Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

[Robert Eckert <rgeckert AT yahoo.com>]

John Harvey, list,

 

In the intro to _The Message in the Bottle_ Percy writes of this subject: "unless I am very much mistaken, it lies across the impasse which must be broken throufgh before a new man in a new age can begin to inderstand himself."

 

In terms of our future, I was extremely pleased to read in USA Today that there is research into using cell phones as CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) detectors. That sort of thinking is precisely what will prevent very bad things from happening.

 

Spc Robert Eckert

172 Chemical Corp

Ft. Riley, KS 66442 

John Harvey <johnharvey AT earthlink.net> wrote:

> Robert Eckert, List
>
> At 06:42 PM 5/5/2007 -0600, Spc Robert Eckert wrote:
>
> > I'm going on memory here-- I'm pretty sure "A Semiotic Primer of the Self" speaks to this connection [between symbol use and triadic threshold].
>
> A quick Google search revealed that this essay is included in Lost in the Cosmos which I just ordered so I could participate in the seminar/discussion at www.korrekiv.org. 
>
> >  The origin of symbol use is identical to the crossing of the triadic threshold. At some point our brain evolved the ability to synthesize the triadic relation between signifier and signified, linguistic signs and their referents. At that point we evolved a new mode of being.
> >
> > I tried dealing with this subject in "Walker Percy and the Mind/Body Problem'  June 1999 International Philosophical Quarterly. [shameless self-promotion] Pretty naive writing on subjects I didn't really understand.
> >
> > I
> >  know Percy deals with the subject in essays in The Message in the Bottle also.
> >
> > This triadic threshold question is THE question. I have to think that understanding where we come from will help us know where we are going.
>
> Although I agree with your sentiments, I would put greater emphasis on our future. I believe that THE question is learning how to build secure bridges across Percy's Fateful Rift. Of course, understanding the triadic threshold is necessary for interpreting this rift properly and building secure bridges on a firm foundation. That is the reason I am trying to get a handle on your comments.
>
> Thanks for your suggestions. I am just beginning to retrain my dyadic eyes to see the triadic forest through what appear to be dyadic trees.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> John --
> An archive of all list discussion is available at https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
>
> Visit the Walker Percy Project at
>  http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy

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