[lit-ideas] Re: What would Wittgenstein do?

  • From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2005 13:57:00 -0500


----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Yost" <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, October 08, 2005 1:24 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: What would Wittgenstein do?


Definitional gambit for will: The amount of psychic energy available to the conscious mind...?

What the hell does psychic energy mean? What the hell does the conscious mind mean? Isn't mind synonomous with consciousness? I reject the notion of an unconscious mind -- not of unconconscious neuronal activity, of course, but mind is awareness to my mind, unless I'm not aware of what going on in there.


I understand that for Schopenhauer "will" - as in 'The World As Will And Representation' - does mean energy, perhaps of a "psychic" sort, and the title 'The World As Energy..etc' might be less misleading.

What the fuck is "energy"? It's an empty word. No one can define it. We know absolutely (and I do mean absolutely -- heh, heh) NOTHING about what existence is. It's energy. Oh, OK. I didn't know that.


If psychic energy is the total "output" of the mind---proprioceptive, autonomic regulation, fantasies, dreams, fears, reasoning, premonitions, intuitions, inspirations, connections of ideas, etc.--then one's will power is the amount of that energy that can be summoned to the purposes of the conscious mind.

How many ergs is that then? What ergopsychometer is there to measure it? I'd rather talk about the flow of chi, squeezing chi from the tips of my finger down into my penis. At least there's a happy ending to that philosophy.


Thus those yogis who claim to exert more power over some physical processes like their heartbeat have in fact increased their will power in those areas.

Or, more likely it seems to me, they have learned to relax. A good massage might have been quicker.



Thus people who are inspired and work ten hours at a stretch without noticing the time---in samadhi, flow, or whatever---are exercising more will power than someone who looks at a project for ten minutes, talks on the phone, daydreams, sips coffee, returns to the project, looks out the window, hums to herself, returns to the project, checks E-mail, etc.

I suppose you could look at it that way. I'd think rather that they're just enjoying themselves. Joy carries one along effortlessly. Effort (expenditures of energy) comes with resistence. "I don't want to do this" soul screams. "You've got to, goddamnit!" Mind orders -- there's your psychic energy outlay. 90% of which is spent in resentment, frustration, fear, hate, envy, vengeance-plotting, etc. Doing what you enjoy is riding a wave -- the energy of the project carries you to shore, all you have to do is keep your balance.

Sorry, Eric, I still a wad of unconvinced energy.

Mike Geary
Memphis





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