RE: VMs: Michelangelo "code"

["Brian Tawney" <btawney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I believe the ms408-project is a valid suggestion for
> finding a possible solution. It requires
> out-of-the-b0x thinking!!!! And besides....it offers a
> very beautiful logic. It is definitely worth checking
> out (for real: see Tom's reply).

While this may be true, people should still feel free to disagree if they
don't hold with a particular solution.  Without doubt and debate, bad
solutions look no different from good ones.

The content of the ms408 translation reminds me of Kircher's translation of
the Egyptian hieroglyphs.  Kircher was able to take a handful of hieroglyphs
and produce long, wierdly metaphysical translations which we now know to be
totally off base.

To be specific, I'll critique the sample translation given in section 7.9.2.
In that section the word "chkoy" is translated as "the base level has
priority to simple rising of which the destination is perfection that is
connected with perfection".

I think we can assume, based on the other samples given, that this breaks
down as follows:

ch: destination
k: simple rising
o: the base level
y: perfection

The first question is: how do we know that these symbols mean these things?
Kircher consulted ancient authors for his answers and was still
wrong...where does ms408 get their alphabet of meanings from?  That should
be open and available to critique, and since it is the foundation of their
work it should be the first thing to be presented.

The second question is: assuming these are the correct meanings, how do we
know the composite meaning of the word is what they say?  Why is it not
"Destination rises to the base level of perfection", or "destination and
simple rising are the base level of perfection"?

The third question is: assuming the composite meaning is what they say, what
does this refer to?  I'm open to the possibility that the manuscript conveys
something arcane, but is this part of a known tradition, or is it a newly
discovered tradition?  If it is part of a known tradition, what tradition is
that?  If it is a newly discovered tradition, where did the ms408 project
members get their knowledge of the tradition?  Or are they as mystified by
the meaning of these translations as the rest of us are?

Brian


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