Watts' thesis is that "we do not 'come into' this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean 'waves,' the universe 'peoples' (p.8 para. 2). Watts is saying that people were created by earth and we are a part of earth rather than inhabitating the earth.
To Watts religion is superficial. Watts said, "... all belief is fervent hope, and thus a cover- up for doubt and uncertainty- religions must make converts" (p.10 para.1). Religion still revolves around a book rather than thinking in a way that we are a part of God. Religion makes "God" out to be a human with skin rather than an idea that we are all God.
Watts sees that "the attitude of conquering nature ignores the basic interdepndence of all things and events-...- and will end in destroying the very enviornment from which we emerge and upon which our whole life depends" (p.9 para. 2).
Watts defines the "new experience" as "a new feeling of what it is to be "I" (p.11 para. 3).
Watts says that the purpose of myths is to explain unexplainable events to small children. Events that myths should be used for are questions such as: "'Where did the world come from?' 'Why did God make the world?' 'Where was I before I was born?' 'Where do people go when they die?'" (p.13 para.2).
Watts thinks that to find one's true identity, one needs to "dispel... the illution of oneself as a seperate ego" (p.20 para.1). Watts is saying that once we get rid of the ego, one can find his/ her true identity.
In 1984 Big Brother was the authority figure and was thought of as power. He ran the country from his high up place where no one could see him and ruled. In 1984, Big Brother was "God" mentioned in "Inside Information". "Inside Information" says that "...we think of God as the King of the Universe, the Absolute Technocrat who personally and conciously controls every detail of his cosmos" (p.17 para. 3). God does not sit on up above and contrtol everything and Big Brother did not sit above and control everything. They are both just ideas that life and religion revolve around.
1 comment:
Ashlie-
Remember, future responses like this must stand alone. That is, they must make sense without the reader knowing the question.
Is that really the primary thesis? A good observation, but I'd argue that it's more a strand of his thesis than the thesis itself.
God choice of quote about religion.
What does par. 2 mean? You give me the quote but you don't tell me what it means.
Par 3: So what is the "new feeling..."?
Interesting connection to 1984. Remember to use present tense when discussing the literature.
I want to hear more about those last two sentences in class.
-Mr. Hughes
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