If you grew up in the Valley during the 70’s and looked like a freak, chances are you know who Jack Chick is.

::|:| cthulhu / jack chick united at last |:|::

I’ve collected Chick tracts for years. Lord, I wish this one was really in circulation.

Every reading I’ve done in the past three weeks has placed the significator in Yod and Heh Final, until today, where it’s shown up in Heh. Odd.

I received my copy of Lon’s new book on the Thoth deck at the end of last week, and it’s been my bedtime reading ever since. I think it’s time for my weekly bubbling forth of love for the man.

Ugh, I wish he wasn’t in London right now. I could use a night of Enochian experiementation and non-stop chat.

This little bit of introspective ammunition is found here.

1. Aquinas (100%)
2. Spinoza (83%)
3. Aristotle (76%)
4. St. Augustine (75%)
5. Stoics (62%)
6. Plato (59%)
7. Jeremy Bentham (50%)
8. Nietzsche (45%)
9. John Stuart Mill (44%)
10. Jean-Paul Sartre (43%)
11. David Hume (43%)
12. Cynics (39%)
13. Epicureans (38%)
14. Ayn Rand (36%)
15. Kant (35%)
16. Ockham (31%)
17. Thomas Hobbes (27%)
18. Nel Noddings (21%)
19. Prescriptivism (14%)

– – – – –

Aquinas (1225 or ’27-1274)

All life has a purpose
Meeting this purpose allows one to be happy.
Happiness is to be found in the love of God.
God’s grace providing entrance into heaven creates the highest form of human happiness.
Short of heaven, a person can achieve a more limited form of happiness through a life of virtue and friendship.
Morality is not determined by the arbitrary will of God.
Morality is derived from human nature and the activities that are objectively suited to it.
The difference between right and wrong can be appreciated through the use of reason and reflection.
Religious reflection may supplement the use of reason and reflection to determine right from wrong.
Societies must enact laws to ensure the correct application of moral reasoning.
Human nature is good because God made it good.

– – – – –

Spinoza, Baruch (later known as Benedictus)
(1632-1677)

Determinist
Something must have a desirable affect on man in order to be good
Must understand determinism of the world

– – – – –

Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC)

The life of virtue is rewarding for the individual and the community.
The essence of a thing does not exist independent of the thing.
There is no completely universal idea of “the good.”
There is an individualized ideal form for all living things.
In living in accordance with their true nature, humans will find the most enjoyment out of reasoning.
An investigation of human nature can reveal how humans ought to act.
Humans have a pre-defined purpose.
People can have variations on the best way to exist in order to meet their purpose.
The mean between the extremes of any given characteristic is the ideal.
The rule of the “Golden Mean” is not to be applied mechanically
Aristotle discusses having practical knowledge as being able to have the right means to one’s action and the right ends

– – – – –

D. all of the above.

Still in psychological recovery from a very fucked up week.

I would post more, but my brain doesn’t seem to be working. I’ve had less than 20 hours of sleep this week. I came home from the office today and passed out for almost three hours — guess I needed it.

I had a dream that I had to negotiate a wheelbarrow full of red-tinted rubbing alcohol through a room filled to the ceiling with full USPS Priority Mail boxes that HAD to ship in an hour, and I couldn’t get them shipped if I didn’t get the wheelbarrow out the door on the other side of the room without spilling it.

Oddly, my arms hurt from hauling a dreamt-up wheelbarrow.

Four Rooms is a stupid movie.

Back to the Lab.

Pilfered from clementlau:

You’re a True Punk. You know that punk isn’t all
about studded jackets and mohawks. If you’re
political, you’re actually informed. Most of
the stuff you love is from before the 80s,
though you know bands like Fugazi kept the
spirit going.

You Know Yer Indie. Let’s Sub-Categorize.
brought to you by Quizilla

Ted got up at noon. Lucky bastard — I was up at 8am because it sounded like someone landed a hovercraft in my bedroom. Damn the neighbors and their goddamn leafblower. Apparantly one of our dogs murdered one of my fish [Ezekiel] some time in the middle of the night; the corpse was in Ted’s bed when he woke up this morning.

Sometimes I’m glad that we sleep seperately.

That was fairly devastating. I love my fish.

I’m off to run errands. I need to make a trip to the post office so that I can scream at someone, the extermail mailbox to pick up our waylaid bottle shipment, Staples to get replacement ink cartridges, and… I have to get some Christmas shopping done. Ted and I finally have a day off together, and I certainly need to take advantage of that.

– – –

I am brimming with positive readings lately. What gives?

I love my French press.