I think the good life is personal, in the sense that it matters only to you that you lead it. At the same time, others matter, in the sense that one cannot lead a good life with enemies of good men. It might be more accurate, I think, to speak of the blessed life, the truly good life.
I cannot see how the good life necessarily requires the presence of others, however. An oak tree can be a good oak tree without there being any other oak tree in existence. A rock can be a good rock, a lion a good lion, without there being a single other of that thing in the universe. Surely, God can be a good God without other Gods in existence. God can be good even if there is nothing else in existence. Why then think that human beings are so ethically odd that we require others at all?
On another note, a conversation with Terence has got me thinking over the past few days. It's one of those questions that stay with you, that most intelligent beings have pondered at at least some points in their lives: If you were a mutant, what power would you have?
Terence called dibs on control over the elements. Fire, wind, water, earth, metal, (heart! Captain Planet!) and so forth would be his to command. Phoenix, we decided, would have some version of control over forces. Between the two of them, they have control over all the physical world. I called command over possibility, so I can play with things not as they are, but things as they could be.
Several thoughts spring unbidden from this:
1) Just how much control does control over elements and forces give you? Where is the mind, or the spirit, or large social movements? Would the mutant power to control, say, traffic conditions, be a subset of control over elements and forces, or something else altogether?
2) What is our obsession with control? I'm as guilty of it as anyone else, but it is a little odd that our first instinct is to pick powers of control. The mutant power of omniscience would be kinda fun, and very powerful. The mutant power of perfect health (ala Wolverine) would be useful too. How about immortality? Or Forge's power to create things?
3) Sentinels really do suck butt.
Back to the important question. What power would I have if I was a mutant, about to be enrolled in Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters?
Okay, dork alert here. Up ahead is some seriously dorky stuff, and somewhat philosophy dorky at that. If your dork tolerance level is low, please refrain from reading further, lest the Uberdork consume your soul.
Anyway, yes, possibility manipulation. Say, there is one actual world: this one. There are a multitude of possible worlds out there, each one slightly or bizarrely different from this one. If you say 'It is possible that Kennedy didn't get shot,' there is a possible world out there where Kennedy didn't. Usually, these possible worlds are real, in the sense that they aren't actually real. (Shut up, David Lewis! Get off my case!) To be able to locally and temporarily realize (ie make real) these possible worlds would be a highly entertaining mutant power to have.
Consider: Rogue Sentinels attacking civilians? No problem, this rock I'm throwing at them happens to be from possible world 633Beta, where granite has a density of a billion g/cm3, and is highly corrosive to metallic compounds. The other Sentinels shooting at you? No problem here, there are possible worlds where photons have as little effect on matter as neutrinos. Watch the laser beams pass through you and marvel. Marvel, indeed.
Of course, omnipotence is boring. One doesn't just start off knowing immediately which possible world to bring into reality. It takes lots of practice, danger room sessions, and getting yelled at by Wolverine for skipping classes. Mom, Dad, I'm going to Xavier's.
I cannot see how the good life necessarily requires the presence of others, however. An oak tree can be a good oak tree without there being any other oak tree in existence. A rock can be a good rock, a lion a good lion, without there being a single other of that thing in the universe. Surely, God can be a good God without other Gods in existence. God can be good even if there is nothing else in existence. Why then think that human beings are so ethically odd that we require others at all?
On another note, a conversation with Terence has got me thinking over the past few days. It's one of those questions that stay with you, that most intelligent beings have pondered at at least some points in their lives: If you were a mutant, what power would you have?
Terence called dibs on control over the elements. Fire, wind, water, earth, metal, (heart! Captain Planet!) and so forth would be his to command. Phoenix, we decided, would have some version of control over forces. Between the two of them, they have control over all the physical world. I called command over possibility, so I can play with things not as they are, but things as they could be.
Several thoughts spring unbidden from this:
1) Just how much control does control over elements and forces give you? Where is the mind, or the spirit, or large social movements? Would the mutant power to control, say, traffic conditions, be a subset of control over elements and forces, or something else altogether?
2) What is our obsession with control? I'm as guilty of it as anyone else, but it is a little odd that our first instinct is to pick powers of control. The mutant power of omniscience would be kinda fun, and very powerful. The mutant power of perfect health (ala Wolverine) would be useful too. How about immortality? Or Forge's power to create things?
3) Sentinels really do suck butt.
Back to the important question. What power would I have if I was a mutant, about to be enrolled in Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters?
Okay, dork alert here. Up ahead is some seriously dorky stuff, and somewhat philosophy dorky at that. If your dork tolerance level is low, please refrain from reading further, lest the Uberdork consume your soul.
Anyway, yes, possibility manipulation. Say, there is one actual world: this one. There are a multitude of possible worlds out there, each one slightly or bizarrely different from this one. If you say 'It is possible that Kennedy didn't get shot,' there is a possible world out there where Kennedy didn't. Usually, these possible worlds are real, in the sense that they aren't actually real. (Shut up, David Lewis! Get off my case!) To be able to locally and temporarily realize (ie make real) these possible worlds would be a highly entertaining mutant power to have.
Consider: Rogue Sentinels attacking civilians? No problem, this rock I'm throwing at them happens to be from possible world 633Beta, where granite has a density of a billion g/cm3, and is highly corrosive to metallic compounds. The other Sentinels shooting at you? No problem here, there are possible worlds where photons have as little effect on matter as neutrinos. Watch the laser beams pass through you and marvel. Marvel, indeed.
Of course, omnipotence is boring. One doesn't just start off knowing immediately which possible world to bring into reality. It takes lots of practice, danger room sessions, and getting yelled at by Wolverine for skipping classes. Mom, Dad, I'm going to Xavier's.
posted by WhatRoughBeast at 7:47 PM
4 Comments:
Hold on a second, I've got some philosophy of my own to throw at your mutant power. I'm bothered that you used the JFK shooting at the example for alternate worlds and then went on to talk about physical laws. It seems that even if you thing these are equally mutable you should take a second to make the distinction (unless you're a physical determinist and think that physical laws cause everything else, in which case :-P ). I think messing with physical laws like that branchs out of the idea of alternate realities and just gives you control over everything, which sounds kind of cool, but as we can see from Superman is actually really lame. Leaving physical laws out of the equation, it then seems like the easiest way to use the power of calling forth alternate dimensions when you don't have much time to think would be to just use it as the power of denial. Sentinals shooting at you? Think no further than, "Surely there's a reality where those sentinals aren't shooting at me."
I'm summary, I'm happy that you finally have a blog.
Also, I am unphased by your nerdery. I just posted a philosophy/X-Men response after getting back from a Magic: the Gathering tournament. Boo-yah.
I'm guessing this is Mr Dewhurst?
You're almost right about the control over everything thing. Obviously, I can't change necessary truths. I can't make triangles 4 sided, for instance. We might also consider a metaphysic where the nature of things, or their essences, are necessary, and essential. So, assuming Sentinels have essences, I can't just remove them from existence. I could change the form maybe, maybe the matter, but not the essence.
So I can't just wish people out of existence. Consider how many things have essences, and I can't really do all that much. I'm stuck between omnipotence and uselessless, depending on how the universe is.
It is indeed Mr. Dewhurst!
Stuck between potential uselessness and potential omnipotence seems like a big risk in picking a super power. Probably a better bet just to go with flight or the ability to turn people inside out with your mind. You know, something certain.
Yeah, the entire range of possibility seems a bit off, all things considered. Because if those pop science books I read have it right, most of those possible worlds with different Plancks' constants and other such details wouldn't have human life in the first place.
But the whole possibility manipulation thing makes me think of three distinct sets of powers:
1) Scarlet Witch's hex power. Which is possibly the lamest power of all, but that's because it's not powerful enough.. Now in the game when she can choose that people are instead boxes,now that's a bit better...
2) All the uber-teleporters who also have the power to teleport between dimensions...
3) Morpheus!! Morpheus the Sandman! I'm equating hopes and dreams with possibility here...
Well, like a lame geekzoid I should probably say that I think that the most useful power, in a world without other mutants, would probably be Kitty Pryde's phasing. Virtual invulnerability, the ability to be the best spy / bank robber in the world, plus, you never have to bring your house keys out ever again...
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