I was discussing things with Ken Shiotani, my philosopher friend, during the annual "Ojisan Onsen" ("Middle-agers hot spring") trip.
Shiotani referred to the philosophy of Spinoza, Frege, and Leibniz. Shiotani stressed how in some systems of thought God appeared as an absolute infinite, something beyond human comprehension. Of God, no description is in principle possible.
Then I said to Shiotani that God-like things should be everywhere. Can we really speak of "red"? How about "love"? "Time"? The conversations we carry are full of intractable and distant things, the distance closed only incompletely by our incessant efforts to make the world tangible. But in the end, the essence of things remain inaccessible. Shiotani responded with his observations on the difference between the systems of Spinoza and Leibiz.
I and Ken Shiotani have been friends since we were the sweet age of 18. Talking about essential things in the small hours made us feel like students again.
Small hours talk. My best friend and philosopher Ken Shiotani, at the Shuzenji Onsen 20 Decemebr, 2009
4 comments:
Indeed...the more we continue to research and understand the intimate details of the world around us we will draw closer to this "God-like" understanding. The knowledge that we have today would appear "God-like" to those that lived 100's of years ago...because our description of things are less limited.
our description of things are less limited ..
i love to see fine arts as well as Dr Mogi, it seems to me that full of truth - love, time, and so on - exists in the great museums ..
and we can see them using eyes and the heart.
sorry for my broken English.
Dear.Mr.Mogi
I am so happy, you have conversation with Mr.Shiotani . I very envy your friendship.
Mr.Mogi. I also think God-like things should be everywhere. And they are everywhere.
I think philosopher is the one of most significance role in the world.
I am so happy you have a beautiful friend.
It is quite inevitable for our endless on-going endeavors to make sense of our inner world and to put everything into rational and scientific context to lead to the reaffirmation of the big G. While everything we witness outside of us seems to follow a solid rule (of nature?) and time continues to flow, everything within us remains to be nothing but chaos. The big G seems to always be what is within us. Or, am I perhaps the only one in existence only dreaming that I am typing this comment for everyone else to read? Why am I here? Where am I from? Where shall I go? Is irrationality the only rationality, the only reality? ... Which explains why I make it a rule to stay away from this subject, seemingly the only "rational" solution for many.
SK
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