First Published: 2022 March 19
I’ve been a little lackluster in my postings lately. There’s probably a variety of reasons for that, but there’s one big one that I think is very relevant.
When I started writing the blog back in 2019, I really enjoyed being able to tell my friends and family what I was up to every day, and it helped me complete an assignment for class. When I restarted this January, I found that it was really nice to help me reflect on my day or something else, and it encouraged me to work better. Both of these share something vital, though, that I feel like is missing now. It was fun when I started.
For whatever reason, writing this blog isn’t really making my heart sing like it used to. This week hasn’t been great for me for a lot of reasons, so I’m really hoping that it’s just that, and not the blog itself. Still, my life is busy enough without adding obstacles that don’t bring me joy.
So, I’m planning to stop posting every day, at least for now. I’ll still try to keep up my weekly reflections on the Gospel, and I definitely plan to keep using this blog as a way for me to take notes on the books I read and media I consume, but I don’t know if I’ll make posts every day.
Anyways, thanks to all of you for reading thus far, and sorry if these were something you looked forward to. I hope to get to a point again where writing every day brings me joy again.
First Published: 2022 March 17
Has it been two weeks since my last post in the series? Yes.
Anyways.
First, my response to the questions pre-reading.
What is the point of stopping to discuss the special characteristics of the concepts we use in metaphysics?
It will lay a good foundation for us to actually learn things
What does it mean that a concept is a “transcendental” one?
It exceeds cultural norms, and becomes true across all culture. From a friend, truth and good are transcendental, I’m unsure if that’s true.
Why is being such?
Because the Almighty wishes it to be. Wait.
I think the question means like, why is being a transcendental concept? It’s transcendental because being does not rely on a culture.
Why is it said to be at once the “poorest” and the “richest” of all concepts?
It is fundamental to all conceptions, but makes no conceptual claims in itself.
Most ordinary concepts we use are formed by abstracting a common essence and omitting particular details.
Why is it that being cannot be thus formed?
Being lacks any particular details.
How then is it formed?
As above, through the will of the Divine, though I’m unsure if permissive or explicit.
How do the three types of concepts differ from each other: univocal, equivocal, analogous?
Univocal is the same, equivocal is alike, analogous is made alike.
Why is it necessary that the main concepts used in metaphysics be analogous?
If they aren’t able to made similar, there’s no way to compare them. However, if they are the same, there’s no use in making them like each other.
Analogy of Attribution:
What does this mean?
No clue.
Examples?
Nope.
Does it express any intrinsic similarity between the prime analogate and the secondary anlogates?
Probably.
Why do we use it?
Has uses.
Analogy of Proportionality:
Meaning?
No idea.
Examples?
Nope.
What is the basis in reality for all uses of analogy of proportionality?
great question.
What is happening in an analogy of Metaphorical or Improper Proportionality?
ibid.
Examples?
ibid.
Why is it not literally true?
ibid.
What is the purpose of using it then?
ibid.
Analogy of Proper Proportionality:
Meaning?
ibid.
Examples?
ibid.
Explain how such an analogous term can be at once literally true of all its analogates, yet shifting somewhat in meaning for each, i.e., how can it be so flexible, as an univocal cannot?
i cannot.
Does an analogous concept contain two parts, one of which expresses just the similarity, the other just the diversity?
That seems reasonable.
Analogy Applied to Being: How does this work, since being seems to be such a simple concept and not expressing any common action, as other proper proportionality concepts do?
Being is not a simple concept? I have no idea.
Analogy Applied to God: How does it avoid falling into anthropomorphism (making God too much like humans) on the one hand, or mere metaphor on the other?
Very carefully.
Why is William of Ockham forced to hold that the concept of being applies univocally to both God and creatures, whereas St. Thomas is not?
St. Thomas makes a distinction between G-d and creatures.
How does St. Thomas ground the real similarity between God and creatures, making possible a proper analogy between them?
If I had to guess, the Incarnation, but that’s a wild guess with no logic.
Time to see how accurate they are as I read the text, which as always, I will rely to as I read:
What is the point of stopping to discuss the special characteristics of the concepts we use in metaphysics?
Otherwise we might misuse them is the gist as I understood it.
What does it mean that a concept is a “transcendental” one?
It is all-inclusive to the things it describes.1
Why is being such?
Because if something isn’t then it doesn’t exist.
Why is it said to be at once the “poorest” and the “richest” of all concepts?
Looks like I was right. It’s the poorest because it doesn’t actually specify anything, but the richest because it describes everything.
Most ordinary concepts we use are formed by abstracting a common essence and omitting particular details.
Why is it that being cannot be thus formed?
To omit a detail is to remove it from being, which you cannot, since being encompasses everything. That is, while you can abstract sex and age from human beings, because there is a shared humanity without them, there is no way to abstract things away to get to being.
How then is it formed?
“Judgement of Separation,” so basically just saying the word is. It feels a whole lot like plain abstraction to me, though.
How do the three types of concepts differ from each other: univocal, equivocal, analogous?
Univocal concepts can be rigidly applied to multiple beings with the same meaning. Ex: all hydrogen atoms can be described as such.
Equivocal concepts are homonyms, which is annoying. Ex: he put his money in the bank which was on the riverbank.
Analogous concepts are between the two, similar in meaning but not identical. Ex: Strength of arm, muscle, and will.
Why is it necessary that the main concepts used in metaphysics be analogous?
Because we use the concept of being, and because we’re generally talking about similar, not identical things.
Analogy of Attribution:
What does this mean?
Things get descriptions not because they are but because they are related to things which are.
Examples?
Healthy food. Food is dead, so not healthy, but makes healthy people healthy, so is seen as healthy. American cars lack citizenship but are made (in theory) in and by Americans.
Does it express any intrinsic similarity between the prime analogate and the secondary anlogates?
Yes, the secondary gains the term because of the prime.
Why do we use it?
We shouldn’t.
Analogy of Proportionality:
Meaning?
Things are alike in how they do the same thing.
Examples?
Man and mice both know.
What is the basis in reality for all uses of analogy of proportionality?
Action is the thing which bonds beings, and so since proportionality is based on shared action...
What is happening in an analogy of Metaphorical or Improper Proportionality?
Use of metaphor.
Examples?
He’s a snake.
Why is it not literally true?
Men aren’t snakes.
What is the purpose of using it then?
Sounds better than “Like a snake, he is sneaky.” Poetry is good.
Analogy of Proper Proportionality:
Meaning?
Seems like the general example from above with men and mice both knowing.
Examples?
Men and mice know differently, but both still know.
Explain how such an analogous term can be at once literally true of all its analogates, yet shifting somewhat in meaning for each, i.e., how can it be so flexible, as an univocal cannot?
Words have shifted meaning based on context.
Does an analogous concept contain two parts, one of which expresses just the similarity, the other just the diversity?
No, that would be a univocal and equivocal concept paired together. Instead, it encompasses both at once, expressing the shared and not.
Analogy Applied to Being: How does this work, since being seems to be such a simple concept and not expressing any common action, as other proper proportionality concepts do?
The common action is existence.
Analogy Applied to God: How does it avoid falling into anthropomorphism (making God too much like humans) on the one hand, or mere metaphor on the other?
It says that since the common action is existence, rather than existence being separate from essence, since the Almighty exists, He has substance, and shares that with us. However, sharing existence is all that is claimed, avoiding anthropomorphism.
Why is William of Ockham forced to hold that the concept of being applies univocally to both God and creatures, whereas St. Thomas is not?
He focuses on being as essence, rather including existence.
How does St. Thomas ground the real similarity between God and creatures, making possible a proper analogy between them?
He says that they share existence.
Wow I should reread this chapter, it went a lot over my head.
I’m sure of the all-inclusive, the other part less so↩︎
First Published: 2022 March 16
Salvia finished dressing for the day and double checked that her band was still well-woven and on her wrist. Nothing had come loose since she last checked, but it would not do to be anything less than perfect today. It was the day of her thesis defense, when she could finally call herself a Wizard and graduate of Eriontha Academy.
She had walked out the door before realizing she forgot her Thesis project, the first staff carved in Gnomic. When she went back in to take the Staff, she realized that her familiar Burrus had already grabbed it for her. Of all the seminars she took, Familiar Magic was definitely the one that was the most fun. She’d always had a connection to burrowing creatures, so it was far easier for her to bond to a fox than most of her classmates. Some people called her crazy, but she knew that the beasts talked to her.
As she looked at the sun, she realized that she was running late. She started to run to the lecture hall, where she hoped that her presentation would go well.
“Thank you for coming today. I will be presenting my Thesis: ‘Advances in Bacula Magorum through integration with Gnomic Lineae Tradition’. Following my presentation, I will be accepting questions” It was a needlessly opaque title. Truly all she’d done was use the Gnomes’ written language of woven thread to enforce the language of Magic. While she loved her staff, she knew that the day-to-day spell weaving was a much more useful thing to the general community. Rather than carry around scrolls upon scrolls of Spells, which needed to be prepared daily, she had meta-knots. She knew how to stabilize the knots so that she could make a Spell Scroll, but the meta-stable versions were far easier. Of course, it did require the caster to know Gnomish, but that seemed reasonable to her.
Thankfully, she was able to field every question her committee threw at her. She’d chosen them carefully, since a lot of the faculty was very opposed to doing any sort of Arcane Magic in any language but Draconic. Now came the fun part: the party. Her entire community had pitched in to throw a party for her to celebrate her graduation.
The non-Gnomes started to leave quickly, and she started seeing Gnomes she’d never met before.
“Hello cousin,” she said, reaching out to shake hands with someone her age that she didn’t know. They read the lineages strung around the other’s wrist. She noticed that he was single, but shared a sixth generation ancestor with her.
“Hello, Cousin,” he replied. Truthfully, that was the most difficult part of translating between Gnomish and Draconic. Draconic had words for every relation you might have, sure, but no one used them. The inflection used on “cousin” in Gnomish could mean anything from first cousin to unrelated Gnome, and it was hard to teach that differentiation to non-Gnomes.
Really, that went back to the Weaving, though. The pride of every Gnomish household was the tapestry showing their ancestry. Each sibling older than their ancestor was recorded, going back to the founders of the community. Each community maintained a tapestry which went from the founders of the community back to the founders of the community they had come from.
It was said that Gnomes could once trace their ancestry back to the First Fourteen Gnomes, but the tapestry, along with their temple, had burned down a thousand years ago. Now Gnomes knew they were related, though often not how. Most families maintained the tradition of a bracelet which had the names of your parents, the opposite sexed parent’s parents, and so on back six generations. It did mean that her brother’s lineage would look far different than hers, if she had one, but that was just how Gnomish Culture worked.
Still, since Gnomes recognized that the Sorus Empire didn’t understand that naming convention, and since it was unwilling to have siblings not share last names, the Gnomes and the Empire came to an agreement. All Gnomes officially had the last name Gnomeson. Since there weren’t many of them, it didn’t make non-Gnomes’ lives much harder, since they tended not to reuse names. And, Gnomes didn’t need to speak to each other to understand what their real names were, since they literally wore them on their sleeves.
“So what are you going to do now that you’re an official Wizard?” her family asked. Her family had warned her about the Fading since she was a child, and right now she was expected to finally tell the community what her Quest would be.
Gnomish Quests were very different than the Empire’s idea of a quest. They were simply a way for the idealistic youth to go and explore. Her parents, Chithara and Chitharus, had both tried to walk the full border of the Empire, trading songs while they did. They met along the path, and the Quest was quickly abandoned in favor of them learning to make music with each other.
Salvia had chosen the standard Gnomish Quest, and was quite happy about it. “I’m going to learn unknown truths.” After all, Arcane Magic in Gnomish was a form of unknown truth. The more that Salvia had reflected on it, the more she realized that it was what her heart called her to do.
Salvia finished dressing for the day and double checked that her band was still well-woven and on her wrist. Nothing had come loose since she last checked, but it would not do to be anything less than perfect today. It was the day of her thesis defense, when she could finally call herself a Wizard and graduate of Eriontha Academy, the first Gnome to do so.
She had walked out the door before realizing she forgot her Thesis project, the first staff carved in Gnomic. When she went back in to take the Staff, she realized that her familiar Burrus had already grabbed it for her. Of all the seminars she took, Familiar Magic was definitely the one that was the most fun. She’d always had a connection to burrowing creatures, so it was far easier for her to bond to a fox than most of her classmates. Some people called her crazy, but she knew that the beasts talked to her.
As she looked at the sun, she realized that she was running late. She started to run to the lecture hall, where she hoped that her presentation would go well.
“Thank you for coming today. I will be presenting my Thesis: ‘Advances in Bacula Magorum through integration with Gnomic Lineae Tradition’. Following my presentation, I will be accepting questions” It was a needlessly opaque title. Truly all she’d done was use the Gnomes’ written language of woven thread to enforce the language of Magic. While she loved her staff, she knew that the day-to-day spell weaving was a much more useful thing to the general community. Rather than carry around scrolls upon scrolls of Spells, which needed to be prepared daily, she had meta-knots. She knew how to stabilize the knots so that she could make a Spell Scroll, but the meta-stable versions were far easier. Of course, it did require the caster to know Gnomish, but that seemed reasonable to her.
Thankfully, she was able to field every question her committee threw at her. She’d chosen them carefully, since a lot of the faculty was very opposed to doing any sort of Arcane Magic in any language but Draconic. Now came the fun part: the party. Her entire community had pitched in to throw a party for her to celebrate her graduation.
The non-Gnomes started to leave quickly, and she started seeing Gnomes she’d never met before.
“Hello cousin,” she said, reaching out to shake hands with someone her age that she didn’t know. They read the lineages strung around the other’s wrist. She noticed that he was single, but shared a sixth generation ancestor with her.
“Hello, Cousin,” he replied. Truthfully, that was the most difficult part of translating between Gnomish and Draconic. Draconic had words for every relation you might have, sure, but no one used them. The inflection used on “cousin” in Gnomish could mean anything from first cousin to unrelated Gnome, and it was hard to teach that differentiation to non-Gnomes.
Really, that went back to the Weaving, though. The pride of every Gnomish household was the tapestry showing their ancestry. Each sibling older than their ancestor was recorded, going back to the founders of the community. Each community maintained a tapestry which went from the founders of the community back to the founders of the community they had come from.
It was said that Gnomes could once trace their ancestry back to the First Fourteen Gnomes, but the tapestry, along with their temple, had burned down millennia ago. Now Gnomes knew they were related, though often not how. Most families maintained the tradition of a bracelet which had the names of your parents, the opposite sexed parent’s parents, and so on back six generations. It did mean that her brother’s lineage would look far different than hers, if she had one, but that was just how Gnomish Culture worked.
Still, since Gnomes recognized that the Sorus Empire didn’t understand that naming convention, and since it was unwilling to have siblings not share last names, the Gnomes and the Empire came to an agreement. All Gnomes officially had the last name Gnomeson. Since there weren’t many of them, it didn’t make non-Gnomes’ lives much harder, since they tended not to reuse names. And, Gnomes didn’t need to speak to each other to understand what their real names were, since they literally wore them on their sleeves.
“So what are you going to do now that you’re an official Wizard?” her family asked. Her family had warned her about the Fading since she was a child, and right now she was expected to finally tell the community what her Quest would be.
Gnomish Quests were very different than the Empire’s idea of a quest. They were simply a way for the idealistic youth to go and explore. Her parents, Chithara and Chitharus, had both tried to walk the full border of the Empire, trading songs while they did. They met along the path, and the Quest was quickly abandoned in favor of them learning to make music with each other.
Salvia had chosen the standard Gnomish Quest, and was quite happy about it. “I’m going to learn unknown truths.” After all, Arcane Magic in Gnomish was a form of unknown truth. The more that Salvia had reflected on it, the more she realized that it was what her heart called her to do.
I wrote a basic background history for my character, which is below.
Salvia Gnomeson is a gnome. Gnomes don’t believe in last names, so whenever you need one they just all go by Gnomeson because they’re children of gnomes. She grew up in an expatriated community in a poorer part of the capital. Spent most of her childhood translating the traditional woven stories of Gnomish into Common and Draconic and legal documents from Draconic into Gnomish.
She was always touched by the wild, but never was able to fully turn it into a true sorcerous or druidic talent. Instead, was always studious, so went to Wizard school.
While in school, refused to specialize, since her goal was moreso converting spells into woven expressions in Gnomish than actually learning magic. Managed to learn how to save a spell as something you can cast once (scrolls), and a temporary version which lasts a day or so (vancian preparations). Instead of remembering how to do that in particular, realized you can write directions for weaving the spells as a knot, though that takes some valuable threads to prevent fraying/because magic fiat. (costs 1 cp per level of spell). Since 10 cantrips and 6 spells, 91 cp of fine thread left.
While researching, had a thesis idea: permanently woven spells that can be activated at will. She was reminded of staves, so worked to make staff using Gnomish language rather than the traditional one. Currently doesn’t work great, but has a permanent cantrip and a semi-permanent lvl1 spell that can be refreshed.
First Published: 2022 March 15
Tonight I got to do session 0 for a Pathfinder 2e campaign. I’m going to play a Gnomish Wizard, and more than that we’re still settling. I had my normal issue while building the character, which is that I saw the option to know a lot of languages and had to resist the build where I would have 13 languages at first level.1 Instead, I only know nine, which feels really sad. I did, however, take the ability to speak with any burrowing creature, which is kind of fun.
Honestly, building a character in Pathfinder 2e is a much different experience than in DnD 5e. There are way more options which is great, because I can build exactly what I want, but horrible because I don’t know what I want. I get I think an average of more than a feat per level, which is pretty cool because it means that every Wizard can look different2. I need to come up with a backstory for my Gnome3, which might be the topic of a future post.
First Published: 2022 March 14
It’s been almost a full month since my last update! I’ve had some struggles with writing it, and only wrote 8000 words since the beginning of the month. Since the 19th, when last I wrote this, I have managed to write nearly 20000. It’s a little sad that in those nine days I wrote more than I have these past two weeks. Still, though, I guess the writing pace isn’t too horrible. I may be writing slower, though not a ton slower. If I throw out last week, where I had no mental energy for anything, I think I’m actually still on pace.
If I want to reach my goal of 5000 words by the end of the month, I only need to write about 1000 words a day, which is pretty nice. I’ve been trying to write 2000 words a day, which means that I’d end up well ahead of my goal.
Unrelatedly, I feel very strange writing this post. These past few days have really been a struggle to post at all, and I’m not totally sure why.
First Published: 2022 March 13
Psalm 27:1A: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?”
Today’s Gospel is a little bit confusing for me. It’s the Transfiguration of our Lord, which has its own day in the calendar. Still, though, it’s a beautiful reading.
In the past, it confused me how Peter, John, and James recognized Elijah and Moses. After all, there were no photos of them, so how would they be recognizable. As I’ve gotten older, though, I think I have an answer for me, if not necessarily a theologically strong one.
The apostles knew the faces of Elijah and Moses because the Lord gave them the knowledge.
First Published: 2022 March 11
I was tempted to write today’s post about how, when I’m underslept1, I lack the ability to do the work I want and need to do. But, I gripe enough without the explicit permission. So, instead I will be writing about the first day in my department’s Graduate Recruiting Weekend this year.
Our group is currently fairly full, so we are not interested in having too many new students. That being said, it did not seem like too many students would want to join us, based on the applications at least. But, the draw of space and chemistry seems to have pulled analytical students this year like my year, and we’ve got new interested students. I wonder if they will remain interested through group joining. Certainly they all seem brilliant and qualified.
Anyways, on to recruiting. I got to hang out at the check-in station for a few hours and chatted with a good number of recruits. Then I showed my recruit our office and we did a lab tour. I went to the poster session, where I finally met one of my committee members. And I ended the night at a dinner where the department did not get enough food for everyone on accident, which is sad. That being said, I still had a great time.
I miss seeing my chemistry friends when I don’t see them, and I love that we’re all in a loose web so I keep making new ones.
as now↩
First Published: 2022 March 10
Today was my first concert of the semester. It was fantastic being able to sing so many lovely songs and hear other choirs doing other lovely music. As has become an unfortunate trend this week, I am awake far too late, and as such this blog is suffering. C’est la vie
First Published: 2022 March 9
In preparation for my Second Year Exam, I’ve realized that I should probably learn some actual science. Thus, this meta-series begins. I am nearly positive that a lot of the data I collect will require the use of lock-in amplifiers. If I can get one of the instruments I’m planning to work on done, I’m sure that the number will increase to all of the in-lab spectroscopy that I will do. As a result, I need to learn about lock-in amplifiers. My plan is to work from three sources to learn this topic:
A paper that describes the lock-in amplifier I think I want to build
The book published in 1983 on lock-in amplifiers
Prior theses from group members on lock-in amplifiers
Realistically, I think I’m going to be learning these in reverse order, because the theses will elucidate what we need and use lock-ins for, the textbook will teach me how they actually work, and then I will be able to figure out whether or not the paper’s amplifier will work for what I need.
I guess I should probably stop talking about what I’ll read and start reading. I’m also not sure how anonymous to be with the details I’m giving, but I’ll err on the side of fewer identifying informations. I would feel worse about describing our current limitations if the theses I’m reading weren’t published on the internet.
First Published: 2022 March 8
Tonight I got to see the local University’s production of Sweeney Todd. It was performed by the operatic portion of the univeristy, which is another point in defense of my belief that the two genres are one.
It was done fantastically, and every member of the show did incredibly. As one of the friends I saw it with commented on the Judge’s song, “he did such a good job I don’t want to clap for him.” It does mean that this week has been filled with insufficient sleep, but such is the life.