scepticus Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scepticus Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 I'm half way through and have been for about a year, as I got distracted. But I just picked it up again yesterday. Oddly, the part that really affected me (in the part I have read so far) was when he was describing solitary "monks" living alone in one man hermitages. There was a sudden realisation that if that one person is spending that time alone in order to get a greater and greater grip on the ultimate depths of the reality of all things, how could it be seen as a life wasted? Later in the book there is an anecdote of a man who spends 30 years contemplating nothing but a copper bowl. Interestingly, there turns out to have been a point to this activity! Do finish the book off - it is worth it and I'll be interested to see what you think of it. Mainly because in its latter stages it comes closer to expressing my personal belief system (yes we all have one, and those who deny they have a belief system are those most likely to exhibit one) than any text I have ever read. I take issue with some of the science but thats a minor quibble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scepticus Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Thanks scepticus, I will. (I'd better not read any more of this thread until I'm finished, as I don't want any spoilers more shocking than the copper bowl! ) I have felt little glimpses of recognising exactly the same thing you describe. It's a book that feels as if it is trying to convey something really important. (He's a genius author - "The Diamond Age: A young lady's illustrated primer" is my favourite novel.) No more spoilers! Yes, a real genius is NS. However its rare to find people who can appreciate his work in this age of gnat-like attention spans. Have you done the Baroque Cycle yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 What's that? Copper you say! Copper is brighter and more useful than gold..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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