#preformationism

[publicatiosui]

Nor does it seem unreasonable to believe even that there is an infinite number of trees in a single seed, since it contains not only the tree of which it is the seed but also a great number of other seeds that might contain other trees and other seeds, which will perhaps have on an incomprehensibly small scale other trees and other seeds and so to infinity. So that according to this view, which will appear strange and incongruous only to those who measure the marvels of God's infinite power by the ideas of sense and imagination, it might be said (1) that in a single apple seed there are apple trees, apples, and apple seeds, standing in the proportion of a fully grown tree to the tree in its seed, for an infinite, or nearly infinite number of centuries; (2) that nature's role is only to unfold these tiny trees by providing perceptible growth for that outside its seed, and imperceptible yet very real growth in proportion to their size, for those thought to be in their seed-for it cannot be doubted that there are bodies sufficiently small to get in between the fibers of these trees thought to be in their seed and thus to serve as food for them.

[daenystheedreamer]

oh yeah so on cersei's comment: "ten thousand of [robert's] children perished in my palm....all those pale sticky princes". There's an interpretation to be had that this implies knowledge of cell theory, knowledge of the sperm cell, and possibly advanced microscopes.

if not and each 'pale sticky prince' is one ejaculation, by dividing 10,000 by 14 (the number of years they were married), would imply an average of ~714 ejaculations per year, or about 1-2 ejaculations per day (crucially in cersei's presence).

now this is technically possible, even considering their estrangement, but i believe it necessitates an unimaginable leap in logic considering the cheating and the incest and the fact they HATE each other.

in conclusion, i believe that cersei is aware of the fact that ejaculate is in fact a soup of sperm cells. perhaps she and the wider scientific community still believe in preformationism (laughable but understandable, of course), but i strongly believe this supports the idea that cell theory is at least discussed enough that it is a component of basic education of children. huzzah!

[jbfly46]

A homunculus (UK: /hɒˈmʌŋkjʊləs/ hom-UNK-yuul-əs, US: /hoʊˈ-/ hohm-, Latin: [hɔˈmʊŋkʊlʊs]; "little person", pl.: homunculi UK: /hɒˈmʌŋkjʊliː/ hom-UNK-yuul-ee, US: /hoʊˈ-/ hohm-, Latin: [hɔˈmʊŋkʊli]) is a small human being.[1] Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has roots in preformationism as well as earlier folklore and alchemic traditions.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Fall Theories on Blood Magic, Homunculi, and King Midas

This was originally going to be my last, long, pre-Fall prediction post. I had other, shorter posts with Rise thoughts and lesser theories, but I don’t have the time to post everything. So, I will likely post those when I go to post Fall thoughts after reading. Even if they become outdated, I may adjust them, or note that they were pre-Fall. Also, I aim to finish my second and final Fall prediction fic before May 2, but I may not. Even if it’s late, I’ll post the fic just in case anyone wants it.

⸻

First, for context:

“A homunculus “[...] is a representation of a small human being, originally depicted as small statues made out of clay. Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has roots in preformationism as well as earlier folklore and alchemic traditions” (Wikipedia).

“The homunculus is a diminutive humanoid creature believed to be created through magical alchemical means” (“Medieval Scientists Tried to Make Little People with Semen, Blood, and an Animal Womb”).

“The Kabbalah, for example, includes legends and stories about the alchemical homunculus, or "little man," and the golem, a kind of proto–Frankenstein's monster. In both cases the idea is that through certain secret magical practices, human beings can share in the creative power of God. To the orthodox believers of both Judaism and Christianity such a notion is considered blasphemous and betrays either the hubris of humanity or the work of the devil” (“Homunculi, Golems, and Artificial Life”).

“Prior to the rise of science and the mechanical vision of human life and the universe, the idea of creating human simulacra had a strong organic foundation. The homunculus was something one grew; the popular belief was that homunculi could be grown from the mandrake root, whose shape lent itself to anthropomorphic speculation. The golem, too, although not quite as organic as the homunculus, was nevertheless not pieced together bit by bit, as Mary Shelley's monster would be; it was fashioned, molded from clay or soil and then miraculously brought to life” (“Homunculi, Golems, and Artificial Life”).

“For the alchemist, matter was not the dead, inert stuff it is for us: it was a living body, one that could respond to a person's attention. As the alchemists transformed the matter in their alembic through the alchemical process, their own inner world experienced similar changes. The entire process centered on the idea of rebirth. The alchemists were to "die" in a sense—to lose their earthly, mortal being—and, if the procedure was successful, would be reborn” (“Homunculi, Golems, and Artificial Life”).

“Death was an essential aspect of the alchemical process; it was out of death that new life could emerge, as it did in the Frankenstein's monster. In Paracelsus's recipe for the homunculus, the horse manure represents the putrefaction needed to begin the process of rebirth. This is the first step in the alchemical work. The old self, the old Adam, must be broken down until we arrive at the prima materia, the primordial stuff, the unformed matter out of which any future creation can take place. The forty days in which the sperma is buried in the horse manure parallel Christ's forty days in the desert, when he is tempted by Satan. This means that the alchemist must undergo trials, must endure some suffering, and that the alchemical process is not something going on outside of oneself but is something that must be lived through. This is also suggested in the idea that the homunculus, the little man who is the alchemist reborn, must be fed by the alchemist's own secret blood. The alchemist's attention, concentration, mind, or soul must be completely focused on the task variously known as the creation or discovery of the philosopher's stone, the elixir of life, potable gold, the universal solvent, and, very often, the creation of the homunculus depicted in numerous alchemical illustrations, often as the god Mercury encased in the alchemical vessel” (“Homunculi, Golems, and Artificial Life”).

“That the alchemists would speak of this in parable, allegory, and obscure language shouldn't be surprising. It's difficult enough for us, who have the advantage of familiarity with self-help and psychotherapeutic literature, to grasp the meaning of rebirth. For the literal-minded of the Middle Ages, who were taught that all magic and occult knowledge was the work of the devil, this would be a subtle notion indeed. The idea that by going through the alchemical rebirth, one would become as Christ—regenerated—would strike them as blasphemous. What was left was the literal idea of making an actual man or woman, just like the idea of making actual gold from lead or finding an actual stone. Yet a famous alchemical maxim reads: "Our gold is not the vulgar gold." Clearly, making material gold was not what they were after. Creating an actual tiny human being was always recognized as a display of power that went beyond nature. This is a dim and distorted echo of the alchemists' belief that their art was against nature in the sense that it both sped up a natural process and redeemed its practitioners from a life lived solely at the natural, Adamic, unregenerate level” (“Homunculi, Golems, and Artificial Life”).

“The imperfection of their creature shows that the magicians, no matter how knowledgeable, are still far short of God, a point that contemporary advocates of "man-made humans" may wish to ponder” (“Homunculi, Golems, and Artificial Life”).

⸻

For background, we know blood magic exists not only in the SGE movie but in the world of the books, to some degree. In the movie, Agatha holds a book called The Blood of the Homunculus, and coincidentally or not, it’s a red and gold book, like Fall. Otherwise, we do know a few other things surrounding blood magic from the main series.

In TLEA, the old heroes of the League of Thirteen, or rather, I think just a select few, paid off a witch to retain their youth or extend their lifespans with a life-extension potion, concocted from an odd mixture of blood and gold. The life-extension potion was also mentioned in the Handbook as well.

Something similar is mentioned in passing in Rise as well. The Pirate Captain was rumored to live on an elixir of blood and gold that kept him from aging. Though, I’m not sure whether you can gain true immortality from the potion. I think it is just a way to artificially prolong a life.

Thus, this potion could potentially have a more prominent role in Fall, especially considering the visual elements of the cover. Rafal and Rhian are dressed in blood red and gold outfits, and if that is not a massive indicator of a plot element, I don’t know what is. I think it’s quite likely that the groundwork has already been set up in canon, in TLEA, in the Handbook, in Rise.

Also, I find the usage of colors on Fall’s cover odd in general. There are probably some symbolic connotations or plot hints, but weirdly enough, I almost never associate Rafal with the color red. (Aside from the Handbook trivia that Sophie named a nail polish color from the line she designed Rafal Red. But, that is her interpretation, not mine. I associate Rafal with black, silver, dark blue, ice blue, and either emerald green, or a cold, wintry, firefly, radium-esque green. I’m convinced he renovated the Schools in TLEA to match Sophie’s eyes, whether it was a conscious decision or not.)

There was also a mention in Rise, I think, about Rafal being capable of using blood magic, as related to his ability to fly, and that Evers can’t use blood magic, which is why Rhian swims. I think this could be proven false, if Rhian goes as far as to do something with blood magic in Fall though.

⸻

My theories regarding blood magic would have to be related to possession, resurrection (likely gone wrong), or raising an army.

I think there is a chance that Rafal could become obsessed with blood magic, and would possibly want to restore the state of the world to its Balance, the natural order of things, but in an unnatural, drastic way, by extreme methods, possibly to also retain his and his brother’s original Good-Evil roles.

If Rafal were possessed by blood magic, corrupted by some new, villainous force or his own greed, then it could explain any out-of-character characterization or his presumed murder of Rhian. Otherwise, he may just be temperamental, unstable, or too ambitious for his own good.

Also, that reminds me, in this particular possession theory, Rhian, no matter what he tries, will not be able to countermand the effects of the blood magic on Rafal’s psyche. The thought brings to mind this excerpt from Beasts and Beauty actually:

And, because the brothers have lost their immortality, they probably need something more: a functional replacement for their former power, more powerful magic than whatever they already have, than their preternatural sorcery, to fix all their problems. The two could see blood magic as the solution to all their problems because desperate times call for desperate measures, and they would become possessed by it as a result of giving up their free will to use it, or through selling their souls in some way or another. I think in many cases, magic tends to come at a steep price, but whether that actually applies in this case, I don’t know. And, by using blood magic that is intrinsically tied to life, they’d also be inadvertently too prideful, bringing about their downfall.

If one of the brothers dies, the other could use blood magic to grant him artificial life, returning as a hollow, empty shell of his former self, a vessel that isn’t quite alive in the typical sense. But, in most literature, having the power over life and death, and giving artificial life tends to be a sort of taboo. It’s simply not ethical, so by doing this, one of the brothers could be crossing the line because it is always dangerous and too prideful for humans to play God. I bet the Storian would not like this at all. Also, if resurrecting one of them backfires or doesn’t work, the brother who’s left alive could spiral into a depression, and could still have some involvement with blood magic or a descent into insanity as well.

For example, if Rafal is alive, he could then, hypothetically, artificially prolong his life after his brother dies, and he wouldn’t have True Love to actually sustain him and his youth. He would continue aging, but his lifespan would be abnormally long, and he’d likely suffer.

Also, this whole creation-of-a-life-through-magical-means is strangely reminiscent of the Spansel from TCY. And, all of this could share similarities with Rafal’s AWWP resurrection and his resurrection of the Old, fairy-tale villains. So, any of these possibilities aren’t wholly implausible.

Another possibility is that Rhian and Rafal, having no support, decide to raise an army of homunculi under their exclusive command to fight Hook, or to contend with any other probable villains of Fall. To back this idea, there are certain existent mythologies with creation stories wherein the human race are little figures sculpted from clay.

Also, any inclusion of such magical or elevated “technology” could be culturally-relevant today, or serve as commentary on current issues regarding genetic modification and the boundaries of what is and isn’t ethical. And, in crossing such ethical lines, Rhian and Rafal could change their own psychology, their inner worlds, by performing blood magic, or tampering with human life.

(This also makes me question whether the brothers have Celestiums. Regardless if they do or do not, I actually have plans to write Rafal’s Celestium someday. It’s already outlined.)

If these ethical debates are transferred over to the context of fantasy literature, to fit thematically into Fall, they could easily be a mirror to our world also. So, including something like this with broader parallels to our world is something Soman could potentially do with the many ways artificial life could come into play in Fall’s plot.

⸻

Then, to go one step further with the blood magic theories: King Midas could be involved.

What if King Midas replaced Rafal, and is the School Master in the main series?

He certainly has the means to do so. He literally has an endless supply of gold at his fingertips. And, he could easily commandeer the Night Crawlers to supply him blood, like how Rafal negotiated with them, and exchanged Hook’s blood for passage to the underwater prison.

This could all add up to Midas abusing the life-extension potion to grant himself near-immortality.

[biologist-with-a-blog]

Actual preformationism

[shiffi-meekling]

Preformationism, the old theory that inside each sperm cell there was a tiny human, has potential great synergies for "in deez nuts" jokes, and so i offer up this idea to those brave souls who do deez nut jokes.

[lesewut]

Learning to become an I

"The Self and Its Brain - An Argument for Interactionism" by philosopher Karl R. Popper and brain-physiologist John C. Eccles, originally published in 1977, this edition was published in 1982.

It was an exciting journey to read this illuminating work, which deals with the problem of relation with body and mind and the connection between the structures and processes in the brain and the mental, conscious actions and operations. The liasion of Eccles and Popper is an interdisciplinary research, connecting areas of expertise to underdraw the Theory of Psychophysical Interaction, which means body and mind are interrelationaly collaborated, but the organism is in a constant shaping through the physical world.

Examining different kind of classical epistimologies, to underdraw their Theory of Interactionism, it was traceable why the system of materialism (critisizing the causally completed physical world and the continuity of matter [World 1] according to Popper and Eccles, the material world is influencable as the living organisms have the ability to change the environment (= adoption of new biological and ecological meanings = influencing the pressure of selection = infinity of inherent possibilities and propensity), the system of determinism (often considered under a natural approach, theory of the world as a deliberately construct of God or Goddesses, famous thinkers of this systems are Leucippus and Democritus, formers of the atomism and mechanic materialism - Popper is sharply critisising the methods of science as they are the dominant conception of science till today, using the image of clouds-and-clocks to present the illusion of mechanistic theories [heavy systems evoke the impression that they are working like clocks, but in reality those huge organic molecules are open systems and the deduced physical law can just be observable, because enormous molecular mechanics are influencing each other + the principle of how science is classified is a misunderstanding, monistic systems are denying the dualistic and pluralistic understanding of things and entities !!! As an alternative solution the theory of possibilietes and probalistic preformationism are proclaimed]), the system of panpsychism (the theory of matter, defining that all things and entities have an inner sight, which is of mental and conscious quality, is denying the interaction of genetic and cultural evolution in accordance to the emergence feature of the self-consciousness- All living organisms are active "systems of perception" and not only passive sensually recipients - developments are active processes, the essential nature of the self is continuesly changing and depends on the physical type, the intellectual initiative and ingeniuty) and the system of empirism (where to begin? As mentioned before, we are the products of adaption, what we percieve with our senses is encrypted and every interpretation is the work of many polyvalent operations [as the parts of our brain are highly connected and it is still not possible to verify how recognizing-process is established in total, because eventhough the brain is more or less divided in areas of function, our genes, environment and thought patterns are permanently forming our realisation, therefore are senses are also products of constant adjustment] also it takes more for the self as the empirical memory, we are not only the total sum of our experiences, there are mechanism that guarantee the continuety of our self [Theory of Gene-Identity by Kurt Lewin and Locke's Principle of Individuation] and we have more methods to percieve knowledge rather than only using the senses, according to Hume, who is denying the existence of autonomic consciousness the cosmology is simplified and the ethics, the freedom of human-beings to chose their actions in accordance to humanistic aspiration, undermined) are untenable, because the mind and the self-conscious are coupled with the biologic individual organism and the nature of the self can most likely be captured with the Theory of Navigator and the essential requirement of space-and-time (as we need the orientation to establish our self, cf. Alzheimer-dementia and the fundamentaly difficutly of spatial orientation and loss of memory = Not able to reproduce the Idea of the Self = Unability to prepare for the future = independent life becomes hardly possible).

The senses are considered as tools for our brain to contrive functions of perception. The brain is programed to seize the most fitting model of our environment and the model is subject to steady review and interpretation (after Ernst Gombrich "making comes before matching" Theory of Visual Perception) of the conscience (Inner Enlighment in accordance to Feigl, compatible with this term is an assessment of Einstein:

"Without this inner enlighment, the whole universe would just be a pile of rubble."

The interdepence of thinking, intellect, reason, subjective experiences (....) are shoring up the circles of repetition of the brain (by means of synaptic plasticity), generating dynamic engram and the growing of neoronal synapses (= Theory of Learning = Ability for Remembrance). The Theory of Interactionism is emphasising the intensive brain acitivity, which is the necessary condition for physical and mental processes, that means both processes are influencing and causing.

What is this Self exactly? Where can our I be located? In which context does cosmic-evolutionary stages bring the consciousness forth?

What seems trivial for the indolent, is a deep ocean of mysteries and wonders for the continous learner. Experiencing the self - is learning to become the self, as we all have the Idea of a Life-Plan (Rawl "Theorie der Gerechtigkeit"). We percieving the world and take action under the leadership of theory impregnated patterns. The personal task for the differentaited grades of conscience is to expand over our sure-thought-being and achieve goals that stand above instinctive longings and inclinations. Maybe the human-being is not the centre of the creation nor is the state of mind the product of the central nervous system (Central State Theory).

The universe is an open and creative system, just as the stars govern our conditions, we as dust particles have also the potentiality to influence in downward causations (never underestimate macroscopic structures).

It made a lot of fun to read this spectacular work and it animated me to draw more attention in actions and thinking-patterns, as taking the opportunity to crystallize sparkling diamonds to make my percieved world not only more worthy to live in, but to motivate other souls in lightening up the beauty of live, which we all carry in us, sometimes it is just hidding, because we used to negate the Good in conditions of uncertainity. If we are forced to live this earthly live, we should live it with love and inner peace, if everyone would train to become more and more self-sufficient, I believe, that there would be piece and harmony, because reason means a positive affirmation of life, the creation of a self, that is happy to improve itself, to evolve and take part for a better world, the product of domesticated and therefore enhanced awareness.

[dragoncreator312]

ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-writings/homunculus-alchemical-creation-little-people-great-powers-002928

[jazzmolicious]

“A homunculus (UK: /hɒˈmʌŋkjʊləs/ hom-UNK-yuul-əs, US: /hoʊˈ-/ hohm-, Latin: [hɔˈmʊŋkʊlʊs]; "little person") is a representation of a small human being, originally depicted as small statues made out of clay. Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has roots in preformationism as well as earlier folklore and alchemic traditions.”

Virgil Finlay

[hiscet]

what starting villagers and native fruit do you hope for!!

for starting villagers i've been holding out for tia, beau, and/or deirdre because i had them as starters in new leaf (and i've been waiting for deirdre to move back in for like seven years ;_____; )

and for starting fruit i want peaches or cherries! or like honestly just anything but pears lol

[maleflcar]

preformationism replied to your post “You.����”

I wasn’t gonna let u keep lying to yr followers

alright thats fair but counterpoint if theyre following me they should already know about it lmao

[thingsidrawgohere]

New Learnt: Pregnancy

Check out the rest of Learnt on my website, Cheap Paper Art, and consider supporting my Patreon in the source link.

[toothcereal]

hiiii ^_^ haven’t done one of these in a hot minute but let’s see 🤔

T- Teenagers by My Chemical Romance

O- One Hundred Sleepless Nights by Pierce The Veil

O- One Thing by One Direction

T- thrax! by Lil Altoid

H- Heart Attack by Wavves

C- Crybaby by Destroy Boys

E- Emo Boy by Ayesha Erotica

R- Rules by Doja Cat

E- Everlong by Foo Fighters

A- Arsonist’s Lullabye by Hozier

L- Love Bug by Jack Stauber(‘s Micropop)

ok ok tagging now <3

@schrodys-cat @certified-ghostbuster @preformationism @spydertrans ok and fuck it um @markiplier ok have funnn :)

tagged by @3dfangs >:))) one song for each letter in my username YIPPEE

S- Safe Trips | OTE, Steven Ellis

P- Pathetic | Blame Candy

O- One Time, Pt. 3 | Satellite High

O- Out of Vogue | Fever Dolls

K- Keep This Place Beautiful | Brick + Mortar

Y- You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East on the Weekend | Cheekface

P- Personal | Stars

A- Adulthood | Jukebox the Ghost

T- This Comes From Inside | The Living Tombstone

C- Calico Kid | Humor Us

H- Hate Yourself | TV Girl

E- Ease Up Kid - Demo | Hippo Campus

S- Shuffle | Bombay Bicycle Club

TAGGING UHHH... if you want to ! totally voluntary <3

@crispyclouddragon @corey-beepington @arcademoss @raypen @spatterats @the-pipisroomroom @charrfie @roarasaurus

[disregardcanon]

someone: science has never been sexist. it is the Ultimate Impartial School of Thought

me: there was a point where men called spermists thought that all humans were preformed inside their father's sperm which was preformed inside THEIR father's sperm, all the way up the paternal line to Adam, and that the mother was just a holder for the sperm babies that sometimes kind of sort of rubbed off on them i guess. but NEVER doubt that her influence was secondary to the All Powerful Father who had the babies preformed by GOD ALMIGHTY inside him all along

[pepplemint]

I think we should all start backing preformationism/spermism as the truth.

Not because it's true (obviously) but I really like to imagine what it would do to the pro life nutjobs

[pandabibble]

wait a second ignore everything I said and you're right because I think I tracked down what I was drawing from and it was "preformationism" which post-dates the microscope:

basically the instant someone made a microscope that could see sperm swimming around, someone came up with the idea that "well, if people can come from a small thing we couldn't previously see, logically it holds that there must be even smaller things, so what if there's lots of little dudes in the sperm?" and that went along with sort of "sperm priority" for a century or so until the ovum was fully idenfied - medieval stuff would have been more whatever that physician to Elizabeth I was on when he told her she needed to wed and have children before her female sperm became unbalanced

before the invention of the microscope did people have the concept in their brains that things could be microscopic? Not just "invisible" but specifically "too small to be perceived with the eye?"