(urth) Wolfe and Materialism

[Lane Haygood]

The modern usage of materialist as ontological naturalist/physicalist is an
unfortunate hangover of a terminology shift.  Two hundred years ago people
that believed only in physical things would be called materialists because
we did not have any idea about atomic science.  Now we call them
physicalists because "matter" seems so inadequate, however they mean the
same thing (unless one talks to Jaegwon Kim, who is really a dualist but too
scared to admit it).

I wouldn't even call Milton's position materialism, as it sounds much more
like Spinoza's version of modal monism, or even something like Leibniz'
monadology.

We could, of course, be approaching this from the wrong side, starting with
matter, when we should be starting with spirit.  A pure and eternal
unchanging essence (eidolon, spirit, universal soul) is a common
top-of-the-ontological-pyramid feature of a lot of the mythic/philosophical
systems Wolfe pirated for BOTNS, as well as a defining feature of the
ontologies of the early church fathers.

That pure Spirit substance is then filtered or refracted or corrupted as it
leaves the Ain Soph Dei or whatever and gets down the lowly earth-world of
imperfect, temporary and flawed beings such as us, where it is now
instantiated not as eternal and unchanging spirit but now base matter.

The sense of redemption or of reconciliation of matter with spirit is then a
heroic process that runs counter to the natural inclinations of things.

LH

On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 10:05 AM, Craig Brewer <cnbrewer at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Just a note that there are quite a variety of "materialisms" out there.
> Perhaps
> one that would be interesting to think of in relation to Wolfe would be
> Milton.
>
> Milton was a materialist. But he was also, obviously, not an atheist. For
> Milton, matter and spirit were on the same continuum, and spirit was just
> "refined" matter. Technically, Milton gets categorized as a "monist"
> meaning
> there's only one substance, rather than a dualist who says that mind/soul
> and
> body are two different "things."
>
> In his theological writings, Milton says this right out, but you can also
> get a
> much more beautiful version in Paradise Lost (5. 469-490) when Rafael
> explains
> it to Adam. I'll quote it below, but I'd point out that this kind of
> "materialism" might be interesting to think about, particularly in relation
> to
> the notion that, with Wolfe, mimicking something can help you become that
> thing.
> Perhaps, like Milton, Wolfe is saying something along the lines of: "lowly
> matter gets refined into a more spiritual state when it behaves like
> something
> more pure/moral/spiritual/whatever."
>
> Rafael to Adam:
>
>
> O Adam, one Almighty is, from whom
> All things proceed, and up to him return,
> If not deprav’d from good, created all
> Such to perfection, one first matter all,
> Indu’d with various forms, various degrees
> Of substance, and in things that live, of life;
> But more refin’d, more spirituous, and pure,
> As nearer to him plac’t or nearer tending
> Each in thir several active Spheres assign’d,
> Till body up to spirit work, in bounds
> Proportion’d to each kind. So from the root
> Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves
> More aery, last the bright consummate flow’r
> Spirits odorous breathes: flow’rs and thir fruit
> Man’s nourishment, by gradual scale sublim’d
> To vital spirits aspire, to animal,
> To intellectual, give both life and sense,
> Fancy and understanding, whence the Soul
> Reason receives, and reason is her being,
> Discursive, or Intuitive; discourse
> Is oftest yours, the latter most is ours,
> Differing but in degree, of kind the same.
>
>
>
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