Comments on: Hard-core hagiography

By: shonk

shonk — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:05:54 +0000

Well, that’s, uh, depressing. Don’t you think you might be over-analyzing a bit?

By: mock

mock — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:56:55 +0000

While I'm inclined to agree with everything said so far, criticizing belief has always seemed to me a strange exercise. I am not sure that any argument can overcome belief, since basically by definition belief will trump any reasoned argument. And there are no shortage of people who are willing to put reason and logic on the back burner, especially when an appeal to metaphysics and epistemology are more than enough to overcome the supposed command of reason. Is reason itself just another belief? It is hard not to become convinced that regardless of the power and influence of civilization, ultimately the will of the majority will come to dominate. It may be the case that the elitism inherent in American politics will ironically be the saving grace of an entire culture, Europe included, regardless of the ridiculous demagoguery that we've been subject to for over a year now. This is all rambling, of a dilettante nonetheless, but the predicament is this: how does one respond to the particularly acute modern crisis of self-awareness when self-awareness is itself a modern predicament? Especially when the national and even world-political climate is not ready for such a confrontation.

This is why I drink at night and never post on blogs.

By: shonk

shonk — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:11:13 +0000

Made up the story in The Da Vinci Code. I mean, obviously he made up the plot, but I mean the background. Well, not that he made it up, exactly, since obviously the myths have been around, but I assumed he just picked some implausible conspiracy theories, made up anything needed to make it fit together, then wrote the plot over the top.

...I just read the user comments on this movie's IMDb page and now I'm all depressed.

By: Curt

Curt — Mon, 19 May 2008 03:18:59 +0000

Made up what? These theories have been kicking around for ages. He’s fought lawsuits with authors claiming he plagiarized them, including one by a guy who enlists The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as evidence for the theory. As for whether Dan Brown believes in the theories his story seems to have changed over time, but at one point he apparently did say “the background is all true.”

By: shonk

shonk — Mon, 19 May 2008 03:05:31 +0000

Wait…I thought Dan Brown made the whole thing up. He actually believes it?

By: Curt

Curt — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:37:03 +0000

I thought it might be at first as well, but I looked up the dude and apparently he’s also made documentaries about Area 51, Bigfoot, and the Bermuda Triangle, among many others. So he’s either serious or really, really milking the joke. And that still leaves Dan Brown and all the others of his stripe that seem to really believe in all this. I’m surprised they’re not pacing around in front of the science center with the 9/11 Truthers.

By: shonk

shonk — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:51:10 +0000

Yeah, the fact that some random person thinks the representation of Mary Magdalene in a 13th century stained glass window looks pregnant is definitely telling evidence.

I'm assuming this film is a documentary in the same sense The Blair Witch Project was a documentary.