Re: TECH: re'enai and the emotion classifiers (long)

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>]

AP> While this may be the most frequent misunderstanding of the term,
AP> I reject the cultural bias and denounce the ignorance that this
AP> "definition" embodies.
AP>
AP> Atheism is the religious belief that God does not exist.

I hate to say it, but this definition is culturally biased in exactly the same
way mine was.  The belief that "God" does not exist PRESUMES soem definition
of God, and the definition that is generally intended is that of the Judeo-
Christian god, at least when the term is used by those brought up under
Judeo-Christian traditions.

My ramblings on various subjects were attempting to define the terms
experientially, because dictionary definitions are both culturally
biased, and INACCURATE because they do not reflect the interaction between
the user's concepts of spirit and religion.

It happens that I accept your definitions of spirituality, and I do not
by any means intend to suggest that all spirituality must be defined in
terms of any particular religious tradition.  My claim is that YOUR concept
of spirituality will be culturally biased by YOUR concept of the supernatural,
i.e. of the subject of spiritual feelings.  I claimed further that that
concept of the subject of spirituality is strongly constrained by our
cultural traditions and upbringing.  It is NOT clear to me that all people
would find the feelings one gets on an ancient battlefield, in a haunted house,
or related to premonitions, would be idnetified as spiritual by all people.
John Cowan, for example just posted that he is "tone-deaf" to spiritual
feelings.  THis would apparently suggest that he either has never felt
feelings like you suggest are spiritual, or that he has never identified
them as spritual.  presumably he would have classed them as something else.

lojbab