PKD writing presciently about our current information age?
"It is like information theory; it is noise driving out signal. But it is noise posing as signal so you do not even recognize it as noise...If you can float enough disinformation into circulation you will totally abolish everyone’s contact with reality, probably your own included."
Philip K. Dick, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
@davidshq yep. He wrote CONSTANTLY about stuff like this and it's what makes his stuff so incredible... and depressing 🤣 maybe there were glimmers of hope in there?
@jake4480 I have a lot more reading to do (hyperfocus much? 😂) but thus far my impression is that his short and mid-term understanding is quite negative while his ultra-long-term is positive.
e.g. PKD appears to be a panentheist who believes that "God" is actively "invading" the evil (non-real) world to rescue humanity (and non-humanity).
Thus while our current situation is desperate (existing in an illusory and evil world) right will win in the end.
@davidshq I'm kinda weird in that I'm agnostic, I guess, but almost kinda want to believe in something like reincarnation, since so far science shows that stuff always goes somewhere... not even sure I believe in the concept of the soul other than consciousness or sentience - I think of us more like animals.
And maybe when you die your consciousness or soul or whatever, is like matter, & would have to GO somewhere new.
The words/concepts of good and evil are so strange to me, I guess because they're so black and white - but there's definitely gross people out there doing gross stuff - usually because they think it's good or right! Which is bizarre.
@jake4480 I don't think agnostic is weird (but that may not be saying much...since I'm not usually categorized as normal). 😂
That's actually one of the things that interests me about PKD - is that he doesn't seem to be agnostic - and this seems largely based on his subjective experience of the numinous.
The mind / soul / spirit / body concepts have always been challenging for me. I'm a bit agnostic on the subject. I once saw a book titled something like "embodied souls" emphasizing
@davidshq oh yeah PKD definitely was religious after the whole Zebra experience - gnostic Christian I think I've seen it described? You've maybe seen the Crumb comic (https://philipdick.com/resources/miscellaneous/the-religious-experience-of-philip-k-dick-by-r-crumb-from-weirdo-17) but I love it. Really explains his whole experience visually really well, which I dig. Basically Valis and what he wrote about for the rest of his life. So wild. I DID rewatch A Scanner Darkly again recently, it's SO dark. Funny at first. So dark at the end.
@jake4480 Ahh, the existence of and definition of good and evil - that is a whole discussion in itself! If you ever find yourself in the Augusta GA area, lets grab a drank and a bite to eat and philosophize.🙂
Abstractly, there is significant difficulty in defining them. Pragmatically, I feel the need to define evil for the purpose of preventing evil - e.g., it is evil to physically, sexually, or emotionally injure another person.
At the same time I tend to emphasize the evil of the act
@davidshq Augusta GA! Will do! 😀😀 I dig Georgia. Lived there VERY briefly as a kid. Been back through a couple times. Lived a lot in Florida in my 20s (south FL, near Ft Laud)
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