of fun; I know how Johnny feels honestly the chance to write this character is a ridiculous amount of fun because he’s just so shamelessly himself. Q4 : what first attracted you to this character ? A4 : Gosh idk man everything. He was just so different to anything I’d ever seen before, and when I was younger I obviously loved the funnier, comic aspects of his character, but as I got older I began to appreciate the insane amount of depth that Jack possesses. He is one of the most complicated characters in modern cinema imho and both the writing and Johnny’s portrayal make him so very human. He is not without fault, but behind the bluster and flamboyance and sass there is a very damaged, very real, but ultimately very good person. He’s just connected with me in a way that no other fictional character really has. Q5 : describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 : Hmmm I’m not sure there’s anything I dislike about Jack, per se, but I guess certain traits of his frustrate me. Most of the time it’s his refusal to trust or depend on others; he’s very closed-off so if anyone tries to broach significant subjects with him he will deflect like there’s no tomorrow. Also his restraint; honestly the amount of times I have wanted to see him let rip at certain muses but he will refuse to because he sees the expression of emotion as such a weakness. Q6 : what do you have in common with your muse ? A6 : We’re very different, but I think there are some core characteristics we share. Similar things appeal to us, particularly when it comes to our enjoying witty banter and repartee with others. We’re both opinionated, have very similar senses of humour, are sometimes petty, bitter and we both hold grudges like there’s no tomorrow. Our arguing styles are also very similar, although Jack gets into arguments way more often than I do lmao. We’re both quite rationally minded people, but we also have a very emotional and compassionate side too. Q7 : how does your muse feel about you ? A7 : He thinks I’m incredibly dull lmfao Q8 : what characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ? A8 : Oh damn who doesn’t he have interesting interactions with. Off the top of my head, Esmeralda de Sevilla, Elizabeth Swann, Cutler Beckett, Will Turner, James Norrington, Teague, Dodger, Barbossa, Charles Vane, Jack Rackham, the Tenth Doctor, Killian Jones, Isabela, Thomas Dalton, Maeve Millay, Megan Santiago, Credence Barebone, Henry Turner and there are others that I’ve surely forgotten too. Q9 : what gives you inspiration to write your muse ? A9 : All sorts of things really. Listening to music helps, as well as watching fanvids on youtube and rereading through old threads. Q10 : how long did this take you to complete ? A10 : I have no idea because I did it over several days lmao

#;plays things closer to the vest now ( headcanon. )#;not all treasure is silver and gold ( save tag. )#this is like a full and comprehensive guide to his character lmfao #his tv tropes page is the BEST though

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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

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Catholic Physics - Reflections of a Catholic Scientist - Part 34

Philosophic Issues in Cosmology 8: Foundational Propositions and Conclusions

“One question in science is not ' is this hypothetical model true' but "is this model better than the alternatives'...If we believe dogmatically in a particular view, then no amount of contradictory data will convince us otherwise...” John Skilling, “Foundations and Algorithms” in Bayesian Methods in Cosmology

This is the eighth post summarizing Issues in the Philosophy of Cosmology by George F.R. Ellis. A complete list of the issues and theses he presents is given in the Appendix below*. Before addressing the philosophic issues themselves, some preliminary remarks are in order.

First, because of space limitations, the summary has been selective; a number of technical issues have not been discussed; if a reader is interested in these, I'd recommend the original article, via the web link given above.

Second, contrary to some comments on these posts, neither Ellis nor I are making any arguments for theism or anti-atheism in the post proper; philosophic alternatives are presented, and if a reader draws theological conclusion from these alternatives, that's up to him/her.*

Third, no values for evidential probability (in the post on Anthropic Coincidences) have been presented; indeed, Ellis argues (and I agree) that inferring an evidential probability for one datum (our universe) is not a valid procedure.

Fourth, the general focus of the article, and my emphasis in these posts, is on what can science say about cosmology and what philosophic assumptions underlie such scientific conclusions.

SCIENTIFIC CRITERIA

Ellis gives as an important criteria for a scientific theory that it be empirically testable. My position may be even stronger than that of Ellis: if a theory cannot be confirmed by quantitative measurements then it is not in my view (and that of Fr. Stanley Jaki), science, but something else—mathematical metaphysics?

What can be confirmed by measurement is limited by the time, distance and physics horizons mentioned in the first post.

Using electromagnetic radiation we cannot see further back in time than when radiation decoupled from matter, about 380,000 years after the origin.

We cannot see further in space than given by the distance horizon, the distance at which space will be expanding at faster than the speed of light.

We cannot duplicate the tremendous energies present in the initial, quantum stages of the beginning of the universe (these energies are orders of magnitude greater than even the huge energies that will be available in the SLAC Hadron supper collider), so we cannot test projected theories of particle creation.

What can be measured are inferred consequences of various theories: what the cosmic background radiation (CBR) shows about homogeneity, isotropy, fluctuations, the cosmological constant (lambda, representing expansion pressure), etc. Recent examples are the report of Gurzadyan and Penrose of rings in the CBR representing cataclysmic events pre-Big Bang and B-mode measurements of the CBR from which are inferred gravitational waves in the early universe and thus inflation. One may disagree with the aspects of the theory, but the tie-in with measured data is commendable.

THESES FOR PHILOSOPHIC ISSUES

Ellis gives a series of theses for his position on philosophic issues and these are presented as an appendix, to give a complete summary. The theses in Issue F, “The explicit philosophic basis”, will be presented in detail. As a preliminary and review, here are theses pertinent to the science of cosmology (NOTE: the theses are taken directly from the article even though no quotation marks are present):

THESIS A1: The universe itself cannot be subjected to physical experimentation. We cannot re-run the universe with the same or altered conditions to see what would happen if they were different , so we cannot carry out scientific experiments on the universe itself.

THESIS A2: The universe cannot be observationally compared with other universes. We cannot compare the universe with any similar object, nor can we test our hypotheses about it by observations determining statistical properties of a known class of physically existing universes.

THESIS B3: Establishing a Robertson-Walker geometry for the universe relies on plausible philosophic assumptions. The deduction of spatial homogeneity follows not directly from astronomical data but because we add to the observations a philosophical principle that is plausible but untestable.

(In Thesis B3, Ellis refers to the notion that the universe is isotropic and homogeneous (on a large scale). From our vantage point, we can see that the CBR (cosmic background radiation) yields this result; but to show that the inference is valid for the universe as a whole, we would need to make the same observation from at least two other (far removed) vantage points. However, if the Copernican Principle is invoked that we do not occupy a special place in the universe (this is the philosophic principle Ellis refers to in Thesis B3), then what see is equivalent to what would be seen from other positions, and the homogeneity and isotropy is demonstrated.)

THESIS B6: Observational horizons limit our ability to observationally determine the very large scale geometry of the universe. We can only see back to the time of decoupling of matter and radiation and so have no direct information about earlier times; and unless we live in a 'small universe', most of the matter in the universe is hidden behind the visual horizon. Conjectures as to its geometry on larger scales cannot be observationally tested. The situation is completely different in the small universe case: then we can see everything there is in the universe, including our own galaxy at earlier times! (emphasis and exclamation point added)

THESIS C1: The Physics Horizon limits our knowledge of physics relevant to the very early universe. We cannot experimentally test much of the physics that is important in the very early universe because we cannot attain the required energies in accelerators on Earth. We have to extrapolate from known physics to the unknown and then test the implications; to do this, we assume some specific features of known lower energy physics are the true key to how things are at higher energies. We cannot experimentally test if we have got it right.

THESIS C2: The unknown nature of the inflation means inflationary universe proposals are incomplete. The promise of inflationary theory in terms of relating cosmology to particle physics has not been realized. This will only be the case when the nature of the inflaton (the particle representing the scalar force causing inflation)has been pinned down to a specific field that experiment confirms or particle physics requires to exist.

THESIS D2: Testable physics cannot explain the initial state and hence specific nature of the universe. (emphasis added)

Ellis expands on Thesis D2 as follows:

"A choice between different contingent possibilities has somehow occurred; the fundamental issue is what underlies this choice. Why does the universe have one specific form rather than another, when other forms consistent with physical laws seem perfectly possible? The reason underlying the choice between different contingent possibilities for the universe (why one occurred rather than another) cannot be explained scientifically. It is an issue to be examined through philosophy or metaphysics." (emphasis added).

This last proposition is, I believe, the most important of those Ellis sets forth.

THESIS E1: Physical laws may depend on the nature of the universe.

Ellis is saying here that the fundamental constants (e.g. the fine-structure constant, the gravitational constant may vary in time and space). It is a philosophical assumption that they remain constant. (Note: one recent finding, which is controversial, suggests that there is an asymmetric variation through space [and time] in the fine-structure constant.)

PHILOSOPHIC CRITERIA FOR SCIENTIFIC THEORIES

THESIS F1: Philosophic choices necessarily underlie cosmological theory.Unavoidable metaphysical issues inevitably arise, in both observational and physical cosmology. Philosophical choices are needed in order to shape the theory.

THESIS F2: Criteria of satisfactoriness for theories cannot be scientifically chosen or validated. Criteria of satisfactoriness are necessary for choosing good cosmological theories; these criteria have to be chosen on the basis of philosophical considerations. They should include criteria for satisfactory structure of the theory, intrinsic explanatory power, and observational and experimental support. These criteria are listed below:

1. Satisfactory structure: a) internal consistency, b) simplicity (Ockham's razor), and c) aesthetic appeal ('beauty' or 'elegance')

2. Intrinsic explanatory power: a) logical tightness, b) scope of the theory—the ability to unify otherwise separate phenomena, and c) probability of the theory or model with respect to some well-defined measure.

3. Extrinsic explanatory power, or relatedness: a) connectedness to the rest of science, b) extendability providing a basis for further development;

4. Observational and experimental support, in terms of a) testability: the ability to make quantitative as well as qualitative predictions that can be tested; and b) confirmation: the extent to which the theory is supported by such tests as have been made.” (emphasis added)

The last criterion in my view (and that of many other scientists and philosophers of science) is critical. If a theory cannot in principle be confirmed quantitatively it is not science, but belongs to other disciplines.

THESIS F3: Conflicts will inevitably arise in applying criteria for satisfactory cosmological theories. Philosophical criteria for satisfactory cosmological theories will in general come into conflict with each other, so that one will have to choose between them to some degree; this choice will shape the resulting theory.

Ellis elaborates on this last thesis:

“The thrust of much recent development has been away from observational tests towards strongly theoretical based proposals, indeed sometimes almost discounting observational tests. (emphasis added) At present this is being corrected by a healthy move to detailed observational analysis of the proposed theories, marking a maturity of the subject.”

THESIS F4: The physical reason for believing in inflation is its explanatory power as regards structure growth in the universe. ... This theory has been vindicated spectacularly through observations of the CBR and matter power spectra. It is this explanatory power that makes it so acceptable to physicists, even though the underlying physics is neither well-defined nor tested, and its major large-scale observational predictions are untestable. (emphasis added).

Expanding on Thesis F4, Ellis adds:

“Inflation provides a causal model that brings a wider range of phenomena into what can be explained by cosmology (Criterion 2b), rather than just assuming the initial data had a specific restricted form. Explaining flatness (omega0 approximately 1, as predicted by inflation) and homogeneity reinforces the case, even though these are philosophical rather than physical problems (they [the initial restricted conditions] do not contradict any physical law; things could just have been that way). However claims on the basis of this model as to what happens very far outside the visual horizon (as in the chaotic inflationary theory) results from prioritizing theory over the possibility of observational and experimental testing. It will never be possible to prove these claims are correct.” (emphasis added)

Ellis asks, “how much should we try to explain” with cosmology? What should the scope of cosmology include?

THESIS F5:Cosmological theory can have a wide or narrow scope of enquiry. The scope we envisage for our cosmological theory shapes the questions we seek to answer. The cosmological philosophical base becomes more or less dominant in shaping our theory according to the degree that we pursue a theory with more or less ambitious explanatory aims in terms of all of physics, geometry and underlying fundamental causation.

Elaborating on this point, Ellis says:

“...The study of expansion of the universe and structure formation from nucleosynthesis to the present day is essential and well-informed. The philosophical stance adapted is minimal and highly plausible. The understanding of physical processes at earlier times, back to quantum gravity, is less well-founded. The philosophical stance is more significant and more debatable. Developments in the quantum gravity era are highly speculative, the philosophical position adapted is dominant because experimental and observational limits on the theory are lacking.” (emphasis added)....the basic underlying cosmological questions are:

1. Why do the laws of physics have the form they do? Issues arise such as what makes particular laws work? for example, what governs the behaviour of a proton, the pull of gravity?...

2. Why do boundary conditions have the form they do?

3. Why do laws of physics at all exist? This relates to unsolved issues concerning the nature of the laws of physics: are they descriptive or prescriptive? ...Is the nature of matter really mathematically based in some sense, or does it just happen that its behaviour can be described in a mathematical way?

4. Why does anything exist? This profound existential question is a mystery whatever approach we take.

5. Why does the universe allow the existence of intelligent life? This of somewhat different character than the others and largely rests on them but is important enough to generate considerable debate in its own right. (Note: this question is that related to the Anthropic Principle--#6 in this series.)

The status of all these questions is philosophical rather than scientific, for they cannot be resolved purely scientifically. How many of them—if any—should we consider in our construction of and assessments of cosmological theories?”

The next important question Ellis considers is how well does science, particularly cosmology, represent reality.

“It follows...that there are limits to what the scientific method can achieve in explanatory terms. We need to respect these limits and acknowledge clearly when arguments and conclusions are based on some philosophical stance rather than on purely testable scientific argument. If we acknowledge this and make that stance explicit , then the bases for different viewpoints are clear and alternatives can be argued rationally.”

THESIS F6: Reality is not fully reflected in either observations or theoretical models. Problems arise from confusion of epistemology (the theory of knowledge) with ontology (the nature of existence) existence is not always manifest clearly in the available evidence. The theories and models of reality we use as our basis for understanding are necessarily partial and incomplete reflections of the true nature of reality, helpful in many ways but also inevitably misleading in others. They should not be confused with reality itself!”

“It may be suggested that arguments ignoring the need for experimental/observational verification of theories ultimately arise because these theories are being confused with reality, or at least are being taken as completely reliable total representation of reality. (emphasis added) This occurs in:

"... confusing computer simulations of reality with reality itself, when they can in fact represent only a highly simplified and stylized version of what actually is."

"...confusing the laws of physics themselves with their abstract mathematical representation (if indeed they [the laws] are ontologically real)

... confusing a construction of the human mind (“Laws of Physics”) with the reliable behaviour of ponderable matter...

...confusing theoretically based outcomes of models with proven observational results (e.g. claiming the universe necessarily has flat special sections (omega0 =1) and so this can be taken for granted, when the value of omega0 can and should be observationally determined precisely because this then tests that prediction.)”

“Firstly, even in order to understand just the material world, it can be claimed that one needs to consider forms of existence other than the material only — for example a Platonic world of mathematics and a mental world, both of which can be claimed to exist and be causally effective in terms of affecting the material world. Our understanding of local causation will be incomplete unless we take them into account.

Secondly, in examining these issues one needs to take into account data about the natures of our existence that come from our daily lives and the broad historical experience of humanity (our experiences of ethics and aesthetics, for example), as well as those discoveries attained by the scientific method. Many writings claim there is no purpose in the universe: it is all just a conglomerate of particles proceeding at a fundamental level in a purposeless and meaningless algorithmic way. But I would reply, the very fact that those writers engage in such discourse undermines their own contention; they ignore the evidence provided by their own actions. There is certainly meaning in the universe to this degree: the fact they take the trouble to write such contentions is proof that they consider it meaningful to argue about such issues; and this quality of existence has emerged out of the nature of the physical universe.... Indeed the human mind is causally effective in the real physical world precisely through many activities motivated by meanings perceived by the human mind. Any attempt to relate physics and cosmology to ultimate issues must take such real world experience seriously, otherwise it will simply be ignoring a large body of undeniable data. This data does not resolve the ultimate issues, but does indicate dimensions of existence that indeed do occur.”

With respect to the significance of cosmology, Ellis concludes:

THESIS OF UNCERTAINTY: Ultimate uncertainty is a key aspect of cosmology.Scientific exploration can tell us much about the universe, but not about its ultimate nature, or even much about some if its major geometrical and physical characteristics. Some of this uncertainty may be resolved, but much will remain. Cosmological theory should acknowledge this uncertainty.

Some final thoughts of my own:

First, Ellis's review of the philosophical issues underlying cosmology is a most useful antidote to more grandiose presentations that ignore considerations of epistemology and metaphysics. Although in this article he touches only lightly on the place of man in the cosmos, he has also written a short book, “Before the Beginning-Cosmology Explained”, that addresses this question and theological considerations more fully. The book also gives a much simpler (ground up from basic physics) summary of the science in cosmology than that in the article.

Second, much of the reasoning used to justify various cosmological models and theories is abductive , that is, to say that theory/model is "true" because it is the best (most elegant) explanation for the phenomena. That type of reasoning has been criticized by philosophers of science, e.g. Bas van Fraassen, William Stoeger, Nancy Cartwright. There are historical examples to show that the best explanation (at the time) is not necessarily true--e.g. phlogiston, disproved by Count Rumford's cannon-boring experiments, the ether, disproved by the Michelson-Morley experiments. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), as Ellis emphasizes, we can't experiment on the cosmos.

APPENDIX

SUMMARY TABLE OF ISSUES AND THESES

Issue A: The uniqueness of the universe

Thesis A1: The universe itself cannot be subjected to physical experimentation

Thesis A2: The universe cannot be observationally compared with other universes

Thesis A3: The concept of ‘Laws of Physics’ that apply to only one object is questionable

Thesis A4: The concept of probability is problematic in the context of existence of only one object

Issue B: The large scale of the Universe in space and time

Thesis B1: Astronomical observations are confined to the past null cone, and fade with distance

Thesis B2: ‘Geological’ type observations can probe the region near our past world line in the very distant past

Thesis B3: Establishing a Robertson-Walker geometry relies on plausible philosophical assumptions

Thesis B4: Interpreting cosmological observations depends on astrophysical understanding

Thesis B5: A key test for cosmology is that the age of the universe must be greater than the ages of stars

Thesis B6: Horizons limit our ability to observationally determine the very large scale geometry of the universe

Thesis B7: We have made great progress towards observational completeness

Issue C: The unbound energies in the early universe

Thesis C1: The Physics Horizon limits our knowledge of physics relevant to the very early universe

Thesis C2: The unknown nature of the inflaton means inflationary universe proposals are incomplete

Issue D: Explaining the universe — the question of origins

Thesis D1: An initial singularity may or may not have occurred

Thesis D2: Testable physics cannot explain the initial state and hence specific nature of the universe

Thesis D3: The initial state of the universe may have been special or general

Issue E: The Universe as the background for existence

Thesis E1: Physical laws may depend on the nature of the universe

Thesis E2: We cannot take the nature of the laws of physics for granted

Thesis E3: Physical novelty emerges in the expanding universe

Issue F: The explicit philosophical basis

Thesis F1: Philosophical choices necessarily underly cosmological theory

Thesis F2: Criteria for choice between theories cannot be scientifically chosen or validated

Thesis F3: Conflicts will inevitably arise in applying criteria for satisfactory theories

Thesis F4: The physical reason for believing in inflation is its explanatory power re structure growth.

Thesis F5: Cosmological theory can have a wide or narrow scope of enquiry

Thesis F6: Reality is not fully reflected in either observations or theoretical models

Issue G: The Anthropic question: fine tuning for life

Thesis G1: Life is possible because both the laws of physics and initial conditions have a very special nature

Thesis G2: Metaphysical uncertainty remains about ultimate causation in cosmology

Issue H: The possible existence of multiverses

Thesis H1: The Multiverse proposal is unprovable by observation or experiment

Thesis H2: Probability-based arguments cannot demonstrate the existence of multiverses

Thesis H3: Multiverses are a philosophical rather than scientific proposal

Thesis H4: The underlying physics paradigm of cosmology could be extended to include biological insights

Issue I: The natures of existence

Thesis I1: We do not understand the dominant dynamical matter components of the universe at early or late times

Thesis I2: The often claimed physical existence of infinities is questionable

Thesis I3: A deep issue underlying the nature of cosmology is the nature of the laws of physics.

Thesis of Uncertainty: Ultimate uncertainty is one of the key aspects of cosmology.

Ed. Note:

I am sorry that I cannot properly display all the various pictures or tables on the post. They will, however, be displayed on the pamphlet containing this post, and a link will be provided for your convenience.

From a series of articles written by: Bob Kurland - a Catholic Scientist

#catholic physics

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