Before I continue-
this rather involved and (IMHO) interesting exchange between Brett and
myself jogs another question I had intended to pose, and so, I'll pose it-
Where do youse guys think (or imagine, or picture, or virtualize) these
conversations taking place? In defense of my own (albeit limited,
right?....) imagination, I have, when I have pictured it at all, (since I
am such a literal person, and usually just sit in front of a computer
doing this after all), imagined a sparsely furnished meeting room with a
large folding table, around which we few are gathered. Occasionally
Richard comes by, gives a test, and takes some of us out to dinner. (I
have not been invited yet....)
Anyway- is there a cyberspace we should be encouraging? Some MUD for this
mudslinging?
I don't know, just a thought.
Anyway-
>I assume that
>the shaman has a purpose (evolutionarily, sociologically, psychologically,
>etc.) or they would not exist--though you are right, they are not as obvious
>today as they may have been at one time...though I think they still exist
>perhaps as a cultural phenomenon which is not obvious to others who are not
>involved with that culture. I do not assume that they are parasites (though
>there are parasites in the ecology and they most likely perform a needed
>function, too, or else they would not exist either). I *do* wonder how they
>are tolerated, though...they seem very oppositional to what we believe in
>and *do* seem to exist in this oppositional memeset even within their own
>cultures (maybe they are the "control group"...Are they, do you think,
>immune to common memes?).
Everything has a purpose, and yes of course shamans have one, or several.
I would prefer this could be a historical curiosity, but people's
reliance on 'magic' runs deep. They are tolerated where they have
developed power- as such they are a complete [memetic] model of the
'magic' within their culture.
If we refer to 'common' memes as those that are commonly cross-cultural,
then no, shamans are very susceptible to such, and avoid them at all
costs. (Or use them as strawmen.) Things like the legal system, licenses,
schooling, etc.
There is an attraction to applying the term 'shaman' to all sorts of
people with an apparently unwarranted power. Jesse Helms comes to mind....
I can understand that. I would rather narrow down this term to apply only
to those who claim knowledge from other than known sources.
Anyway- has Richard brought the port yet?
********************************
Wade T. Smith
wade_smith@harvard.edu
morbius@us1.channel1.com
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