Metaphor enables us to describe qualitative differences in a general
'sameness'.
For example, consider the quality of 'yangness' and try to describe it from
within itself. It is all sameness and so difficult to do. You can use a
mathematical model giving different expressions of yangness a number but
that is still too concentrated, social meanings require you to flesh things
out more.
The 'natural' thing to do is to use analogy with other concepts of known
shared experiences thus yangness level 1 is 'like' raw diamonds. yangness at
level 6 is like refined diamonds. BUT yangness is NOT diamonds. However, you
can build a map of yangness based on distinctions made about diamonds. This
map, if it is *really* good gets so close to what it is describing (no
longer analogy) but yangness in terms of diamonds - metaphor. Thus the two
sort of merge such that the map becomes the territory, the territory becomes
the map..metaphor..:-) BIG problems! why? because we hold the map close to
our chests, close to our hearts, such that when conflicting data appears we
fight for the map since the map has generated a sense of trust, of devotion,
of loyalty.
The need to describe things by analogy, metaphor etc comes from not being
able to physically share the same space, to see out of someones eyes. The
only way we can share the same space is through the use of emotions and in
particular emphathy; emotion allows us to 'resonate' and it is language that
transmits emotion over long distances. Thus at a GENERAL level we all speak
the same language but at the particular level it is more and more maps.
Quality maps are those that ring true regardless of culture etc in that they
reflect a SPECIES process.
What this says is that 'real' experience is always personal; you and the
universe, thats it. There is nothing else. (thus Zen, Taoism etc and a lot
of fundamentalists in the more monadic faiths). BUT development in mind, in
precise communications that resonate 'really well' can point to feelings of
oneness based on socialisation.
Both of these, internal linkage and a sense of personal oneness and external
linkage and a sense of group oneness, are states that can be elicited
through drug use -- cocaine for the personal 'high' and ecstacy for the
group 'high'.
These facts point to the oneness sense as being 'hard coded' but we need
metaphor to describe it to others....
Chris.
------------------
Chris Lofting
websites:
http://www.eisa.net.au/~lofting
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~ddiamond
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