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Mr Punch
08-15-2005, 07:20 PM
From here. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1549878,00.html)



The Piraha, Everett reveals, possess "the most complex verbal morphology I am aware of [and] are some of the brightest, pleasantest, most fun-loving people that I know". Yet they have no numbers of any kind, no terms for quantification (such as all, each, every, most and some), no colour terms and no perfect tense. They appear to have borrowed their pronouns from another language, having previously possessed none. They have no "individual or collective memory of more than two generations past", no drawing or other art, no fiction and "no creation stories or myths".

All this, Everett believes, can be explained by a single characteristic: "Piraha culture constrains communication to non-abstract subjects which fall within the immediate experience of [the speaker]." What can be discussed, in other words, is what has been seen. When it can no longer be perceived, it ceases, in this realm at least, to exist. After struggling with one grammatical curiosity, he realised that the Piraha were "talking about liminality - situations in which an item goes in and out of the boundaries of their experience. [Their] excitement at seeing a canoe go around a river bend is hard to describe; they see this almost as travelling into another dimension". The Piraha, still living, watch the sparrow flit in and out of the banqueting hall.



Try getting your head round that.
Wonder if we could get one on the forum to talk about themselves! :D

Mr Punch
08-15-2005, 09:09 PM
:confused:

Sorry you felt the need to delete your replies SPJ, rather enjoyed them myself... oh well, guess that was the canoe going round the bend! ;)

SPJ
08-15-2005, 09:12 PM
Thanks my friend.

:D

Mr Punch
08-15-2005, 09:14 PM
So my friend... are you in the boundaries of my experience?! ;)

I guess so, maybe.

Mr Punch
08-15-2005, 09:15 PM
But now I have to pass into the realms of Annwn. See you on the other side! :D

GunnedDownAtrocity
08-15-2005, 10:30 PM
you guys are really ****ing high aren't you?

this is why i dont touch that stuff anymore.

Mr Punch
08-16-2005, 05:58 AM
:D

Nor do I!

This is why I don't ****ing need it!

SPJ
08-16-2005, 06:35 AM
There are many good stuff mentioned in his comments.

I was used to the debate club format. Which means that you have only 30 sec or less to come up with counter arguement as soon as the other team debater finishes his or her speech.

The reason I retracted the replies was that I think I need more time to ponder on all these issues to address "properly".

Anyhoo.

1. Creation VS evolution.

2. Purpose of Life.

3. Existence of God.

4. Intelligent design.

5. Literal reincarnation.

6. Being happy.

--

SPJ
08-16-2005, 06:46 AM
1. Darwinism is a theory of evolution. Evolution does occur at the genetic level in every generation. Good sets of genes that survive the selections of diseases and current environments will survive in the gene pools.

Lives come from lives. Then the original lives must be created by random chance or a CREATOR.

2. The purpose of life or self worth is determined by you.

3. Since we are created and not GOD. We may not prove or disprove something we do not understand.

4. Intelligent design is based on available knowledge and current science. However, it will change with more info and studies. So there is an inherent flaw in the design.

5. We do not live beyond this life so we may not know about the next life.

6. Being happy has nothing to do with knowing about the science.

--

:D

SPJ
08-16-2005, 06:50 AM
The piraha analogy.

We are only limited by our open mind.

The boundaries of knowledge, science, etc are determined by us.

----

:D

SPJ
08-16-2005, 06:53 AM
Direct experiences and description of it in words.

It is called life and a journal. It is a diary. Asking why and how it (life) is so is an effort of self exercising or choice. This is called Chan or Zen.

---

:D