Joshua Wisley
Items mentioned in / relevant to the interview
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Enûma Eliš (Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En%C3%BBma_Eli%C5%A1)
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Utnapishtim (Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utnapishtim)
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Epic of Gilgamesh (Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh)
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Atra-Hasis (Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atra-Hasis)
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Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta (Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enmerkar_and_the_Lord_of_Aratta)
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AlphaGo (https://deepmind.com/research/alphago/)
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Humanity+ (http://humanityplus.org/)
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WhatIsTranshumanism.org (http://whatistranshumanism.org/)
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"How does transhumanism relate to religion?", FAQ at HumanityPlus.org (underlings added):
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"Transhumanism is a philosophical and cultural movement concerned with promoting responsible ways of using technology to enhance human capacities and to increase the scope of human flourishing. While not a religion, transhumanism might serve a few of the same functions that people have traditionally sought in religion. It offers a sense of direction and purpose and suggests a vision that humans can achieve something greater than our present condition. Unlike most religious believers, however, transhumanists seek to make their dreams come true in this world, by relying not on supernatural powers or divine intervention but on rational thinking and empiricism, through continued scientific, technological, economic, and human development. Some of the prospects that used to be the exclusive thunder of the religious institutions, such as very long lifespan, unfading bliss, and godlike intelligence, are being discussed by transhumanists as hypothetical future engineering achievements."
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"E Pluribus Unum", GreatSeal.com
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This article offers some interesting background to the "e pluribus unum" motto. It was apparently suggested by the committee that US Congress had appointed on 4 July 1776, to design "a seal for the United States of America." The article shows a sketch of the committee's original design, which had six symbols representing "the Countries from which these States have been peopled": a rose symbolising England; a thistle, Scotland; a harp, Ireland; a fleur-de-lis, France; a lion, Holland; and an eagle, Germany. Then, surrounding these symbols, thirteen shields appear, each with an initial of one of the thirteen states. So, this design heavily suggests that the primary meaning of "e pluribus unum" was intended as "out of the many peoples (of other countries), one (American) people." But, as Josh says, this leaves open the question as to whether or not some intended—and indeed intend—that it should have a more universal "double fulfilment".
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"Myth and Misinformation About the Pyramid Side of the Great Seal (on the Dollar Bill)", GreatSeal.com
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W. Bro. David Barrett, "The "Masonic" One Dollar : Fact Or Fiction?", Freemasons-Freemasonry. com
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In this piece, W. Bro. David Barrett says, "you will never find a pyramid being used as a symbol in a Masonic ritual." That may be so. I don't know; I've never witnessed any of their rituals. But even if the pyramid is absent from their rituals, is that a reason to believe that it has no significance within Freemasonry? My understanding is that at least some Freemasonry has been influenced by Rosicrucian thought, and the Great Pyramid at Giza is certainly a fascination for the Rosicrucians. [See Hargrave Jennings, The Rosicrucians : Their Rites and Mysteries, (1870), chapter 25, "The Great Pyramid"; also H. Spencer Lewis, The Symbolic Prophecy of the Great Pyramid, online at Rosicrucian.org.]
TMR interviews mentioned / relevant
Acknowledgements
Podcast music: "Human 2.0" by Dissident Prophet, all rights reserved; used here with kind permission.
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