Earlier quoted context omitted.
That novel looks amazing, and it's going on my reading list. Thanks!
Check also Peter Watts Firefall series.
I read blindsight in one sitting. Good stuff.
Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
121–130 of 140 posts
Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#122In "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind", Julian Jaynes argues that before human intelligence was experienced as reflective, self-conscious internal monologue, early humans would routinely experience "command hallucinations" which they ascribed to gods[0]. In a setting that was designed to induce awe, reverence and altered states of consciousness, an idol could prompt believers to hallu…
Everybody agrees he took on an important question, but his answer was not right. I spoke to a Greek classics scholar who said Jaynes's interpretations of the evolution of Greek emotion names was very far off the mark. The most fundamental problem is that the dates don't line up. Causes and effects are separated by millennia. It remains a mystery. A bigger mystery is where the pre-dynastic Egyptians got hold of all th…
I've seen you post things like this multiple times and while I'm not an egyptologist, it's pretty clear that you're getting some details wrong and consistently reaching bad conclusions.
First of all, there was no carborundum in ancient egypt. Silicon carbide was only discovered in the 19th century and doesn't occur in large deposits naturally. I assume you mean corundum, which is most definitely workable with time, patience, and lots of abrasive powder. All of these were part of the Egyptian toolkit.
Secondly, I assume you're referring to the sarcophagi of the Serapeum. They're impressive, but nothing outside the realm of the known tools if given enough time and skill, neither of which they were short on.
Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#123Earlier quoted context omitted.
It doesn't justify the destruction of historical artifacts, though. :/
Working people up into a frenzy and giving them targets to assault is a time honored way to rise to power. Statues don’t fight back. Real trouble is when you run out of statues.
Except in this case, it's not mob manipulation, it's calculated theology.
Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
Jaynes argument makes a lot more sense when you take the modern psychiatric view that the way we respond to voices in our head is socially constructed. His claim that it is literally caused by the corpus collosum was bad biology (which was not his field).
> the way we respond to voices in our head Voices plural? I doubt most of society experiences such a phenomenon, and if they do they’re not talking about it.
The decomposition of the self into competing voices is a fairly common idea. It's present in phrases like "part of me thinks/wants X" or "I am of two minds about X". It's a key part of the whole Freudian id, ego, superego thing and related motifs like the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.
Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
Everybody agrees he took on an important question, but his answer was not right. I spoke to a Greek classics scholar who said Jaynes's interpretations of the evolution of Greek emotion names was very far off the mark. The most fundamental problem is that the dates don't line up. Causes and effects are separated by millennia. It remains a mystery. A bigger mystery is where the pre-dynastic Egyptians got hold of all th…
I've seen you post things like this multiple times and while I'm not an egyptologist, it's pretty clear that you're getting some details wrong and consistently reaching bad conclusions. First of all, there was no carborundum in ancient egypt. Silicon carbide was only discovered in the 19th century and doesn't occur in large deposits naturally. I assume you mean corundum, which is most definitely workable with time, p…
Many have made the claim that the known Egyptians had the tools and expertise to do the job. Few have demonstrated convincing evidence of this claim. Very few. The closer experts look, the more questions arise.
Explorer Flinders Petrie spent decades there and was left with a lot of thoughtful questions about how those artifacts might have been made with known methods. Modern engineer Christopher Dunn has the pro and evidentiary background to have raised challenging question about such facile assertions.
Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've seen you post things like this multiple times and while I'm not an egyptologist, it's pretty clear that you're getting some details wrong and consistently reaching bad conclusions. First of all, there was no carborundum in ancient egypt. Silicon carbide was only discovered in the 19th century and doesn't occur in large deposits naturally. I assume you mean corundum, which is most definitely workable with time, p…
Many have made the claim that the known Egyptians had the tools and expertise to do the job. Few have demonstrated convincing evidence of this claim. Very few. The closer experts look, the more questions arise. Explorer Flinders Petrie spent decades there and was left with a lot of thoughtful questions about how those artifacts might have been made with known methods. Modern engineer Christopher Dunn has the pro and…
Petrie died in the 40s. He hasn't been at the forefront of archaeology for about a century now.
Also, the very first result for me was a UPenn museum article [1] from 1983 demonstrating granite drilling with known tools. Again, hardly breaking new ground here.
[1] https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/ancient-egyptian-st...
Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#127Earlier quoted context omitted.
Many have made the claim that the known Egyptians had the tools and expertise to do the job. Few have demonstrated convincing evidence of this claim. Very few. The closer experts look, the more questions arise. Explorer Flinders Petrie spent decades there and was left with a lot of thoughtful questions about how those artifacts might have been made with known methods. Modern engineer Christopher Dunn has the pro and…
Petrie died in the 40s. He hasn't been at the forefront of archaeology for about a century now. Also, the very first result for me was a UPenn museum article [1] from 1983 demonstrating granite drilling with known tools. Again, hardly breaking new ground here. [1] https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/ancient-egyptian-st...
If Petrie was right in the '40s, alive, he is still right, dead.
It is one thing to demonstrate crude granite drilling and sawing, and entirely another to actually reproduce observed phenomena. The one is not a substitute for the other.
And you can call them sarcophagi if you like, but that is a box for a corpse, and these have all always been empty. So, boxes. 100-ton boxes, machined to such tight tolerance that they seal just by seating the lid.
Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#128Great circles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fS9ixfQ_no
Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
Working people up into a frenzy and giving them targets to assault is a time honored way to rise to power. Statues don’t fight back. Real trouble is when you run out of statues.
Except in this case, it's not mob manipulation, it's calculated theology.
We have people tearing down statues in America.
Who the crap has a beef with Lincoln.
This isn’t out of the blue, people are stirring them up. People that have agendas.Re: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues?
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except in this case, it's not mob manipulation, it's calculated theology.
We have people tearing down statues in America. Who the crap has a beef with Lincoln. This isn’t out of the blue, people are stirring them up. People that have agendas.
> Who the crap has a beef with Lincoln.
IKR? Doesn't make sense anymore. But I was talking about the parent topic, which was the theologically-motivated scratching out of the eyes of figures in mosaic images.