Friday, March 6, 2009

Five book stud

Michael wrote,

Okay guys, this is five book stud. Either you're in or you're out. I just purchased three more copies from Amazon, the lowest going for $.16. But the shipping is now $3.99. So, Matt, Simeon and Mark or someone else, next Sunday you got ta get serious.

If we begin to see the smoke of the glory cloud rising straight up, we'll have some idea that were supposed to back out of the game and fold, but otherwise, let's play.

I'll ask a starting question… John, what is the principle behind assumption in tarot cards? Is it basically a form of demonic propagation and reproduction? Or is it very mechanical with percentages and numbers and that sort of thing? In other words, is this manipulative world really somewhat organic or is it more by the numbers?

Ozzie seems to have a sense that is quite organic.

Michael

3 comments:

trawlerman said...

"what is the principle behind assumption in tarot cards? Is it basically a form of demonic propagation and reproduction? Or is it very mechanical with percentages and numbers and that sort of thing? In other words, is this manipulative world really somewhat organic or is it more by the numbers?"

I'm not sure if you're speaking of Tarot in general (which I can't really speak to since I'm ignorant) or Assumption Tarot as conceived (maybe a pun) by Powers.

But, as a general answer...

Why not both organic AND by the numbers?

I think (but might be wrong) that most mathematicians think of numbers as a natural occurrence. Numbers, in some sense, govern the world and all its magic. There's no doubt to me that we live in a Math universe as much as we live in a Magic universe.

What looks orderly and logical is really quite magical, the way it all works together. And all of this glorious world, from the cloud patterns in the sky to that crazy squid at the bottom of the ocean are the result of "mechanical, by the numbers" processes.

So, Leon manipulates the cards and his victims, by the numbers (it is even suggested that he cheats in the game with Scott to purposely "lose."), as part of an organic transaction in a world that responds to numbers as if they were magic. Because they are.

I don't know.

trawlerman said...

And tonight, I read Chapter 9 and came across this:

Mavranos thinks "Scott Crane is definitely my connection to the place where math and statistics and randomness border on magic."

Pretty much what I was getting at summed up in a sentence.

But, I've been thinking more about it and I'm not quite sure if I know what you mean by organic, so I might be going off in the wrong direction here.

Mike & Mary said...

well, I think by organic, I mean that the person only has a hunch. It seems that those who do the math more learn how to manipulate the game more.

Crane seems to fly more on instinct. He obviously can do the math, but he seems to do certain things almost without thinking about it.

To go back to the Lord of the rings, Merry and Pippin had no idea how they ended up in Fanghorn Forest. Saruman tries to manipulate everything mathematically and loses.

I perhaps have the wrong idea in my head: that the mathematical manipulators are evil. And that the organic fly by the seat of your pants people are good. They don't try to manipulate others.