Comments | blade_bunny: Defining Magick

blade_bunny

Defining Magick

Jul 15, 2007 13:16

There are certain words we use that are so vauge as to be all but meaningless. This is particularly true when it comes to religion/spirituality/the occult. It creates a certain trap for our thinking. We hear about "black magic" or "white magic" and really every other color too. The danger is that it creates a backwards sort of thinking where we ( Read more... )

Comments 4

xeyeofhorusx July 16 2007, 15:55:38 UTC

2 linguistic tools will help.

1.) De-nominalizing nouns. The "Wheelbarrel test" - anything you can't put in a wheelbarrel does not count as a real noun, rather they tend to represent verbs that we have turned into nouns. Truth, Beauty, Love, Will, Magick etc. You can denominalize by asking exactly how a person knows by sensory experience that they "have" one of these, what they must see/hear/feel etc.

2.) E-prime. Remove all uses of the "to be" verb - be, is, are, were, have been etc. - from your descriptions and definitions. Like #1, this also tends to force you to ground your language in sensory-verifiable descriptions, at least in defining primary terms for any particular discussion.

Do these and I predict that not only will your experience of this problem resolve itself, but many others as well.

blade_bunny July 16 2007, 18:32:03 UTC

I disagree, but my disagreement may not be substantial. First let me ask, how would you define magick or rather how would your transform the word magick eliminating the word "to be"? Are you suggesting that using the word as a verb makes it clear what it is ( ... )

E-prime sighris July 21 2007, 00:37:47 UTC

I have found that thinking in E-prime (instead ov normal English) helps me understand my options better; and I believe it is a better way to communicate (clearer and easier to understand).

In short: E-Prime rockz! ;)

BTW, funny thing, I saw you here:
http://iamsquid.livejournal.com/265076.html
- when I posted there.

I will have to scan your LJ sometime soon...
- BTW, in which part ov Earth does your meat reside?

Re: E-prime xeyeofhorusx July 22 2007, 16:41:19 UTC

"...and I believe it is..."

IZZ it? ;)~

E' is aight. But V' is where it's at.

Glad to see/meet you. My meat resides in the fridge, but my stink is everwhere.

Cheers.