Species II

[John Grehan]

>
>This will sound like a change of subject, but I want to point something
>out. The cultural mind of Western humanity is programmed from birth to
>"think" is various ways that are quite different from the Eastern or Far
>Eastern cultural mind.

And I probably should not comment further as its probably too far from the 
list purpose, but to talk of a 'Western" cultural mind vs an 'Eastern' is 
to play into a mythology of mind as neither 'eastern' or 'western' are 
monotheistic entities, and neither do they have distinct boundaries. Within 
the 'west' there are distinctly different, and sometimes conflicting, 
perspectives, and in some ways the West might be defined by those 
particular philosophical conflicts if anything at all.

>I surely can not get into all of this, but for
>example.  To the Eastern mind a thing of beauty is simply acknowledge as
>such - not only is no explanation based on analyzation of the beauty
>sought - none is even wanted. To the Western mind we have to define it.

It seems to me that there are plenty of 'Western" minds content to accept 
rather than analyze. And it seems to me, from what little I know of the 
'east' that there are enough eastern minds not content with acceptance 
without analysis.

>Actually, insist that the Easterner not just tell us "she is beautiful" to
>also tell us why.  American's are the worst at this. Which is why most in
>the US eat to live - unlike those in say Greece who live to eat.

So the Greeks have 'eastern' minds?

One thing all 'minds' seem to have in common is their willingness to 
destroy their natural environment - not to mention each other. I think I 
would rather concern myself over the future of the moths and butterflies 
and other organisms than the perceived deficiencies of purported cultural 
entities.

John Grehan


 
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