Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Problems and False Starts

I was so excited about the concepts concerning the implications of communicated knowledge in Areopagitica that I had all but decided on restricting my study of Milton to an exploration of that text. At first, I was mainly interested in how Milton's rhetoric might inform libertarians in our current age, as demonstrated by this false-start I never posted:




But I'm also fascinated by the concepts that intersect with Book IX of Paradise Lost, especially as they pertain to Mormon studies in a digital age (a preoccupation of mine evidenced by Ships of Hagoth).

If time were not an issue, I would explore the following subjects:

  1. Milton's thoughts on the ethics and implications of personal and communicated knowledge, as expressed in Paradise Lost and Areopagitica
  2. Doctrines, attitudes and histories of the LDS Church and it's members on the ethics and implications of personal and communicated knowledge
  3. Challenges and implications of the above in a digital world
As it stands, that list looks like an elephant so large, it would take years to digest, even at the rational rate of one bite at a time.

[Blogger sighs with exaspiration.]

1 comment:

  1. Adam's willingness to let Eve decide for herself serves as a great example of libertarianism a la Roderick Long, i.e. it takes us from a coercive state to a state of voluntary association. Kind of along the same lines as yesterday's Adam = God discussion, the Father figure further substantiates that libertarian ideal in saying that Adam and Eve can choose but will still have consequences. I don't know a ton about libertarianism, but I can definitely see some ties in what we've read. I wonder, though, if we're maybe making the text fit our own ideas. I wouldn't say *not* to pursue this as a topic, but I'd be careful to make sure that the text is defining the argument rather than vice versa.

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