[MD] clarice-silence of the lambs

[Ham Priday]

Adrie --

> Quote- Hannibal lector , in 'silence of the lambs,'
> "What are things in themselves, Clarice,...what are things in their 
> nature?"
>
> Lector was taking a view in the human mind, clearly showing in the movie
> the ability to predict mindpatterns, the ability to predict behaviour in 
> thinking.
> Lector showed it to be in the brain of Clarice. He predicted Clarice's 
> feelings
> by making the perfect balance between ratio/irratio, the balance between
> empathy/sympathy, the balance between intellect/sense.

Okay, the quote seemed familiar but I'd forgotten the source.  Actually I 
did see Silence of the Lambs some time ago -- a rather gruesome human being, 
that Lector!  That you were able to relate his rhetorical question to the 
philosophy of Essence is remarkable.

Considered epistemically, "Essence" is what we experience valuistically as 
objects (i.e., discrete phenomena).  At least this is how I interpret it. 
It isn't that "things are essences"; rather, our experience of Essence 
(otherness) is derived from essential value differentiated by nothingness. 
The "nothingness" is what divides subjective sensibility from objective 
otherness (being), and it reflects the Self/Other dichotomy which Pirsigians 
reject.

Sartre described nothingness as "a hole in the heart of Being".  But the 
existentialists
say Existence precedes Essence, whereas I take the reverse position. 
Because I believe we are "negates" of Essence, I see nothingness as the 
(conscious) heart of man which penetrates Value to experience differentiated 
("patterned" for MoQists) Being.

In a nutshell, there is only one Essence.  All otherness is divided by 
nothingness to actualize the appearance of "essents", or existents, which 
constitute our existential reality.  So, ontologically speaking, 
value-sensibility and nothingness are the ground of existence, and physical 
objects are only the space/time appearances created by this 
value/nothingness interaction.

I realize I'm throwing back a lot more than you asked for, Adrie.  It's my 
way of hastening the point at which you and I clash (to avoid wasting time). 
Meantime, I expect you'll have some comments which I'll be happy to address. 
This is Memorial Day weekend for us Americans, so feel free to fire away 
;-).

Hoping to be essentially yours,
Ham