More reality stuff

[dennis grace]

Hi Galen. Aquilanne here--again--still!

>I apologize if I insulted; I had no such intent.

Nah. No insult taken; I never figured you meant any.

>> Nabokov once said that the word "reality"
>> should always be written in quotes. 
>
>I'm not sure how you mean that.  To me, putting a non-quotation in
>quotes indicates that the speaker intends something other than the
>meaning of the word.  Such as if I were to assert that Adolf Hitler
>was "compassionate".

I think Nabokov was merely posing the philosophical question of "what's
reality anyway?" My quoting him is just a concessionary gesture to the
questionable nature of the word.

>No 12th Century Kings here, we all live
>in the 20th century and my 20th-Century SCA Moorish King is aware of the
>existance of all sorts of mundane military stuff.  But as it would be
>a violation of the U.S. federal law for me to divulge classified
>information to him, and as the SCA is incorporated under state and
>federal laws, and as his kingship springs from his meeting the
>qualifications set forth in _Corpora_, which is promulgated by SCA,
>Inc., he can't properly order me to do anything illegal, and I am
>not bound to obey any such instruction.  If your friend is worried
>that a King will try it, he can be prepared with the argument I just
>made, or he can make it clear to the king, in the body of his oath,
>that the king hasn't that authority.

Yes. Exactly. That was my point. Thanks for reiterating it.

>Certainly anything, including the SCA, can be taken to extremes; I think
>you've taken your argument to extreme when I mention "church group" and
>you argue "Heaven's Gate" cult. 

Of course. Using extreme examples, like using metaphors, is just a way of
trying to clarify perspectives. You've used the same rhetorical method yourself.

>Tegan's sergeant felt the only worthwhile thing in her life was the SCA; 
>that speaks _well_ of the SCA, not badly.

I never asserted that anyone's extreme perspectives speaks well or badly of
the SCA; I never said the SCA itself was in question. I just suggested that
some folk in the SCA (and other walks of life) sometimes have a loose grip
on reality.

>I don't "really" die, true.  But I really "die".  ("When I make a word
>do extra work like that, I always pay it extra."  -- Humpty Dumpty)

Naughty boy. You harrumph at the use of the word "reality", then you quote
Humpty Dumpty.  I rather enjoyed that. ;->

>I don't believe you really have this
>problem, Aquillane, but I have to believe that people who think the
>SCA isn't part of the real world either don't understand the nature of
>the SCA, or they don't understand the nature of reality.

Well, I suppose there are those who might tell you that I not only have one
foot out of the stirrup, but that I imagined the horse. (Not the dead horse
we're presently beating, mind you ;-> )

>If you're saying that some people take the SCA to extremes, then yes, I 
>agree.  But that doesn't mean the SCA isn't real; it means they're ignoring
>important other things that are _also_ real.

Yep, yep, yep. 

> Yes, fealty in the SCA carries _no_ mundane 
>obligations, I agree.

Oh, my god, we're agreeing again. Where will this insanity ever stop?! ;->

>Is this any better?
>
>- Galen

Galen, by golly, much like you, I love it when people agree with me! Much
better, yes, thank you!

By the way, if you like, I'm more than willing to argue/agree on issues by
private email, just in case we're annoying or confusing others on the list.

Aquilanne