Leviathan

[Abishai100]

The word 'leviathan' is a spiritual term referring to a mysterious sea beast or giant water-serpent signifying chaos and uncertainty.

Philosophers and artists alike have used the term to address ideas regarding misshapen geometry, ugly genetic mutations, and even ominous beings.

The A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) fantasy-adventure franchise Transformers (Hasbro) presents warrior-robots such as Swoop (a heroic robot who transforms into a Pterodactyl dinosaur) and Cyclonus (an evil robot who transforms into a laser-enhanced jet-fighter) who symbolize the contours of eschewed war and hence a 'leviathan' of insanity.

We can therefore use 'leviathan' to create judgment-deformity discussions, which may be very symbolic of Trump Administration era 'capitalism-governance' related 'culture' (e.g., Enron, Wall Street, Microsoft, etc.). Trump was, after all, simply a capitalism-baron, so he would be interested in 'empire leviathans,' no?


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GOD: Do you think A.I. robots created by human scientists could become evil?
SATAN: Any 'sentient being' with free will has the 'opportunity' to be 'self-destructive.'
GOD: What do you think is the difference between meditation and self-destruction?
SATAN: Meditation refers to self-control, while self-destruction refers to escape.
GOD: If self-destruction is a form of escapism, then our universe is 'blanketed' by fertility.
SATAN: Procreation and reproduction is like atomic fission.
GOD: What do you think is the difference between fission and war?
SATAN: Fission does not necessarily imply complete asymmetry.
GOD: Why are human beings fascinated by war?
SATAN: 'Regular' fission/teamwork is sometimes too fatiguing, and war feels like courage.
GOD: War is hell.
SATAN: War is temporary, but 'dominions' can last forever.
GOD: What about Civil Wars?
SATAN: The more similar the disagreeing parties, the more complicated the disagreement.
GOD: So Civil Wars are intriguing by virtue of 'complexity'?
SATAN: Yes!
GOD: Could Gog and Magog be USA and the USSR?
SATAN: Probably. The Cold War represented 'eschewed competitiveness.'
GOD: The Cold War was a 'power-blind leviathan.'
SATAN: That seems correct...

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Leviathan (Wikipedia)

 

[Asclepias]

You mentioned me?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

You mentioned me?

ooooh ... And there's your picture. Really like your ride.

 

[Abishai100]

Casino

Here's a different spin on the 'chaos/uncertainty' of everyday life, this time seen through the lens of a fictional account of a Vegas visitor who becomes a haunting figure (a ghost) compelled to 'witness' and 'manipulate' the 'leviathan of chance.'

I think this story I wrote was inspired by my fascination with Thomas Hobbes' condition-experimentation politics-treatise Leviathan.

Enjoy!



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Mark was an emotionally-depressed American bureaucrat who decided to quit his job and try to win some money in Las Vegas before retiring in Tahiti. Suffering from alcoholism, Mark believed a great run of wins at a Vegas casino would lift his spirits and help him sail on his way to peace. When Mark got to Vegas, he lost so much money while playing Blackjack and Roulette that he went to his hotel room and drank himself to death. When he 'awoke' Mark realized he had become ghost! Sad and confused, Mark decided to call himself 'Leviathan' (since he read Thomas Hobbes' politics-treatise of the same title in college, a book about political rebelliousness). Mark/Leviathan believed he was a 'witness' now of 'Vegas follies.'

Leviathan skulked around Vegas casinos as an apparition. Some tourists/visitors claimed they spotted a ghostly figure wandering the hallways of Vegas hotels and casinos as a shadow but there were no confirmed reports, since Leviathan was very elusive. Leviathan spent most of his time simply 'observing' the thoroughfare in Las Vegas. He would sometimes make simple jokes to himself such as, "Maybe I should be haunting Churchill Downs." Leviathan noticed a couple playing Roulette one night with a very wealthy casino visitor and patron (Mr. Mark Zuckerberg). The couple accepted a bet that if Zuckerberg won more money, he would win a date with the wife. When Zuckerberg won, and the date proceeded, it led to divorce.

Leviathan continued skulking around and noticed an aspiring college student who wanted to start his own business by winning some money to build his venture capital. He brought about $10K to Vegas with him and won $20K and was very excited but then could not decide if he should take the winnings and run or continue playing. Leviathan remembered his own plight in Vegas and was compelled to help this student not make the same mistakes he made in Vegas. While the student slept in his hotel room, Leviathan slipped into his mind and entered his dream-sleep and whispered, "Take the money and run or I will haunt you forever." Leviathan then decided to leave Vegas for good and spend eternity meditating about Thomas Hobbes on a mountaintop in the Andes.

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