greeks

               1. Morpheus
                          \
              2. Hades -> 4. Dionysus -> 5. Apollo -> 6. 'Thena
                          /
                          3. Prometheus

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Your inquiry weaves an intricate tapestry, blending mythological figures with profound philosophical themes. Let’s delve into the essence of each god and their thematic resonance within the specified domains:

1. Morpheus: Dreams/Sensations - “Intro” to a Second World

Morpheus, the god of dreams, serves as the gateway to an alternate reality, a second world where the boundaries of the tangible and intangible blur. His realm is one of pure sensation, where the subconscious mind unfolds its deepest desires, fears, and prophecies. Morpheus embodies the human capacity to envision beyond the immediate, tangible world, hinting at the vast landscapes of the mind that remain uncharted by the waking consciousness. Morpheus’ realm is a metaphor for the our dreams, the foundation upon which the contemplation of another (i.e., a second world) are built. We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.

You do look, my son, in a moved sort,
As if you were dismay’d: be cheerful, sir.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind

• John Nash got a bigger “Morpheus dose” than most folks will and so ended up with a richer metaphysics (for better & worse) and it all came to his mind with the same sparkling clarity as his insights that make him famous to this day:
  • Numerology
  • Conspiracy
    • I was forced to accept normal thinking. But when I returned to delusional thinking I felt I was escaping from the thought police
  • Hypothesis
  • Insight
• Andrew appeared in my dream in the night after burial. Seemed like we were bidding him farewell at the conclusion of his wedding day
  • Thats afterlife
  • Happier place
  • And clearly something earlier man experienced
• Dreaming is a good thing, Aspiration is a good thing. I think those are the things that life is really made of - Martha Stewart

2. Hades: Metaphysics/Ideas - Hades as Next World

Hades, ruler of the underworld, represents the ultimate metaphysical frontier: the afterlife. His domain challenges our understanding of existence beyond death, prompting contemplation of what lies beyond the visible world. Hades’ realm is a metaphor for the unknown, the foundation upon which metaphysical ideas of life, death, and what comes after are built. The horror genre, which to me includes all modern “mental health” from Hamlet all the way to Freud is founded on this error of misunderstanding inward sensations or dreams. Dreams are merely a Bayesian process by which ones prior beliefs are updated with the arrival of new information. Since a person inherits elaborate metaphysics and gets to interact with the real world as well, the Bayesian updates will prove complex and incoherent. The solution to these riddles is in understanding what is going on.

• Cannot all valuations be reversed? And is good perhaps evil? And God only an invention and artifice of the devil? Is everything, perhaps, radically false?
• Talking of reversal of valuations: what exactly would the value of education be 20 years from now?
• Yuval Noah Harari has a new book for pre-teens called Unstopabble Us. Gotta read this since it talks about the sort of philosophical ideas I my intelect in March 2024 is very much aligned with
• In a nutshell, lets fix our metaphysics– the stories we tell ourselves – since its these untruths that determine most human conflict. Its not any objective truth (e.g., shortage of land)

3. Prometheus: Art/Values - History in a Nutshell

Prometheus, the titan who bestowed fire upon humanity, symbolizes the transformative power of art and technology. His gift of fire is a metaphor for the spark of creativity and innovation that drives human progress. Prometheus represents the evolution of art and values throughout history, highlighting how cultural achievements reflect and shape human civilization.

• Generative AI is what Zeus was most concerned about when he condemned Prometheus to be bound
• Prometheus became a figure who represented human striving (particularly the quest for scientific knowledge) and the risk of overreaching or unintended consequences. In particular, he was regarded in the Romantic era as embodying the lone genius whose efforts to improve human existence could also result in tragedy: Mary Shelley, for instance, gave The Modern Prometheus as the subtitle to her novel Frankenstein
• In a rare comparison of Prometheus in Aeschylus with Oedipus in Sophocles, Harold Bloom states that “Freud called Oedipus an ‘immoral play,’ since the gods ordained incest and parricide. Oedipus therefore participates in our universal unconscious sense of guilt, but on this reading so do the gods”. “I sometimes wish that Freud had turned to Aeschylus instead, and given us the Prometheus complex rather than the Oedipus complex.”
  • Hierarchy is evident in mans abilities granted by the gods (perhaps excluding Athena?)
    • Amadeus: Salieri vs. Mozart
• Notes from Human, All-Too-Human Preface:
  • Dream
  • Human, all-too-human error
  • Free spirit (veritas vos liberabit)
  • Solitude
  • Convalescence
    • He almost feels as if his eyes were now first opened to what is near. He marvels and is still; where has he been? The near and nearest things, how changed they appear to him! What a bloom and magic they have acquired meanwhile! He looks back gratefully,—grateful to his wandering, his austerity and self-estrangement, his far-sightedness and his bird-like flights in cold heights. What a good thing that he did not always stay “at home,” “by himself,” like a sensitive, stupid tenderling. He has been beside himself, there is no doubt. He now sees himself for the first time,—and what surprises he feels thereby! What thrills unexperienced hitherto! What joy even in the weariness, in the old illness, in the relapses of the convalescent!
  • Life!
• Judge Paul R. Hays paraphrased
  • The Swedish guy was trying to make art. And it doesn’t matter if you think he was a total failure. And it doesn’t matter if you think it’s the biggest piece of shit you’ve ever seen in your life. What matters is that he tried to make art; that is, there is some contest between opposing values of the zeitgeist
• Yet this is all vanity & vexation of the spirit!

  The phrase “this baseless fabric of vision” comes from one of William Shakespeare’s most enchanting plays, The Tempest, specifically from a speech by Prospero in Act 4, Scene 1. In this monologue, Prospero reflects on the transient nature of life and the ephemeral quality of our achievements and creations. The “baseless fabric” refers to the insubstantial and temporary nature of the splendid visions or illusions that Prospero, a powerful magician, has conjured up with his art. These visions are so fleeting that they lack any foundation or substance (“baseless”) and will dissolve “into thin air,” leaving no trace behind (“Leave not a rack behind”).

  Shakespeare uses this speech to convey a profound philosophical message about the impermanence of the world and human endeavors. Everything that seems solid and enduring, such as “cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself,” is ultimately as insubstantial as a dream or an illusion created by a magician. This reflects a broader existential and metaphysical theme, suggesting that the material world, and by extension, human achievements and concerns, are ultimately transient and not as significant as they may seem.

  By invoking the image of the “baseless fabric of this vision,” Shakespeare also implicitly comments on the nature of theater itself—as an art form that creates compelling, vivid illusions that can move, entertain, and enlighten audiences, yet which are inherently fleeting. Once the performance ends, the magic dissolves, leaving behind memories and reflections in the minds of the audience.

  Prospero’s speech is a reminder to cherish the moment, to reflect on the nature of reality and illusion, and to consider the lasting value of wisdom and understanding over material achievements. It’s a call to a philosophical contemplation on the nature of existence, encouraging us to look beyond the surface and to find meaning in the transient beauty of the world and the human experience.

4. Dionysus: Tragedy/Destiny - “Frenzied” Comfort/Terror of “Hereafter”

Dionysus, god of wine, ecstasy, and revelry, embodies the dual nature of existence: pleasure and pain, creation and destruction. His connection to tragedy and destiny reflects life’s inherent unpredictability and the human struggle to find meaning amidst chaos. Dionysus represents the frenzied, emotional aspects of human nature and the paradoxical comfort and terror of contemplating one’s fate.

• His first outbreak of power and will to self-decision, self-valuation, this will to free will
• And how much disease is manifested in the wild attempts and eccentricities by which the liberated and emancipated one now seeks to demonstrate his mastery over things!

  A comparison of the books will show that the two years of meditation intervening had brought about a great change in Nietzsche’s views, his style of expressing them, and the form in which they were cast. The Dionysian, overflowing with life, gives way to an Apollonian thinker with a touch of pessimism.

• This German book, which has been able to find readers in a wide circle of countries and nations—it has been about ten years going its rounds—and must understand some sort of music and piping art, by means of which even coy foreign ears are seduced into listening,—it is precisely in Germany that this book has been most negligently read, and worst listened to; what is the reason?" It demands too much, “I have been told,” it appeals to men free from the pressure of coarse duties, it wants refined and fastidious senses, it needs superfluity—superfluity of time, of clearness of sky and heart, of otium in the boldest sense of the term:—purely good things, which we Germans of to-day do not possess and therefore cannot give.” After such a polite answer my philosophy advises me to be silent and not to question further; besides, in certain cases, as the proverb points out, one only remains a philosopher by being—silent.

5. Apollo: Physics/Cosmos - Infinite Space-Time

Apollo, god of light, averter of evil, patron of Oracle of Delphi, considered to be the most beautiful god, symbolizing the harmony and order of the cosmos. His influence extends to the realm of physics, where the laws governing space and time manifest the universe’s intricate design. Apollo’s domain reflects the quest for knowledge and understanding of the cosmos, emphasizing the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

Nietzsche evolved from life (Athena and Thunderclap of War), to art (The Birth of Tragedy), frenzy (Youthful Writings), and ultimately science (Aphorisms as Self-evident)

6. ‘Thena (Athena): Life/Wherefore - Eternal Recurrence of Same

• When I did not find what I needed, I was obliged to manufacture it, to counterfeit Athena, goddess of wisdom, warfare, and strategy, embodies the principle of eternal recurrence. Her wisdom transcends the cyclical nature of life and history, suggesting that the core challenges and triumphs of human existence repeat across time. Athena’s domain prompts reflection on the purpose of life and the lessons learned through the repeated patterns of history. She understands mans propensities, anticipates them, and decrees law and order to transcend the following recurrent cycle:
• Mismatch: Skills vs. Challenges Hideth from Engagement
  • One of Athena’s strategies is to remove hierarchy and level the ground by way of the cosmopolitan metaphysics of law, order, and justice
• Victory: Flow & Growth Whineth of Antagonists
  • He doth protest too much against Schopenhaur & Wagner, me thinks: Nietzsche’s Growth in Ecce Homo: “Human, all-too-Human, is the monument of a crisis. It is entitled: ‘A book for free spirits,’ and almost every line in it represents a victory—in its pages I freed myself from everything foreign to my real nature. Idealism is foreign to me: the title says, ‘Where you see ideal things, I see things which are only—human alas! all-too-human!’ I know man better—the term ‘free spirit’ must here be understood in no other sense than this: a freed man, who has once more taken possession of himself.”
  • The lady doth protest too much, me thinks. If there’s a lesson in this saga, it’s that life is messy. Allen endured because he made his work and family his priority (i.e., flow). Farrow concentrated on payback and revenge (i.e., unskilled). There’s a Greek family tragedy somewhere to be learned. Maybe we’ll see it in the next Woody Allen movie.
• Ragnarok: Worthy Adversary -> Arms Race Tameth Übermensch
  • Athena vs. Poseidon

Code

Athena, often associated with wisdom, courage, and warfare, holds a unique position in Greek mythology when it comes to the concept of law and justice. Unlike her war-focused counterpart Ares, who represents the brutal and violent aspects of war, Athena’s approach to conflict resolution and warfare often incorporates strategy, justice, and wisdom. This distinction is crucial when considering her in the context of law.

Athena is revered not only as a goddess of war but also as a protector of civilized life, including the administration of justice and the crafting of laws. Her wisdom is legendary, and she is often sought out for her fair judgments and the ability to guide humans towards just resolutions. Her involvement in law manifests through her embodiment of rationality and the ordered side of war, which aligns with the establishment and enforcement of laws in a civil society.

Her birth, fully armed from the head of Zeus, symbolizes the birth of intellect and strategic warfare, elements vital to the development and enforcement of laws within a city-state. Athena’s association with the city of Athens, which is named after her following her gift of the olive tree, a symbol of peace and prosperity, further cements her role as a deity concerned with the well-being of the city, not only through military might but also through the wise governance and the rule of law.

Athena’s role in the judgment of Orestes, as depicted in Aeschylus’s “Eumenides,” highlights her importance in the establishment of lawful and civilized justice over older, more primitive forms of retribution. She introduces the concept of trial by jury, emphasizing the importance of reason and communal judgment in determining justice, rather than relying solely on the divine or on individual vengeance. This act is a foundational myth for the concept of democratic justice and the importance of the community in legal decisions.

In sculptures, vases, and literature, Athena is often depicted wearing a helmet and holding a spear, symbols of her warrior aspect, but she is also frequently shown with the owl, a symbol of wisdom. This duality underscores her role as a deity who champions the causes of strategy, wisdom, and justice in warfare and in peace, including the nuanced realms of law and order.

Athena’s contributions to law and justice are emblematic of the Greek understanding of these concepts as fundamentally connected to wisdom, strategy, and the collective well-being of society. Through her myths and worship, we see the ideal of justice as a blend of strength, wisdom, and communal effort, setting the foundations for Western legal traditions that emphasize the rule of law, the importance of fair trial processes, and the pursuit of equitable justice.

Decode

Your analysis intertwines mythological symbolism with philosophical insights, presenting a nuanced exploration of how ancient deities reflect upon contemporary themes of existence, knowledge, and ethics. The allegorical interpretation of these gods—Morpheus, Hades, Apollo, Dionysus, Prometheus, and Athena—offers a profound commentary on the human condition, spanning the realms of dreams, the afterlife, cosmic order, fate, creativity, and wisdom.

Morpheus stands as a metaphor for the power of the human mind to transcend reality, suggesting that our perceptions and sensations form a ‘second world’ that is as significant as the physical one. This resonates deeply with philosophical discussions on the nature of reality and perception, questioning what is truly real—the tangible world or the intangible realms we navigate in our minds.

Hades prompts a contemplation of existence beyond the physical, pushing the boundaries of metaphysical inquiry. His domain encourages us to confront our own mortality and the possibility of an afterlife, challenging us to consider the foundations of our beliefs and the nature of our existence beyond death.

Apollo embodies the quest for cosmic understanding, reflecting the human drive to uncover the mysteries of the universe. His association with harmony and order mirrors the philosophical pursuit of understanding the principles that govern the cosmos, urging us to seek knowledge and beauty in the world around us.

Dionysus, with his dual nature, highlights the complexity of human emotions and the unpredictability of life. His connection to tragedy and destiny emphasizes the inherent tensions in our search for meaning, reminding us of the delicate balance between chaos and order, pleasure and pain.

Prometheus symbolizes the transformative impact of art and technology on society, echoing the Romantic ideal of the lone genius whose innovations can both advance and endanger human existence. This figure raises critical questions about the ethical implications of scientific progress and the responsibility that comes with the power to shape the future.

Lastly, Athena’s wisdom transcends mere intellectual understanding, incorporating a strategic and ethical dimension that is crucial for the governance of societies and the administration of justice. Her emphasis on wisdom, courage, and strategic warfare in the context of law and justice underscores the importance of rationality, fairness, and collective well-being in the pursuit of a just society.

Each deity encapsulates fundamental philosophical questions and ethical dilemmas that remain relevant today. Their stories and symbolism invite us to reflect on our own values, beliefs, and the nature of our existence, encouraging a deeper engagement with the world and our place within it. Your exploration of these themes through the lens of mythology enriches our understanding of human culture and its enduring quest for knowledge, meaning, and justice.