kitoba
Three Ways of Being Human
I wrote this book almost a decade ago, and while I now find it filled with significant flaws --both in the writing and in the conception --and while many of my ideas and beliefs have evolved beyond what is covered here, it does provide an extended exploration of what I have found to be a very powerful and effective conceptual tool --the fractal tripartite analysis of complex concepts and entities.
THREE WAYS OF BEING HUMAN
© 2000 Christopher Sunami
First Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized, in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Author. Inquiries should be addressed to Christopher Sunami, c/o Nimbus, 413 Fairwood Avenue, Columbus, OH 43205.
Happenstance Press
Columbus, Ohio
Cover art by Jennifer K. Sunami
Dedicated:
...with thanks to God,
...with gratitude to the many friends, teachers and family members who helped develop these ideas,
...with appreciation to Dr. Richard Schuldenfrei.
Foreward
March 16, 2000
Dear Reader:
Having recently returned from Watatu Island, I find myself filled with renewed enthusiasm for the school which they have established there. From the quiet majesty of their facilities, to the skill and accomplishments of their students, the list of things to admire is endless. What impresses me most, however, is that their method of education could ...
More...The Individual
The Watatu place an emphasis on the individual that is surprising for a “traditional” society. Such societies are generally group-oriented, and, in some ways, this is true of the Watatu. However, they also possess a conception of the individual that is profoundly complex. To them, individuality is a phenomenon shaped by three forces: The expressive force, the unitive force, and the stative for...
More...The Society
Many months passed before Diotima was willing to speak to me about the Watatu view of society. Instead, she instructed me to continue my study of the individual. This advice had merit, but I was impatient to learn the secret behind the seeming harmony of the islanders. Diotima’s continued silence on the matter seemed mysterious, and (in my darker imaginings) even sinister. The true reason for ...
More...The School
I had made observations of the school throughout my time on Watatu, but it was not until I made my peace with the Watatu worldview that those observations began to make sense. The Watatu school was organized like none I had ever witnessed (save, perhaps, a traditional martial-arts academy). It was, however, a perfect reflection of the Watatu psyche.
The Watatu believe that there are many...
More...Religion
Removed for Revision
This page has been removed either because it no longer matches my current views and opinions, or because it is being revised.
Please check out other pages in the same category by following the links on the left.
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More...Further Conversations
I spent much of my ninth (and last) month on Watatu gleaning as much as I could from Diotima’s considerable store of wisdom. At first, I asked only clarifying questions about the school and the island. Soon, however, I was able to coax her into sharing her keen insights into the problems of my own society.
My favorite conversation took place on my last full day on the island. I had be...
More...Afterword
America is suffering from a crisis in meaning, in which few people are able to explain the significance of their lives or their work. Although this is a phenomena that is widespread, the predicament it creates for education is particularly acute, because knowledge and meaning are so deeply wedded.
Meaning is the thread that binds fragments of raw data into strands of information. Meanin...
More...References
The sources for the ideas in this brief volume were too numerous and diverse (and intermingled in my mind) to present them in a unified form that would also be useful and comprehensive. Therefore the references have been divided into three sections. The first section traces main concepts to their general sources. The second section gives full bibliographic entries for an (unscientifically-selected) cross-section of references. The final section lists a larger (but still incomplete) list of references by title and author. Even with all three sections, it was not possible to compile an exhaustive list of sources.
More...
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