On Jan 1, 12:08=A0pm,

Real individuals live their own myths and aren't afraid to proclaim them=

regardless of the scorn from those who have lost their power of imaginat=

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism

"Nihilism (from the Latin nihil, not something) is a philosophical
position which argues that Being, especially past and current human
existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible
truth, or essential value. Nihilists generally assert some or all of
the following:

there is no reasonable proof of the existence of a higher ruler or
creator, a "true morality" does not exist, and objective secular
ethics are impossible; therefore, life has, in a sense, no truth, and
no action is objectively preferable to any other.

The term nihilism is sometimes used synonymously with anomie to denote
a general mood of despair at the pointlessness of existence.

Nihilism can be a charge leveled against a particular idea, movement,
or group, however it is also a philosophical position to which one may
overtly subscribe. Movements such as Dada, Futurism,[2] and
deconstructionism,[3] among others, have been identified by
commentators as "nihilistic" at various times in various contexts.
Often this means or is meant to imply that the beliefs of the accuser
are more substantial or truthful, whereas the beliefs of the accused
are nihilistic, and thereby comparatively amount to nothing (or are
simply claimed to be destructively amoralistic).

Nihilism is also a characteristic that has been ascribed to time
periods: for example, Jean Baudrillard and others have called
postmodernity a nihilistic epoch,[4] and some Christian theologians
and figures of religious authority have asserted that postmodernity[5]
and many aspects of modernity[3] represent the rejection of God, and
therefore are nihilistic.

Nihilism differs from skepticism in that skepticism doesn't reject
claims to truth outright; it only rejects these claims if there is
insufficient empirical evidence to support them. Additionally,
skepticism does not necessarily come to any conclusions about the
reality of moral concepts nor does it deal so intimately with
questions about the meaning of an existence without knowable truth.

In the domain of ethics, nihilist or nihilistic is often used as a
derogatory term referring to a complete rejection of all systems of
authority, morality, and normativity, or one who purportedly makes
such a rejection. Either through the rejection of previously accepted
bases of belief or through extreme relativism or skepticism, the moral
nihilist is construed as one who believes that none of these claims to
power are valid. Nihilism not only dismisses received moral values,
but rejects 'morality' outright."

pjmutn has decided to set up permanent residence on a site that has
no interest in his religious subject.

Yes, I got that impression as well. It was interesting to hear how
common (almost identical) the various creation myths are in such
vastly different cultures. Psychologically, it seems, we humans are
basically the same (although no doubt civilization has caused many
variations).

On Jan 1, 8:57 am, ZerkonX <Z...@erconX.org> wrote:

On Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:34:22 -0800, ta wrote:

I've been listening to Cambell's "The Power of Myth" on CD . . .
excellent stuff.

Yes. It is very surprising to me he didn't use LoTR =A0in more (or any?)=
examples. To me, Joseph Campbell was able to 'go behind' religion
and look at it's many specific myths without attacking it and in fact
exposing it's true human value.

If you haven't examined the Encyclopedia of Arda, it would be well
worth a visit. =A0It is a remarkable compendium of all things Tolkien:

http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/

Nearly everything you see in red text can be clicked to take you to
other relevant articles. =A0For example, if you visit the article on
Gandalf the Grey Wizard, you will find clickable references in red to
a great many other articles:

http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/g/gandalf.html

Among many other controversies, the encyclopedia considers whether the
character Tom Bombadil was actually Tolkien's representation of the
Supreme Being:

http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/t/tombombadil.html

From the article:

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Tom Bombadil is *the* prevailing mystery in Tolkien's work. While
almost every other aspect of Middle-earth is described for us in
exacting detail, Tom is an enigma. We have almost no clue of his
origins or his fate, his purpose or even what kind of being he is. It
is no surprise that none of Tolkien's characters have attracted more
discussion.

This article makes no attempt to provide a definite answer to the
'Bombadil Problem' - it's very unlikely that a definite answer is
possible. What we will attempt, though, is to round up the more common
suggestions, both from within Tolkien's cosmology and without, and
discuss some of the arguments for and against each.

Tolkien himself is uncharacteristically reticent on the question of
Tom's identity:, and went so far as to state that he had intentionally
left Tom as something of an enigma.
'And even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there
always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally).'
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, No 144, dated 1954

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All rather interesting....

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