Ultima Thule

Introduction

2007-12-16T15:34:00.000-05:00

For several years I have desperately wanted a forum where people could come together and discuss the great ideas of the day, of yesterday, and of tomorrow.

I wrote about this two years ago. (#287 The Institute) Heck; the entire concept of the Hyperion Institute was a dream that we build a place where ideas can flourish, learning take place, great arguments, great ideas, great innovations, and maybe some great touch football in the afternoons.

I've had my official Hyperion Institute Architect Marcellus design the grounds for me. It's spectacular. And the moment I get Bill Gates (or Oprah) to fork over 40 billion dollars that's what I'll be doing. But in the meantime I (as well as a few truth-driven homie-peeps; more on them once you're in) are starting this group online.

The way we're going to break it down is to have monthly arguments on topics, as well as a ongoing mandate to discover the true theory that governs the universe (if there is one). Discussion can include anything from philosophy, psychology, theology, meta-physics, politics, and anything else you can think of. We are bounded only by our imagination, and seek to live up to our motto: Ultima Thule.

(For those not up on your Norse Mythology, Ultima Thule was the northern most island of legend, where if you went past it you'd fall off the world. Put another way, it means That which nothing can go beyond. That's our goal.")

It might sound like we only want academics and eggheads. I won't lie to you; idiots need not apply. But that doesn't mean we are only looking for intellectuals. I certainly don't have any pedigree, and I'm not afraid to argue with anyone. Nor should people be scared if they are not familiar with these topics, or have never argued in a formal setting.

What we are looking for is someone with these three qualities:

Do you have an opinion or idea that you base on sound thinking, and some form of logic? (We're not worried about how revolutionary the idea is. I myself plan to drain the blood from your face when I propose my ideas. But we don't want people who "feel" a certain way and that's all there is to it.)
Can you articulate your position? (Forget about eloquence. We're looking for clarity and the ability to come to the point.)
Perhaps most importantly, are you open-minded enough to conceive that your ideas might be wrong? Are you willing to argue passionately for what you've come to believe, but equally willing to take a step in a different direction if the path is made clear to you?

To sum up: do you want to know the truth? Are you willing to talk about what that might be?

The group's discussions will be private, probably on a password-protected website. The ideas discussed will remain private, to encourage people to say whatever they will without fear of outside criticism. If our periodic topic discussions shed any new light, we may publish "position essays" on the consensus (with dissents, kind of like the Supreme Court), and of course if we figure out the universe, we write a book, get rich, and find us each a trophy spouses. (Just kidding. I believe in things, but I still have a sense of humor. We'll definitely each have more than one trophy. )

The group will be selected by an application process. We have come up with five questions we want people to answer; 1000 words or fewer for the whole thing. That you agree with us isn't important (since none of us agree with each other anyway), but what is important is that you can state an idea clearly and briefly. That alone shows thought, organization, and acumen.

While the total size of the group is not set in stone there are not many spots open, and there will be a rolling admission (which means you want to do this sooner rather than later).

If you have questions, please write and ask me. I don't want anyone to be intimidated or think this isn't for them. There are many of you I'd love to have in the group. (Alas; I only have one vote, but some of you are so brimming with promise that I know you can do it.)

If this sounds interesting, go down one post and fill out the application questions. Send them to us as soon as you reasonably can.

Some day my friends, people will talk about this day. You will tell people who you visited the website when....

Wouldn't you also like to tell them how you became a part of it?

Application

2007-05-26T18:22:00.000-04:00

Empire of the Mind has started! You can still apply, but you need to write us for the application questions.

Write to

empireofthemind@gmail.com

Do you have what it takes?

10,000 Years

2007-04-26T18:26:00.000-04:00

[This was written by one of you as an application question. The question was:

"If people lived 10,000 years, they would grow closer together."
"If people lived 10,000 years, they would grow more divergent."

The respondant had to take both sides and answer the question with as much clarity as possible in a limited space. Once you have read his/her arguments, respond in the Comments. Please respond ANONYMOUSLY and then use your chosen name. Don't just say you agree or disagree. Say why. Use examples of his/her text to support/disagree, and use other examples too. This is just to get us going and see how we do. Good luck!]

Ten Thousand Years

March 16, 2007

There is a custom in ancient China that when the imperial court convened the masses of the officials and servants would all bow down towards the emperor and greet him by wishing that he would live and reign for ten thousand years. Luckily for the everyday Chinese folks, most emperors rarely lived past 80, assuming they managed to survived through all of the court intrigues, assassination attempts, and civil wars.

What if humanity is bestowed with a life span of ten thousand years or more? What if human beings can slow down aging so that only those that wish to die will?

The search for immortality has been the favorite quest of kings and mystics throughout the ages. To be able to live longer is to be able to achieve more, to enjoy more, and to ultimately get more out of life. In many ways, living ten thousands years will allow humanity to be free of the shackle of time, to truly enjoy and live life at everyone's own pace without the ever-ticking biological clock looming overhead.

What if Michelangelo or Leonardo could live ten thousand years? One can only imagine what kind of artistic and scientific advancements would be achieved. What of Thomas Edison or Gandhi? The possibility and the potential are simply mind boggling.

To have ten thousand years to live is to have the luxury of following up on everything that interests us as individuals. It is like being able to live multiple life times so that people have the time to pursue multiple careers, have different relationships, to travel the world and to be able to truly live and learn from each other.

In an ironic sense, having extended life spans can, in theory, help people to distinguish between what is important and what is not. Because there is no rush to live and to get things done, people naturally don't have to put up with the kind of garbage that comes with a shot life span. What if there is no rush to climb the corporate ladder and not having to revolve one's life around work?
How will this impact human relationships?

Wouldn't all of this be a much better way to live and to advance humanity?

At this point the author is reminded of a second rate science fiction film from the 70's called Zardoz that starred Sean Connery. While much is left to be desired of the film itself, the main imagery the author recalled about the film are the immortal Eternals that lived inside the Vortices. As the audience, one has to wonder which is truly Hell, the subsistence savages living in mortality outside the vortices, or the Eternals inside, living in their meaningless cloistered society, doomed to eternal apathy and boredom?

And this brings some very disturbing question to this debate. While in theory an extended life span can let humanity realize so much more of its potential, one can effectively argue that this also greatly magnifies the darkness of humanity as well.

Can anyone conjure up a greater monstrosity than say having immortal tyrants with immortal reigns? What if Stalin and Hitler had lived ten thousand years? What if Nero had lived for so long that he actually brought the whole of Eurasia and Africa under his control? What if World Wars can last hundreds or even thousands of years? Can one even fathom the suffering and misery the populace would be subjected to?

Imagine all of the darkness that sprang from the hearts of humanity and amplified it by ten thousand years. Imagine being able to live so long that living loses its meaning and vitality. Think of the Untouchables living in India. It is horrific to have to live sixty or seventy years under brutal prejudice and violent oppression. What if that is stretched to ten thousand years? What if the downtrodden masses of this world have to endure their suffering and misery many folds over?

The sad truth is that if humanity has proved unable and unwilling to improve itself since the dawn of recorded history, what benefit can a greatly expanded life span bring?

Ironically, it is precisely the brevity and the flimsiness of human existence that brings meaning to life. It is through the struggle against fate, circumstances, and time that life can be savored and enjoyed.

Would anyone have remembered John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King if they had lived for so long that they are forgotten by history? It is precisely the brevity of their existence that inspires and uplifts. The truth is that immortality, with all of its advantages, can only be enjoyed when individuals can rise up against darkness that dwells in all and that societies can overcome all prejudices and ignorance.

In short, an extended life span or immortality can only be taken advantage of and put to good use by humanity when humanity ceases to be human. And until that occurs, a short human life span, in the end, is far more merciful and humane.

Welcome

2007-04-26T16:31:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Empire of the Mind! Each of you has worked hard to earn his or her way in, and now that we are all in, we are all equals (though some of us are much smarter, prettier and taller than others).

Our Latin motto has been Ultima Thule, which was an old Mythical northern isle above Britain. Basically it means “that which nothing can go beyond.” That’s our goal, to push the levels of reason and understanding in all things. However, that might be a bit ambitious, or at least arrogant, at least for the time being, so we offer an alternative motto:

“The Conquest of Innerspace.”

This was the last sermon preached by my grandfather, and I think it’s a great adaptation for us. I mention him because he died on April 26, 1983, which is the main reason I wanted to start Empire of the Mind today, to honor his towering intellect, and at least personally turn a sad day into one of joy and celebration.

Not having a theological mind I am unsure what Grandpa meant by his title, but I know what I mean: in a very real sense, there is as much or more complexity within us than in all of the known universe. And I do not mean that in some new-agey sense. There’s a ton going on in there. The Mind is almost an incomprehensible thing. What we seek to (eventually) do is get a grasp on what the Mind is, how one can train is effectively, make it reach new heights. I hesitate to enumerate what I mean because most of you would laugh, but I’m serious when I say there is not much the Mind cannot do, if only it knew how.

But while we’re figuring out how to fly and see into the girls’ locker room, I’d like to get a start at our own unified theory. This is actually how Empire started. Several years ago I came up with a theory of how everything connected. I called it “Inevitability.”

I was immediately joyous at my “discovery” but also cognizant that

A) I might be wrong

B) Even if I were correct, there were many aspects to the theory that needed hashing out.

I enlisted the help of a few friends, and we started a great e-mail correspondence. We attacked each other’s ideas with vigor, and good times were had by all.

Fast-forward to two years ago. “Bear” came to visit me up in Canada, and we spent most of the week arguing about the reality of “infinity.” At the end we both realized how much we needed high-level discourse in our lives. I don’t know about you, and I’m not trying to hate here, but I just don’t get the opportunity to have these kinds of discussions in my everyday life. And I need it. I think we all do, at least those of us who aspire to more than the unexamined life, and by the way, whether you knew it or not, the very fact that you applied means that’s you too. (That you made it through the gauntlet means you’re really in.)

So this group idea was born. It took some time getting off the ground, which is partly my fault and partly because of circumstances in my home situation that made it difficult to get net time, which has become the chosen medium for how we are to do this. Many of you applied last year, and I appreciate your patience, but hey: HERE WE ARE NOW!

To briefly continue the timeline, Bear and I recruited two others, and we formed the initial Application Committee. Each of you applied, and once you were in, you were able to read the applications of others. All the applications were done “blind,” meaning that no one—not even I—knew who was applying until after grades were given. I want it noted that even though the initial four were in (having started the group), we all answered the questions too. Not only that, but I fed the answers into the Application Process, just so we all could be judged as well.

(I didn’t tell the gang I was doing that, which is probably a good thing, but I wanted them to sweat it out too. Thank the Light they all made it in…by the skin of their teeth.)

The plan had been to put up all the answers, so that we could see we are all equals and laugh at each other. My main computer is up in Canada so there could be some logistics problems, but that still remains a goal of mine.

Speaking of each other, I asked you last week for final email addresses and “names” you’d like to be known under. Speaking to “Bear” this morning he brought up a concern. Bear points out that with so many people using aliases the tendency might be to see that as one more clubhouse and not take the process seriously. I personally think it comes down to personal integrity, and once you all are humming along you’ll bring your “A Game,” but maybe Bear has a point. Maybe this should be a little more formal, and we should use real names. After all, we will be sharing email addresses, which often put our names on them anyway. Something to think about.

For today I have two things for you. One, I’d like you to email back three questions. I did this with another group I started, and it worked fantastically. Pick one personal question (but not too personal), one more academic question, and one wacky one. Then Bear and I will choose from the questions (or maybe just pick all of them if they are great) and send out the questionnaire. This won’t be graded or anything, but a simple way to get to know each other a little more so we’re not strangers. We want to attack ideas with the utmost passion, and let no illogical thought left unchallenged. However, I don’t think it serves any purpose to remain distant strangers to each other. As much as cyberspace allows, why not get to know each other just a little?

So, if you would, please take a few moments to email back three questions you’d like people to answer, as well as weigh in on the alias/real name issue.

Secondly, sort of as a practice run to get the ball rolling, I have taken an essay one of you wrote as a dry run on maybe how this will work. Each of you answered the main questions, but then there were sub-questions answered too. Some of you answered the question about what would happen if humans lived ten thousand years. One of you put a lot of effort into the question and really showed something, and I wanted to reward that effort by making it our very first thing.

If you go to this link (http://empireofthemind.blogspot.com/2007/04/10000-years.html), you will see that person’s post. Note: as a one time only thing, I am posting this anonymously, so it could have come from any of you. The reason I am doing that is that the person wrote with the understanding that only the committee would see the work, and I don’t want to then trumpet the name all over the place. (Although, if you see someone offering a little too much praise in the comments, you might get suspicious.)

Here’s what we’ll do for now. Go to the link. You’ll notice it’s a private link that no one else but us knows about. I want to keep it that way. You are not to share this link with anyone. That way we each have freedom to opine.

Read what the person has to say, and then way in. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES does this mean a chorus of “rah rahs.” If you agree, give some reasons why, perhaps additional supporting evidence. If you disagree, do the same thing. Note that your arguments in support or opposition to the original idea are fair game as well.

The rules are: attack the idea, but fairly and with supporting evidence. NO PERSONAL ATTACKS.

One other thing: until we get it figured out exactly how we are going to run this site (either by inviting all of you to be members, or something else), please LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS AS ANONYMOUS and then sign the name you want to use after your thoughts. Once we get that glitch figured out we will do it more efficiently, but you have to give us a couple weeks to see how this will work.

This letter will also be a post on the site in case you lose it, as will a Table of Contents for new Posts. That may change, but for now that’s how you do it. Please email back to me as soon as you can, and we’ll get to know each other better and get started on what I hope will be a very exciting thing.

Thanks for your time,

Hyperion

Application

2006-06-01T07:33:00.000-04:00

APPLICATION FOR EMPIRE OF THE MIND

Please answer the following 5 questions in no more than 1000 words total. You can break up the word count however you’d like, but please answer every question.

[NOTE: these questions aren't what we hope to discuss once the group is fully formed. Rather: they were designed to have multiple points of view and show how you reason something out. Think of it as an audition for a part. You want to make sure your actor has range. All of us answered the questions as well. If you're even here the odds are you're smart enough to be a part of the group. Sharpen that mental pencil and jump in.]

1. a) You are attending a major university. One of your classes is "American History." You will be one of over 200 students. You enter the rear of the lecture hall and note three sections of seating (left, center, right) each with 20 rows. Where do you sit?
b) Your instructor enters and states that the anti-American fighters in Iraq will be likened to the American patriots of the late 18th century. How do respond?

2. a) Where does Science Fit into your world view?
b) Where does Religion fit into your world view?

3. Evaluate the following quote, and take a position on whether it is profound or simple: “The rich really are different……they have more money.”

4. Do you see humanity progressing or regressing, and do you consider it a good or bad thing?

5. What has had the biggest impact on the world: War, Religion, Money or Language?

Please email your answers as soon as possible to: