ANTAGORAS OF AEGYPTUS MINOR

           

                              THE CREDULITY OF SAINT THOMAS

                      Though he saw with the eye of a skeptical camel        

                    Voiced his doubts clearly with no vacuous yammer

                Thrust a powerful hand that could well heft a hammer         

                     Saint Thomas rediscovered his lost faith anyway.         

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                   From GEOMETRICAL ETHICS: THE VIRTUALLY EMPTY 4D BUBBLE

                     THUS SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISCONTINUITIES PRECLUDE FORMULATING

                     A TRUE UNIVERSAL MORAL CODE. ALL EFFORTS TO CREATE ONE ARE FUTILE.

                     MORAL JUDGMENTS ARE NECESSARILY CONTINGENT UPON LOCALITY

                     AND CHRONALITY. THEY CAN ONLY BE MADE BY A RATIONAL OBSERVER

                     COGNIZANT OF AND DEFERENTIAL TO VARIOUS SITUATIONAL FACTORS.

                     BUT EVEN A RATIONAL OBSERVER CANNOT JUDGE ACTIONS REMOTE

                     IN SPACETIME, ONLY ACTIONS OBSERVED WITHIN THE OBSERVER'S

                     IDIOSYNCHROSTERE WHICH IS THE REAL-TIME VOLUME OF 1 CUBIC

                     METER OR 36 CUBIC FEET SURROUNDING EACH OF US AT ALL TIMES.

                     THIS IDIOSYNCHROSTERE MIGHT BE AN AREA 6 FEET BY 3 FEET

                     BY 2 FEET CONTAINING A COPULATING COUPLE OR TWO CORPSES.

                     SINCE COPULATING COUPLES ARE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS RATHER

                     THAN RATIONAL OBSERVERS AND CORPSES ARE UNABLE TO OBSERVE

                     OR JUDGE ANYTHING, VALID MORAL JUDGMENTS CAN NEVER BE MADE

                     EXCEPT UNDER CERTAIN RARE CONDITIONS LIKE THOSE OBTAINING IN...

                                                                  

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                                              MAGNUM OPUS: IN SEARCH OF

                                                THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

                                                             AND HOW DIETH THE WISE MAN? AS THE FOOL.

                                                                 -ECCLESIASTES 2:16

                      A BAND OF BELIEVERS CAPTURES THE ESCAPED FREETHINKER

                      NEAR THE PORTAL TO THE TOMB OF THE SEVEN PATRIARCHS.

                      THEY STRIP THE SACRILEGIOUS ONE. BIND, BEAT, AND BLIND HIM.

                      DRAG HIM NAKED AND BLEEDING THROUGH THE JEERING STREETS.

                      IN THE CENTRAL SQUARE HE IS SHACKLED, STILL DEFIANT,

                      TO A BROKEN GRANITE OBELISK BESIDE THE GREAT TEMPLE.

                      THE CROWD COLLECTS BRICKBATS AND COBBLESTONES FROM

                      THE RUBBLE FOUND IN PUBLIC PLACES. BUILDS BONFIRES AND

                      SHARES FLASKS TO FIGHT NIGHT'S CHILL. AWAITS THE DAWN.

                      THEN THE HIGH PRIESTESS WILL IMMOLATE A WHITE RAVEN

                      ON THE TEMPLE STEPS AND THESE RIGHTEOUS ONES WILL

                      SAVAGELY CULL A WICKED MAVERICK FROM THEIR HERD.

                      ALL NIGHT THE PRISONER PONDERS THE OBJECT OF HIS FAILED

                      QUEST, THE TREASURE SOUGHT BY SO MANY AND FOR SO LONG.

                             WILL THE GREAT WORK SOMEDAY PERMIT MAN TO PERFECT HIMSELF?

                             OR MUST THAT GIFT FOREVER REMAIN BEYOND OUR GRASP BECAUSE

                             THE GREEDY GODS DECREE ENLIGHTENMENT TO BE THEIRS ALONE?

                                       COME MORNING, AN ACTUAL STONE WILL CRUSH

                                       THE SEEKER'S SKULL, ENDING HIS COGITATIONS.