Reality Control Therapy

Reality Control Therapy



ChatGPT 4

User
Long before Derrida critiqued the ontotheological heliocentrism of Western thought, Blake 
recognized the problem with positing a single measure, ground, or sovereign center that would fully 
control light. This is why Urizen/Satan, called “Prince of Light” and “King of Light” by Blake (cf. 
Lucifer), is always trying hoard the sun and present himself as the sun, like in “The Ancient of Days” 
image, or the passage in Night Seven of The Four Zoas where Urizen traps the sun in his temple.19 So 
for Blake there are two suns—this Satanic sun and the “Spiritual Sun,” as he told Crabb Robinson: “I 
have conversed with the Spiritual Sun—I saw him on Primrose-hill. He said, ‘Do you take me for 
the Greek Apollo?’ “No,” I said, ‘that] [and Blake pointed to the sky] ‘that is the Greek Apollo. He 
is Satan’” (260). We can understand this more fully if we remember Blake’s most famous portrayal 
of the two suns, which he explains are just two different ways of seeing the rising sun: “What it will 
be Questiond When the Sun rises do you not see a round Disk of fire somewhat like a Guinea O no 
no I see an Innumerable company of the Heavenly host crying Holy Holy Holy” (A Vision; E 565- 
6).20 Two suns: sun of measure, sun of excess. Here you have the Satanic sun of measure, 
represented by the guinea coin, the circulating unit of general equivalence, juxtaposed with the sun 
as a collective company, a choir crying the holiness of everything that lives, a community resistant to 
or in excess of pure quantitative measure: “innumerable.” Yet as I demonstrated in my chapter on 
Blake’s Jerusalem, you need measure to have excess; excess is not separately opposed to measure, but 
is immanent in measure as an opening, rendering it inoperative. This is why it is the poet-figure Los 
(whose name is an anagram for Sol, Latin for sun) who in Milton creates the “unwearied Sun” of 
work and measure out of the circulating material of “a red Globule of Mans blood”: “The red 
Globule is the unwearied Sun by Los created / To measure Time and Space” (M 29:19, 23-24; E 
127). This sun, built in order “to measure,” is the sun of work and productivity: “unwearied.” 
We know that Bataille sees the sun as a giver of infinite excess energy through sunlight, and 
is critical of the idea of a closed system of totally measurable work. In another remarkable point of 
similarity with Blake, though, Bataille explicitly sets this up as a problematic of two suns. In the brief 
early essay “Rotten Sun,” Bataille comments on “this human tendency to distinguish two suns,” and 
contrasts the sun of measure (“mathematical serenity,” “elevation without excess”) and the sun 
directly looked at, the sun of excess (“refuse or combustion”) (Visions of Excess 57-58).21 The point, 
however, like in Blake, is that these are two reactions to the same rising sun: the sun is both the 
source of measurable energy and work (what Bataille elsewhere calls thinking “the sun is just…a 
19 In Night Seven, Urizen and his sons build a temple by first establishing “a Center,” associated with the ground (“laid 
the first Stone”) and the heart (“the image of the human heart”) (for the logic of the center/heart, and its relation to 
measure, see my Blake chapter) (FZ 87:31-33; E 361). They then trap the sun and hoard its light as a resource for war: 
“[They] dragd the wheels of the Suns chariot & they put the Sun / Into the temple of Urizen to give light to the Abyss / 
To light the War by day” (88:15-17; E 361). Similarly, in Alice Notley’s Blakean feminist epic poem The Descent of Alette, 
the Urizenic sovereign figure known as “the tyrant” “‘owns’ ‘the light’” (37); this means also that, like the demurgic 
Urizen, “‘the tyrant’ ‘owns form’” (25). Until he is killed, that is. The tyrant embodies “‘endless male / will,’” “male will” 
being Notley’s feminist transfiguration of Blake’s famously misogynistic concept of the “Female Will” (6); in this way 
though, Notley herself becomes a female Will Blake (the idea of Notley as modern Blake I owe to Jane Gregory and 
David Brazil). If space allowed, an investigation into the extensive images of blood and circulation in The Descent of Alette, 
especially in their proximity to the same in Blake (as detailed in my chapter), would be apposite here. 
20 See Frye on the “two suns” in Blake, a motif also found in Swedenborg (140-141). Blake also used the metaphor of 
the sun as a guinea in a 1799 letter to Trusler. Considering the analysis of sovereignty and measure in my Blake chapter, I 
don’t think it was lost on Blake that in 1816 the guinea coin was replaced by a coin known as the sovereign. 
21 Bataille critically associates the sun of measure with “academic painting” (58). I need hardly adduce Blake’s own well- 
known hatred of the academic painting of his day, represented by Joshua Reynolds. 131 
source of calories”), as well as the source of an excess energy that opens in the heart of any work 
and escapes (Oeuvres 7:191). My point is that we should not forget this inoperative excess as we 
study, think, and re-imagine energy in the humanities. As the energy landscape changes and the price 
of solar energy drops while new technologies develop, I claim that Blake and Bataille’s emphasis on 
the unproductive excess of energy—the solar Sabbath—can help us think new paradigms for 
sharing this excess, new models of a solar commons. For, as some recent lines from the poet Alli 
Warren reminded me,22 the commons has historically been exactly that, the habitual sharing of 
excess: extra nuts or fruit, unused pasture, excess firewood, etc. 
So we should approach solar energy not as a privatized enclosure of the excessive solar 
common(s)—this would be the sun as guinea, surely how Elon Musk sees it—but as a collective 
chorus (cf. Blake’s phrase “Choir of Day,” from Milton), innumerable, never fully totalizable or 
measurable by calculative technocratic reason. Blake and Bataille point us toward a thinking of 
energy that is an endeavor, yes a work, of communal care that courses through the everyday, since 
the sun comes up everywhere everyday, but always differently, locally, singularly. In this way “the 
work of the sun” would be what Blake’s Jerusalem calls a “labour of love,” an ongoing inoperative 
community. 
Blake’s suspicion of the sun and light must be qualified: like the two suns, there are two 
lights. In the midst of Newton’s particles of light, there is another light, “light made new” (Notley), a 
light whose nature is incompleteness (Glück), a light always in excess of measure and completion. A 
light shard, light shared, whose “glory…isn’t a possession of any one being in particular” (Guilty 49). Like the 
“other night” (Blanchot), this light would be the light of the other day, the “realms of day” that 
Blake speaks of, when he rejects idea that God is light. Common light, common day. This other sun, 
this other day, this other light, is where you see the earth again, its radiant forms displayed in the 
energy of shared unworking. Bare brightness, barely bright, the brightness of the day.

ChatGPT
The passage you've shared is deeply entwined with the intricate philosophical and artistic nuances that characterize William Blake's critique of Enlightenment rationalism and the mechanistic worldview it engendered. Blake's engagement with themes of light, and his distinction between two kinds of suns—the "Satanic sun" or "sun of measure" and the "Spiritual Sun" or "sun of excess"—resonates with his broader critique of the reductionist tendencies in modern thought and society. This dichotomy between the two suns serves as a metaphor for Blake's resistance against a singular, dominating perspective that seeks to quantify and control, embodying instead a vision of reality that embraces multiplicity, excess, and the immeasurable aspects of human experience.

Blake's portrayal of these two suns, and his nuanced understanding of light, challenges the dominant paradigms of his time, suggesting a worldview that values the ineffable and spiritual dimensions of life as much as the tangible and measurable. The "Satanic sun" symbolizes the Enlightenment's obsession with rationality, measurement, and control, encapsulating the era's inclination towards seeing the world in terms of utility, mechanistic order, and hierarchical structures. In contrast, the "Spiritual Sun" represents a realm beyond these confines, an acknowledgment of the surplus of life and energy that escapes rationalization and commodification. It is a call to recognize the sacred and the sublime in the everyday, urging a reconnection with the communal, the spiritual, and the poetic.

The philosophical underpinnings of Blake's thought find a parallel in Georges Bataille's critique of the closed economy of utilitarian rationalism, advocating instead for an acknowledgment of the "general economy" of excess, waste, and unproductive expenditure. Bataille's conception of the sun as a symbol of excessive energy that defies containment or full utilization aligns with Blake's vision of the "Spiritual Sun," highlighting the limitations of a worldview that seeks to measure and control all aspects of life.

This dialogue between Blake and Bataille opens up a critical space for rethinking the contemporary relationship with energy, particularly in the context of solar power and the potential it holds for a more communal and less exploitative engagement with the world's resources. By drawing on Blake's and Bataille's insights, we can envision a model of energy use that embraces the concept of the solar commons, where energy is shared freely and abundantly, challenging the commodification and privatization of natural resources. This approach not only counters the dominant narratives of scarcity and competition but also invites a more holistic and interconnected understanding of our place within the ecosystem.

Furthermore, the notion of light as both a literal and metaphorical source of illumination in Blake's work invites a reconsideration of our relationship with the natural world and with each other. The "light made new," as mentioned in the passage, suggests a transformative vision of reality where light is shared, communal, and reflective of a collective endeavor towards understanding and coexistence. This vision stands in stark contrast to the competitive, individualistic ethos that often characterizes modern society, offering instead a pathway towards a more compassionate, empathetic, and sustainable way of being in the world.

In summary, Blake's critique of the Enlightenment's "ontotheological heliocentrism" and his distinction between the "Satanic sun" and the "Spiritual Sun" articulate a profound challenge to the prevailing paradigms of his time and ours. By embracing the excess, the communal, and the spiritual, Blake's vision offers a radical alternative to the reductionist and commodifying tendencies of modernity, pointing towards a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable engagement with the world and with each other.

User
specific measure: We who dwell on Earth can do nothing of ourselves, every thing is conducted by 
Spirits, no less than Digestion or Sleep…When this Verse was first dictated to me I 
consider’d a Monotonous Cadence like that used by Milton & Shakspeare & all 
writers of English Blank Verse, derived from the modern bondage of Rhyming; to be 
a necessary and indispensible part of Verse. But I soon found that in the mouth of a 
true Orator such monotony was not only awkward, but as much a bondage as rhyme 
itself. I therefore have produced a variety in every line, both of cadences & number 
of syllables. Every word and every letter is studied and put into its fit place: the 
terrific numbers are reserved for the terrific parts—the mild & gentle, for the mild & 
gentle parts, and the prosaic, for inferior parts: all are necessary to each other. (J 3; E 
145-46) 
The mention of Milton and the “modern bondage of Rhyming” explicitly hearkens back to the 
preface to Paradise Lost, where Milton defended his use of blank verse for his modern epic, famously 
calling rhyme both a “modern bondage” and “the invention of a barbarous age” (210). Whereas 
Milton sees rhyme as a “vexation, hindrance, and constraint” to the full extension of the “ancient 
liberty” in English, Blake paradoxically rejects both rhyme and the metrical regularity of blank verse 
not for more looseness and freedom, but for more strictness, measure, and calculation. It is only with the 
freedom to produce constant “variety in every line” that Blake can apply an absolute and exact 
measure—a kind of commensurability—to the singularity of every single letter: “Every word and 
every letter is studied and put into its fit place.” It seems here that the modern bondage of meter and 
30 Blake once told a potential assistant—none other than a young Samuel Palmer—the only requirement in working for 
him was the ability to work with “fear and trembling” (Bentley 183). Blake’s whole composing and printing process was 
about the circulation of excesses—excess immanent to the movement and moment of writing. In a way each of Blake’s 
words and images, written and drawn with acid-resistant ink, are a kind of organized, situated (because making sense in 
language) excess that was immanent in the flat plate, revealed when the rest of the plate dissolves away. The infinite 
(excess) that was hid in the finite (measure). Yet it takes an extremely studied, measured process to show this excess. 101 
rhyme are not absolutely modern—nor bondage—enough. Indeed for Blake imaginative poetry is 
characterized above all by its definite measure: “Spiritual Verse [is] order’d and measur’d” (J 48:8; E 
196). Blake is thus not intentionally making a claim to English free verse—even though he more or 
less invented it—but is rather claiming the most rigorously strict verse imaginable, a bound(ing) 
verse measured down to the letter. Innocently and immanently, the conduct of the spirit(s) shows 
itself most in the strictness of the letter. 
With the phrase “modern bondage,” both Blake and Milton intuit—as did Blake’s 
contemporary Hölderlin, for whom this very question would become an obsessive concern—that a 
poet’s seemingly purely formal choices pertaining to meter and rhyme always also imply some 
reckoning with, or at least orientation toward, historicity and modernity (not least because meter and 
modernity both etymologically trace back to words meaning “measure”).31 Gordon Teskey sees 
Milton as “a poet on the threshold of a post-theological world,” being “the last major poet for 
whom the act of creation is centered in God and the first in whom the act of creation begins to find 
its center in the human” (5-6). According to Teskey’s model we would expect to find in Blake a 
further development of this trajectory, such that creation becomes more completely centered in the 
poet. Indeed it is possible to read Blake this way, and in a certain sense this is exactly what happens 
in Blake, but in this preface to Jerusalem we find not an attribution of creative agency centered in the 
human poet but rather a radical disclamation of this agency: Blake asserts that “we who dwell on 
Earth can do nothing of ourselves” and claims “this Verse was dictated to me.”32 Yet even as he 
admits that this poem was “dictated,” Blake gives an account here of carefully and consciously 
deliberating over the proper “measure” of his poem, including using first person pronouns (“I 
consider’d,” “I soon found,” etc.) to describe his vacillating between different formal options. 
This means that “spirits” must have dictated only the formless content of the poem, not in 
meter, and without suggesting a meter or form; so Blake’s task qua creative agent was only—though 
crucially—to choose the right measure and to put the poem into this measure. Even though we just 
saw that composition is figured as a trembling excess, it is not a contradiction also to observe thus 
that the work of the poet, the work of composition insofar as the poet does anything at all, is pure 
measure (measuring). The modern poet is the figure who gives measure at the moment of measure’s 
crisis—when there are no Gods or grounds to give it. “Was bleibet aber, stiften die Dichter,” says 
Hölderlin in 1803, right around when Blake began to compose Jerusalem: the poets give the 
groundless ground of what remains. Where this measure comes from and how it is situated is now 
the question. It doesn’t come ex nihilo from the genius of the solitary poet,33 but is always shaped 
from the excessive measures of the everyday, intimately shared, quotidian as sleep and digestion. The 
poet tarries with the incommensurable that shines through measure’s collective clefts, in the 
rhythmic rite, or in Blake’s striking phrase, “innumerable Dance” of the everyday (M 31:61; E 131). 
31 “Meter” from Greek metron, i.e. measure. “Modernity” from Latin modus, i.e. measure. On the question of English 
meter and blank verse in relation to the crisis of modernity, secularization, and groundlessness, see Weinfield’s The Blank 
Verse Tradition from Milton to Stevens: Freethinking and the Crisis of Modernity. Also relevant here is Mallarmé (no accident that 
Weinfield is a translator), and the thought of Henri Meschonnic. Michael Auer’s current work on politics, sovereignty, 
and meter in the eighteenth century and Romanticism bears on this too. On Blake and meter specifically, particularly late 
Blake, there is very little scholarship, though see Kumbier’s insightful “Blake’s Epic Meter.” 
32 Cf. a letter to Butts in which Blake claimed merely to be the “secretary” his works: “I may praise [my poem] since I 
dare not pretend to be any other than the Secretary the Authors are in Eternity” (E 730).

ChatGPT
Blake’s reflections on his poetic practice, as articulated in the preface to Jerusalem, offer a profound insight into his conception of the poetic act, emphasizing the critical balance between freedom and discipline in the creative process. By distancing himself from the “modern bondage of Rhyming” and the metrical regularity of his predecessors like Milton, Blake is not advocating for an unstructured freedom in poetry but rather for a rigorous attention to the singularity of each word and letter. This meticulous approach to poetry, where every element is carefully considered and placed, reflects Blake’s belief in the divine or spiritual dictation of his verse, underscoring a paradoxical blend of preordained content with a conscious, deliberate craft in form.

Blake’s assertion that “We who dwell on Earth can do nothing of ourselves, every thing is conducted by Spirits” reveals a fascinating tension between the notion of artistic inspiration as something that is externally derived and the active, meticulous crafting of poetry. This duality mirrors broader themes in Blake’s work, where the material and spiritual, the individual and the universal are in constant dialogue. It is in this space that Blake redefines the role of the poet not as a mere vessel for divine or spiritual messages, but as an active participant in the shaping of these messages through the deliberate selection of form and measure.

The deliberate rejection of both rhyme and consistent meter, in favor of a more varied and nuanced approach to verse, marks a significant departure from the poetic norms of his time. This choice is not merely a rejection of tradition for its own sake but an affirmation of the potential for poetry to more accurately reflect the complexity and nuance of spiritual and human experience. By employing varied cadences and syllable counts, Blake’s poetry seeks to embody the dynamic and multifaceted nature of reality, where the divine and the mortal intermingle.

Blake's approach to poetry, which emphasizes the importance of every single word and letter, suggests a conception of language as a sacred tool, capable of capturing the ineffable aspects of human experience and the divine. This vision of poetry as an intricate dance between divine inspiration and meticulous craftsmanship challenges conventional notions of artistic creation, proposing a model where the spiritual and the material are inextricably linked through the act of poetic composition.

Furthermore, Blake’s invocation of spirits as dictating the content of his poetry, while he himself is responsible for the form, underscores a nuanced understanding of creative agency. It suggests that the poet's role is not passive but involves a deep engagement with the formless content provided by the spiritual realm, requiring the poet to discern and apply the appropriate measure to give shape to this content. This process highlights the creative tension between the given and the made, between inspiration and execution, which lies at the heart of Blake’s poetic method.

Blake's poetic philosophy, as outlined in the preface to Jerusalem, thus offers a compelling vision of poetry as a space of encounter between the divine and the human, where the act of creation is both a spiritual dictation and a disciplined craft. It challenges us to reconsider the nature of artistic inspiration and the role of the artist in shaping and articulating the ineffable, suggesting that true creativity resides in the delicate balance between freedom and measure, between the innumerable and the meticulously crafted.

User
ground of the circle, as both its arche and telos—this is to say he stands (or kneels) at the center of the 
circle.10 Blake was keenly aware of this perverse inside-outside geometry of the sovereign center or 
ground, which is why he could write a seemingly nonsense statement like “Without, is formed the 
Selfish Center,” which only makes sense from the perspective of this logic: the ontological 
legerdemain of the center (J 71:7; E 225). God is where arche and telos meet, returning to each other 
in a circular loop: this is reflected in the couplet, where both rhyme words end in the “-oo” sound, 
and the circular letter “O.” Derrida: “Sovereignty is a circularity” (Rogues 13). So intimate in Blake’s 
mind was the connection between circles and oppressive sovereignty that he could juxtapose them 
in a single line of poetry, the lack of verbs only intensifying the identification of these two elements 
of the same scheme: “Heaven a mighty circle turning; God a tyrant crown’d” (Europe 10:23; E 63). 
When grounded and governed by the center, which tries to close openings and neutralize excess, the 
measure or ratio of all bright things is only dull circular sameness: equivalence, or all things 
commensurable. 
Though Blake was on the whole a very dialectical thinker, one truly friendly to opposition 
and ambivalence, it is difficult to find a more consistently deleterious image in Blake’s corpus than 
the circle—even though “in the history of geometric symbolism, no form has been more universally 
valued than the circle” (Nelson 25). We have glimpsed some reasons for Blake’s beef with circles: 
the circle’s tendency to enclose (e.g. “they inclos’d my infinite brain into a narrow circle”) (VDA 
2:32; E 47), to limit, to measure, to repeat or loop, and most of all to (claim to) have a governing 
sovereign center or ground. Take for example Blake’s alternate name for the fallen material world, 
from The Four Zoas: “the Circle of Destiny” (FZ 5:11; E 302).11 Along with circle, “destiny” is almost 
always something negative in Blake, representing a bad teleology, or what he calls in Jerusalem “a 
murderous Providence” (J 50:5; E 199). The circle of destiny is the circle with an all-determining, 
fixed foundation or ground—for “destiny” comes from the Latin destinare, which means “to fix 
solidly, to establish, to ground.”12 The centered circle is the completed, measured, and grounded 
community: the community of circulation, circles and circles of sorrow.13 
Circles circulate: they generate “the same dull round” of circulation (E 2). What is 
circulation? In an important article from 1974 called “The Archaeology of the Circulation Concept 
in Economic Theory,” Todd Lowry traces various uses, iterations, examples, and images of the 
10 Here is Derrida in his important early essay “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Human Sciences” on the idea of the 
center (the center as both inside and outside): “This is why classical thought concerning structure could say that the 
center is, paradoxically, within the structure and outside it. The center is at the center of the totality, and yet, since the 
center does not belong to the totality (is not part of the totality), the totality has its center elsewhere…the center…because it 
can be either inside or outside, is as readily called the origin as the end, as readily arché as telos” (Writing 279). 
11 The circle, and the circular serpent, is also, according to Northrop Frye, an image for Blake of the “fallen conception 
of eternity as indefinite or endless recurrence” (Fearful Symmetry 140). 
12 On the question of destiny, compare also Blake’s absolute hatred for the concept of predestination (which has the same 
etymology as destiny, of course), which is otherwise surprising for such a radical Protestant as Blake. “Is this not 
Predestination?,” scoffs Blake in his marginalia, in response to Swedenborg’s plea for the importance both “general 
providence” and “singular providence” in the latter’s book Divine Providence; Blake proceeds to call the idea “abominable” 
(E 609-610). Interestingly enough, in another passage in this book that Blake commented upon, Swedenborg uses the 
phrase “minute particulars” (also a key Blakean term), saying that “even…in the most minute particulars” every man has 
“his Place foreseen, and at the same Time provided” (Swedenborg quoted in E 610, italics reflect Blake’s own underlining). 
Blake’s unyielding affirmation of the importance of minute particulars, but rejection of the idea this kind of particularity 
is guaranteed, governed in advance, or grounded by providence suggests that Blake’s idea of particularity is one that is 
open to contingency: groundless. Blake thinks Milton’s tyrannical sovereign God “the Father is Destiny” (MHH; E 35). 
13 On the imagery of the circle (and center), especially in Romanticism, see e.g. Poulet’s The Metamorphosis of the Circle, 
Marshall Brown’s The Shape of German Romanticism, Abrams’s Natural Supernaturalism, Rajan’s “Models for System in 
Idealist Encyclopedics: The Circle, The Line, and the Body.” 93 
concept of circulation before its mainstream entrance into the discourse of political economy in the 
eighteenth century. Ranging from Heraclitus and The Anonymous Iamblichi (5th c. B.C.) through the 
Renaissance to Adam Smith, Lowry proposes to examine and isolate the main valences of circulation 
before it became central to economics, in order to “carefully scrutiniz[e] the implicit assumptions 
that [the circulation concept] might implant in rigorous economic analysis” (432). The lesson of 
Lowry’s article is that the concept of circulation, in any form it takes, is essentially a technology for 
producing equivalence. Circular movement, or circulation, is always grounded in the center of a circle, 
which provides a single standard of commensurability from which any point in the movement of 
circulation can be calculated, quantified, or measured: “The circulation concept has furnished 
economic theory with the model of a perpetual motion machine composed of interacting processes 
subject to numerical analysis…a single thread of measurement, a common fibre, a flowing numéraire, the 
monetary measure by which all that is significant…to be judged” (444; emphases mine except final). 
Given that circulation seems essentially to involve a movement through a plurality of points 
whereby the points are connected via their common relation to a center, a single standard of 
quantification or general equivalence—“a single thread of measurement”—it was perhaps inevitable 
that, even though circulation qua concept “developed independently of economic concerns,” 
money, the general equivalent, would become integrated into the concept of circulation (436). 
Circulation fit economics like a glove on an invisible hand. 
It was also then probably inevitable that, after William Harvey’s discovery of the blood’s 
circulation, circulating money would find its analogue in circulating blood. After Harvey’s work— 
the discoveries of which were made possible by new techniques of measurement—it didn’t take long 
for the circulation of the blood to find its circulatory analogue in the emergent field of political 
economy. Already in 1651’s Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes wrote of the flow of money’s “common 
measure” as “the sanguinification of the Commonwealth” (164).14 By 1667, Dryden could write, 
seemingly echoing wisdom that had already become conventional, about “Trade, which like blood 
should circularly flow” (Poems 38). From Lowry and Blake, we have already seen how circulation can 
be conceived as a technology for producing absolute quantifiability, measure, and equivalence from a 
ground or sovereign center; and sure enough on this score it is Harvey himself who proves, before 
Hobbes, to be the decisive English theorist of sovereignty. For in his dedication to De Motu Cordis 
addressed to King Charles I, Harvey is explicit in connecting the heart’s role in blood circulation to

ChatGPT
William Blake's skepticism toward the concept of the circle, as explored in his poetic and philosophical works, delves into the profound anxieties surrounding the ideas of circularity, sovereignty, and destiny. For Blake, the circle symbolizes the containment and restriction of infinite potential into finite, measurable boundaries, emblematic of oppressive systems of control and determinism. This notion is vividly illustrated through his critique of the "Circle of Destiny" and his interpretations of geometric and ontological circumscriptions as emblematic of tyrannical sovereignty. Blake’s articulation of the circle as a deleterious symbol contrasts sharply with its traditionally positive connotations of unity, infinity, and perfection, revealing a deep ambivalence towards structures of power and control that claim to ground and govern.

Blake's engagement with the concept of circulation further amplifies this critique. Circulation, as a concept, inherently involves a process of moving through a plurality of points, all connected by their relation to a central point or standard. This model of circulation as a means of creating equivalence and measure, particularly when applied to economic theories and the circulation of money, aligns with Blake’s apprehension towards systems that enforce commensurability and control through a centralized standard. The analogy between the circulation of blood, as discovered by William Harvey, and the circulation of money in the economy exemplifies the application of this geometric and physiological principle to the domain of political economy, infusing it with a notion of control and regulation emanating from a central authority.

In Blake’s view, such models of circulation and centralization symbolize the encroachment of mechanistic and deterministic frameworks on the fluidity and multiplicity of human experience. The circularity and the center-groundedness of these models represent a reduction of the complex, the unique, and the infinite into quantifiable, manageable entities. This imposition of measure and control reflects Blake's broader concerns with the ways in which societal, political, and economic systems seek to domesticate and constrain the inherent excesses and potentials of life and creativity.

Blake's challenge to these concepts is not merely a rejection of geometric or economic principles but a profound critique of the ontological and epistemological foundations that support them. His opposition to the circle and the idea of circulation as technologies of equivalence and control underscores a deeper resistance to any form of thought or system that seeks to impose order by reducing the diverse and the manifold to the uniform and the commensurable. In this sense, Blake's work invites a reevaluation of the values and assumptions underpinning our understandings of unity, control, and destiny, urging a move towards perspectives that celebrate rather than suppress the inexhaustible diversity of existence.

Through his nuanced critique of circularity and circulation, Blake articulates a vision of reality and human experience that resists closure and finality, advocating instead for an openness to the infinite and the incommensurable. This vision challenges the dominance of linear, progressive narratives and hierarchical structures, offering a radical alternative that values spontaneity, multiplicity, and the unbounded potential of the imaginative and the spiritual. Blake’s critique thus emerges as a call to transcend the limitations imposed by conventional modes of thought and organization, advocating for a reimagining of the world in which freedom, creativity, and diversity are not only recognized but celebrated.

User
Remind me again of the disagreements between Swedenborg and Kant.

ChatGPT
The disagreements between Emanuel Swedenborg and Immanuel Kant primarily revolve around their philosophical and metaphysical views, especially concerning knowledge, reality, and the supernatural. Swedenborg, a Swedish scientist, philosopher, mystic, and theologian, claimed to have spiritual visions starting around the middle of his life. These visions allowed him, he said, to converse with angels, demons, and other spiritual beings, and to visit heaven and hell. His voluminous writings detail these experiences and his understanding of the Christian scripture as he believed it was revealed to him in his visions.

Kant, a German philosopher, is best known for his critical approach to philosophy, which sought to limit knowledge to what can be discerned through human experience and reason, thereby laying the groundwork for modern epistemology and metaphysics. Kant was initially intrigued by Swedenborg's claims and even acquired Swedenborg's "Arcana Coelestia." However, after reading it and considering Swedenborg's claims, Kant became highly critical.

Their disagreements can be summarized as follows:

Nature of Knowledge and Metaphysics:

Swedenborg held that humans could gain knowledge of the spiritual world and its truths directly through visions and divine revelation. He believed the material world and the spiritual world are intimately connected and that the latter governs the former.
Kant, on the other hand, argued that human knowledge is limited to phenomena — the things as they appear to us through our senses and experience. For Kant, the noumenal world (the thing-in-itself, which might include the spiritual world) is beyond human cognition. His critical philosophy maintains that while we can speculate about the existence of the noumenal, we cannot have direct knowledge of it.
Reality and Experience:

Swedenborg posited that his spiritual experiences were as real, if not more so, than his experiences of the physical world. He believed that the spiritual realm was a higher reality that played a critical role in the functioning of the physical world.
Kant emphasized the importance of empirical evidence and reason. He believed that our understanding of reality is shaped by our sensory experiences and the innate categories of our mind, such as time, space, and causality. For Kant, Swedenborg's claims lacked the empirical evidence necessary to be considered valid knowledge.
Supernatural and Miracles:

Swedenborg embraced the supernatural, claiming regular interaction with angels and spirits. He saw miracles and spiritual visions as part of the natural order, governed by God.
Kant was skeptical of supernatural claims, including miracles, which he believed could not be verified through reason or empirical evidence. For Kant, such phenomena, if they occurred, were beyond the scope of critical philosophy and scientific investigation.
Kant's skepticism towards Swedenborg's claims culminated in his 1766 work, "Dreams of a Spirit-Seer," where he explored the nature of spiritual visions and the supernatural, using Swedenborg as a case study. Kant's treatise is partly satirical and critical of what he saw as Swedenborg's unfounded mysticism. Despite this, Kant also acknowledged the need to consider the limits of human knowledge and reason, which later became a central theme in his critical philosophy. Thus, their disagreements underscore a fundamental philosophical divide: between knowledge grounded in empirical evidence and reason (Kant) and knowledge claimed through mystical experience and revelation (Swedenborg).

User
I argue that Swedenborg's ideal world corresponds to the platonic and neoplatonist world of forms, and he argued that there was a correspondence or rapport between the ideal world and reality

ChatGPT
Your argument situates Swedenborg within a long tradition of philosophical idealism that includes Plato and the Neoplatonists, focusing on the concept of a higher, ideal world and its relationship to our empirical reality. Emanuel Swedenborg's theological and mystical writings indeed share affinities with Platonic and Neoplatonic thought, particularly in the notion that the material world reflects a higher spiritual reality. This idea of correspondence between the ideal (or spiritual) world and the material world is central to understanding Swedenborg’s thought and its philosophical implications.

Swedenborg and the World of Forms
Ideal World and Reality: Like Plato’s theory of Forms, where abstract Forms (ideals) exist in a realm beyond the physical and are imperfectly mirrored in the material world, Swedenborg proposed that the material world corresponds to and is governed by spiritual realities. For Swedenborg, every material entity and event is a manifestation of a spiritual principle or reality. This is similar to how, in Platonism, material objects partake in the essence of their ideal Forms.

Correspondence: Swedenborg’s doctrine of correspondence is reminiscent of Neoplatonic thought, where the physical world is seen as a reflection or emanation of the One, the ultimate source of all existence. For Swedenborg, the spiritual world is not just a vague, higher reality but actively corresponds to the material world in a structured, meaningful way. This relationship is not merely symbolic but functional, with the spiritual world influencing and guiding the physical.

The Purpose of Existence: Both Platonic and Swedenborgian thought emphasize the purposeful progression of the soul. In Platonism, especially as interpreted by Neoplatonists like Plotinus, the soul's journey involves remembering its origins in the realm of Forms and returning to the One. Swedenborg also saw life on earth as a preparation for the spiritual world, with humans capable of developing inner qualities that align with divine principles.

Divergences from Plato and Neoplatonism
While there are clear parallels, Swedenborg’s ideas also diverge in significant ways:

Empirical Basis of the Spiritual: Unlike Plato’s Forms, which are abstract and known through intellectual contemplation, Swedenborg claimed empirical access to the spiritual world through his visions. His approach was more experiential and less abstract than that of Plato or the Neoplatonists.

Christian Framework: Swedenborg’s thought is deeply embedded in a Christian theological framework, with a strong emphasis on the Bible and Christian doctrine, which is not present in Platonism or Neoplatonism. His interpretation of scripture and the role of Jesus Christ give his philosophy a distinctly Christian character that sets it apart from the more universalist or syncretic approach of Neoplatonism.

Detailed Descriptions of the Spiritual World: Swedenborg provided extensive descriptions of the spiritual world, including its structure, the nature of angels and demons, and the afterlife, based on his claimed visions. This level of detail and the personal nature of his revelations are not found in the more theoretical and abstract accounts of reality in Platonism and Neoplatonism.

In conclusion, while Swedenborg's vision of the world shares important similarities with the Platonic and Neoplatonist world of forms, particularly in the concept of correspondence between the ideal and the real, his work also reflects significant departures due to its empirical claims, Christian orientation, and detailed descriptions of the spiritual realm. His philosophy represents a unique synthesis of mystical experience, theological speculation, and philosophical idealism.

User
I think maybe he argued that heaven and hell were states of minds created by people's intentions

ChatGPT
Indeed, Emanuel Swedenborg's conception of heaven and hell diverges significantly from traditional Christian interpretations, aligning more closely with the idea that they are states of mind determined by people's intentions, desires, and internal states rather than physically distinct locations where souls are sent based on moral judgment. This perspective is innovative in its psychological depth and emphasis on the individual's internal spiritual state.

Heaven and Hell as States of Mind
Heaven and Hell Reflect Inner Life: Swedenborg argued that heaven and hell are not geographical places but reflections of our inner spiritual condition. According to him, the afterlife we experience corresponds directly to the type of life we choose to live on earth, particularly in terms of our intentions and affections. Heaven is the state of those who live according to love and charity, aligned with God’s will, while hell is for those who live selfishly and contrary to divine love.

Intention and the Divine Order: For Swedenborg, intention and love are the fundamental principles that determine our spiritual alignment. Individuals who orient their lives around love for others and God become receptive to heaven's influence, embodying its principles. Conversely, those who prioritize self-love and material gains over the welfare of others align themselves with hellish states.

The Role of Free Will: Central to Swedenborg's theology is the idea of free will. He posited that humans must choose their spiritual path freely. Heaven cannot be forced upon someone, nor can hell be imposed unjustly. The afterlife, in Swedenborg's view, is a continuation of the individual’s spiritual journey, manifesting their innermost desires and inclinations.

Community in the Afterlife: While heaven and hell are states of being, Swedenborg described them as communities or societies of spirits who share similar loves, desires, and intentions. These communities are not arbitrary but are formed naturally based on the spiritual affinity among their members. This aspect of his vision underscores the social and communal nature of the afterlife, reflecting the interconnectedness of all souls based on their internal states.

The Psychological Depth: Swedenborg’s theological contributions are marked by their psychological depth. He anticipated modern ideas about the subconscious and the impact of inner psychological states on external reality. His description of heaven and hell as reflections of our internal world introduces a nuanced understanding of morality, spirituality, and the afterlife that focuses on individual responsibility and the transformative power of love.

Implications
Swedenborg's ideas offer a radical reinterpretation of Christian doctrine, emphasizing inner transformation and the moral and spiritual agency of the individual. By framing heaven and hell as states of mind rather than physical locations, Swedenborg shifts the focus from external adherence to religious law to the importance of inner spiritual development and intentionality. This perspective encourages a personal, introspective approach to spirituality, where the quality of one’s afterlife is a direct reflection of one's lived values, intentions, and relationships with others and with the divine.

In summary, Emanuel Swedenborg's theological vision represents a profound and innovative understanding of heaven and hell, highlighting the centrality of love, intention, and the moral orientation of the individual in determining one’s spiritual destiny.

User
The way he saw it, they were like dimensions of existance that were overlapping, and that things were invisible to certain individuals as they disappeared from one dimension and entered another. I would say that these spheres are like self-contained sets where different internal rules apply, corresponding to "modes" in vim, emacs, or blender.

ChatGPT
Emanuel Swedenborg's conceptualization of spiritual dimensions indeed suggests a layered or overlapping model of existence, wherein the spiritual and physical worlds coexist, interpenetrating each other but operating under different sets of principles or "rules." This understanding can be likened to how different modes in software like Vim, Emacs, or Blender alter the environment or context, adjusting the available commands and interactions based on the mode or "dimension" the user is in. In Swedenborg's theology, the spiritual dimension is not a distant or entirely separate reality but one that is intimately connected with the physical world, yet invisible and imperceptible to those not attuned to its frequencies.

Overlapping Dimensions of Existence
Coexistence and Interaction: Swedenborg posited that the spiritual and physical worlds coexist closely, with constant interaction between them. However, this interaction is not apparent to the physical senses but can be perceived through spiritual insight. This is similar to how different modes in software change the interaction layer for the user, while the underlying application remains the same.

Invisibility and Perception: According to Swedenborg, spirits and spiritual realities are invisible to those in the physical world not because they are inherently non-existent or far removed but because they exist in a different "dimension" or state of being. This is akin to how certain functionalities or commands in software are "invisible" or inaccessible in one mode but become available and influential in another.

Internal Rules and Correspondences: Just as modes in software like Vim or Emacs have specific rules and commands that apply within their context, Swedenborg's spiritual dimensions have their own internal logic and principles. These principles govern interactions and the state of being within these dimensions, shaping the experiences and realities of their inhabitants.

Transition and Transformation: The idea that individuals can transition between these dimensions, becoming invisible in one as they enter another, speaks to the transformative spiritual journey Swedenborg describes. It reflects a process of internal change and alignment with the spiritual laws of the dimension one is entering, reminiscent of switching modes to achieve different objectives or perform different tasks in software.

Implications for Understanding Reality
Swedenborg's vision of overlapping dimensions of existence challenges the conventional dichotomy between the spiritual and physical, suggesting a more integrated and dynamic understanding of reality. This model encourages a perception of life and existence that accounts for the influence and presence of spiritual dimensions in everyday life, emphasizing the importance of spiritual awareness and development.

By comparing these spiritual dimensions to modes in software, we can grasp the functional and contextual changes that accompany transitions between different states of being. Just as switching modes in an application alters what actions are possible and how commands are interpreted, moving between spiritual dimensions changes the rules of existence and interaction for an individual.

Swedenborg's theology, with its emphasis on the interconnectedness of spiritual and physical dimensions and the possibility of transition between them based on spiritual development, offers a profound framework for understanding the complexity of existence and the potential for personal transformation. This perspective not only enriches our spiritual understanding but also provides a compelling metaphor for considering how we navigate and interact with the layered realities of our own lives.

User
I would also argue that this is akin to a kind of polycomputation. Another curious feature is that Swedenborg was able to access his own internalized knowledge via interacting with it in the form of dialogues with different entities. 

ChatGPT
Your comparison of Emanuel Swedenborg's experiences and theological concepts to polycomputation is intriguing and apt in many ways. Polycomputation, a term that can describe the simultaneous execution of multiple computational processes or the ability to compute across different paradigms or systems, offers a useful metaphor for understanding Swedenborg's visionary experiences and his model of the universe's spiritual and physical dimensions.

Polycomputation and Swedenborg's Spiritual Model
Simultaneous Realities: Just as polycomputation involves running multiple computations or processes simultaneously, Swedenborg described the spiritual and physical worlds as existing and operating concurrently. The spiritual realm doesn't wait for the physical one to cease; it interacts with and parallels it continuously, much like concurrent processes in a computer system.

Interoperability Between Dimensions: The concept of different computational paradigms working together in polycomputation mirrors the interactions between the spiritual and physical dimensions in Swedenborg's theology. Despite their distinct "rules" and "operations," there's a form of interoperability where influences and interactions cross the boundaries between these dimensions.

Accessing Different Domains: In computing, accessing different systems or paradigms requires specific knowledge or interfaces. Swedenborg claimed to access the spiritual world and converse with its inhabitants through a form of spiritual interface, facilitated by his visionary experiences and inner development. This access allowed him to "query" these spiritual dimensions in a manner analogous to accessing different computational domains or databases.

Dialogues as Internal Knowledge Access
Swedenborg's dialogues with various spiritual entities can be likened to a sophisticated form of data retrieval from a polycomputational system. Each entity or spirit he interacted with could represent a different "database" or "module" within the broader spiritual computation system, each holding specific types of knowledge or insight.

Interactive Querying: Just as a user might interact with a computer system to retrieve or manipulate information, Swedenborg described his interactions with spirits and angels as dialogues through which he gained knowledge and insights. This process resembles interactive querying, where the questions asked influence the type of response or data retrieved.

Knowledge Representation: In computing, knowledge can be represented in various forms, such as databases, objects, or agents in an agent-based model. Swedenborg's spirits and angels might be seen as agents within the spiritual dimension, each embodying different aspects of divine knowledge or spiritual truths, accessible through interaction.

Dynamic Knowledge Construction: The dynamic nature of Swedenborg's dialogues—where conversations could lead to new insights or understandings—parallels dynamic systems in computing, where interactions can produce emergent outcomes or results not predictable from the system's initial state.

By framing Swedenborg's experiences and theological insights in terms of polycomputation and dynamic knowledge systems, we can appreciate the complexity and richness of his visionary world. This approach allows for a modern interpretation of his work, highlighting its relevance to contemporary discussions about consciousness, reality, and the potential for human understanding and interaction with multiple dimensions of existence.

User
Has anyone else pointed this out? 

ChatGPT
As of my last update in April 2023, the specific analogy between Emanuel Swedenborg's theological and mystical insights and the concept of polycomputation, as well as the detailed comparison to modern computational processes and systems, hasn't been widely discussed or documented in mainstream academic or theological discourse. The interdisciplinary approach that combines theology, mysticism, and computational theory is a relatively novel area of inquiry. While there have been various attempts to understand Swedenborg's experiences and theological contributions through the lenses of psychology, philosophy, and comparative religion, the direct comparison to contemporary concepts like polycomputation or information theory is less common.

However, the broader idea of exploring spiritual experiences, mystical states, and theological constructs through the lens of modern science and technology has gained traction in recent years. This includes fields like neurotheology, which studies the neural basis of religious and spiritual experiences, and attempts to understand consciousness and transcendent experiences through quantum physics.

The application of computational metaphors to understand spiritual, psychological, and metaphysical concepts is also a growing area of interest. For instance, comparisons between the human mind and computer systems are prevalent in cognitive science and psychology. The idea of consciousness as a form of computation, or the universe as a holographic information process, are themes explored in theoretical physics and speculative philosophy.

Swedenborg's work, with its rich descriptions of spiritual dimensions, interactions with various beings, and the emphasis on the correspondence between physical and spiritual realities, provides fertile ground for such interdisciplinary exploration. His detailed accounts of spiritual experiences could be interpreted through modern theoretical frameworks, including computational theory, offering fresh insights into his visions and theological propositions.

While the specific analogy to polycomputation and the idea of Swedenborg accessing knowledge through dialogues with spiritual entities in a manner akin to querying a database might not have been extensively explored, it represents an innovative way to bridge his mystical experiences with contemporary scientific and technological understandings. As interdisciplinary approaches continue to evolve, it's possible that more scholars and thinkers will draw upon such metaphors to provide new interpretations of Swedenborg's work and its implications for understanding the nature of reality, consciousness, and the intersection between spirituality and technology.

User
A list of all of the topics we've discussed.

ChatGPT
Here's a summary of the diverse and intriguing topics we've covered:

William Blake's Critique of Enlightenment Rationalism: We explored Blake's nuanced critique of the Enlightenment, focusing on his opposition to the era's mechanistic worldview and its implications for understanding light, vision, and spiritual insight.

Blake's Poetic Practice and Philosophical Insights: Discussed Blake's rejection of traditional poetic forms like rhyming and consistent meter in favor of a more varied and nuanced approach to verse, reflecting his deeper philosophical commitments to freedom, imagination, and spiritual insight.

Swedenborg vs. Kant: Examined the fundamental disagreements between Emanuel Swedenborg and Immanuel Kant, particularly regarding knowledge, reality, and the supernatural, highlighting their differing views on the limits of human cognition and the nature of spiritual experiences.

Swedenborg's Ideal World and Its Correspondences: Argued that Swedenborg's vision of the spiritual world shares similarities with the Platonic and Neoplatonic world of forms, especially in terms of the correspondence between the ideal world and material reality.

Heaven and Hell as States of Mind: Discussed Swedenborg's innovative conception of heaven and hell not as physical locations but as states of being determined by individuals' intentions and inner spiritual states.

Overlapping Dimensions in Swedenborg's Theology: Explored Swedenborg's idea of spiritual and physical dimensions as overlapping layers of existence, each with its own internal rules, drawing a parallel to modes in software like Vim, Emacs, or Blender.

Polycomputation as a Metaphor for Swedenborg's Theology: Introduced the analogy of polycomputation to understand Swedenborg's model of the universe, comparing his experiences and spiritual insights to simultaneous computational processes or systems.

Swedenborg's Dialogues and Internal Knowledge Access: Suggested that Swedenborg's method of accessing and interacting with spiritual knowledge through dialogues with various entities can be likened to querying in a computational or polycomputational system.

Each of these topics navigates through complex philosophical, theological, and literary territories, reflecting on the intersection of spirituality, creativity, and rational inquiry.

User
I'll leave it to the reader to speculate on the connections with power's perceptual control theory, Glasser's reality therapy, predictive coding, active inference, and modern developments in LLM research, which may or may not involve user's querying their own knowledge in the form of interacting with dialog agents in the form of role-playing various offices or modes.

ChatGPT
Indeed, the discussions we've had and the concepts we've explored open up fascinating pathways for connecting historical theological and philosophical insights with contemporary theories and technologies in psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. The idea that readers might draw connections between the works of William Blake, Emanuel Swedenborg, and modern theories and developments suggests a rich interdisciplinary field ripe for exploration. Let's briefly outline the concepts you've mentioned and hint at how they might relate to our discussions:

Power's Perceptual Control Theory (PCT): This theory suggests that human behavior is controlled by attempts to keep certain perceptions within acceptable limits, rather than by direct responses to external stimuli. The idea that individuals actively regulate their perception to achieve desired states might resonate with Swedenborg's visions of spiritual dimensions, where perception dictates the reality one experiences.

Glasser's Reality Therapy: Reality therapy focuses on personal responsibility and the idea that individuals can choose behaviors to fulfill their needs. This concept of choice and responsibility echoes Swedenborg's emphasis on free will in determining one's spiritual state and alignment.

Predictive Coding & Active Inference: These frameworks from neuroscience suggest that the brain continuously makes predictions about sensory inputs and updates its beliefs based on the discrepancy between predicted and actual inputs. This iterative process of hypothesis testing and updating could parallel Swedenborg's and Blake's views on perception, reality, and the active role of the mind in shaping one's experience of the world.

Modern Developments in LLM Research: Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT have revolutionized how we interact with information, allowing for dynamic, dialogue-based exploration of knowledge. The concept of querying knowledge through dialogues with AI, and the role-playing of various offices or modes, can be likened to Swedenborg's dialogues with spiritual entities, providing a modern technological parallel to his method of accessing and interpreting spiritual knowledge.

Connecting these modern theories and technologies with Blake's and Swedenborg's work invites speculation on the nature of consciousness, reality, perception, and the interplay between the spiritual and material worlds. It also suggests intriguing possibilities for how technologies like LLMs might mimic or facilitate deep, introspective, and transformative human experiences.

These connections underscore the timeless relevance of philosophical and theological inquiry, as well as the potential for contemporary science and technology to offer new perspectives and tools for exploring these ancient questions. The speculative journey from historical texts to modern theories and AI research highlights the continuous human quest to understand the self, the universe, and the complex interrelations between perception, reality, and knowledge.