IF NOT "LINEAR," THEN WHAT?
It must be ever recalled that not all movements are unidirectional, or, one-way. They zig-zag, reverse, go sideways, backwards, stall, speed up, stop, or do some of all above!
Humans move . Therefore human society engages in all of the above.
I make these basic observations merely to embroider the edges of, not to be critical of, the most sapid sentiments expressed by Mahmoud Mohamed Taha, the late, martyred sage of Sudan, which nevertheless had struck me as linear. He wrote:
"Man is manipulated from distance into closeness , from ignorance into knowledge, from plurality into unity, from evil to good, from the limited to infinity (itlaq), and from bondage to freedom."
P.105, "Determinism is Absolute Good," THE SECOND MESSAGE OF ISLAM (1987)
This less-to-greater, "progressive" view of humanity strikes me as being somewhat linear, in its thrust. That is to say that it is essentially "Western" in its basic orientation.
Juxtaposed against linear, I posit "quadralinear" or "omnilnear," as oppositional to one-way motion.
As natural examples , I would point to the poles of the earth trading places, periodically, or births being produced asexually, at times, in certain species of plants and animals. One might also point to the Great Pyramids or megalithic structures of ancient Africa as examples, since later men have failed to attain such perfection in construction or conception. Or, one might point to the resurrection to life from death as evidenced by Jesus Christ or those others, who rose, cited in Mathew 27:52-53.
Thus, linear is not exclusive, and progress is not necessarily linear. But , if not linear, then what is it?
Monday, August 29, 2016
IF NOT LINEAR, THEN WHAT?
IF NOT "LINEAR," THEN WHAT?
It must be ever recalled that not all movements are unidirectional, or, one-way. They zig-zag, reverse, go sideways, backwards, stall, speed up, stop, or do some of all above!
Humans move . Therefore human society engages in all of the above.
I make these basic observations merely to embroider the edges of, not to be critical of, the most sapid sentiments expressed by Mahmoud Mohamed Taha, the late, martyred sage of Sudan, which nevertheless had struck me as linear. He wrote:
"Man is manipulated from distance into closeness , from ignorance into knowledge, from plurality into unity, from evil to good, from the limited to infinity (itlaq), and from bondage to freedom."
P.105, "Determinism is Absolute Good," THE SECOND MESSAGE OF ISLAM (1987)
This less-to-greater, "progressive" view of humanity strikes me as being somewhat linear, in its thrust. That is to say that it is essentially "Western" in its basic orientation.
Juxtaposed against linear, I posit "quadralinear" or "omnilnear," as oppositional to one-way motion.
As natural examples , I would point to the poles of the earth trading places, periodically, or births being produced asexually, at times, in certain species of plants and animals. One might also point to the Great Pyramids or megalithic structures of ancient Africa as examples, since later men have failed to attain such perfection in construction or conception. Or, one might point to the resurrection to life from death as evidenced by Jesus Christ or those others, who rose, cited in Mathew 27:52-53.
Thus, linear is not exclusive, and progress is not necessarily linear. But , if not linear, then what is it?