What's an image? Think about your favorite picture. Bugs Bunny doesn't count, but Buzz Lightyear does. I was more thinking about a photo, or a landscape. What is that picture? Except for Bugs, its a two dimensional representation of something in four-space. (I count time as a 4th dimension).
Imagine the following scenario. It is really flakey speculation...
Suppose reality is 7 dimensional. The number is irrelevant as long as it's greater than 4. What we know as timespace is a 4-D subspace projection of this 7D reality. There's these other dimensions hanging out there. These dimensions are what more conventional bible thumpers would call "the spiritual."
Mankind, being spiritually dead, is only able to perceive the 4-D sub-space projection. God, Angels, and your friends now room temperature are all moving around in the 7-D reality. They are right here, sorta. But we can't see them because we're in the projection, and they're in the 7-space. A lot of stuff is going on in those cool upper dimensions and we're missing out.
Maybe the Universe is laughing behind your back.
So, here's Steve looking for Truth, differencing his observations from his theories. Hoping for convergence. Meanwhile, the most important components of the vector are not available.
Calvin said "thru the spectacles of scripture" we rightly perceive reality. And Psalms has a verse that says "in Thy light, we see light." My task (finding truth) isn't impossible, but it is intractible. From these information sources we get glimpses at that unobservable stuff in hyperspace.
Meanwhile, you got Ghandi, or Al Gore who're participating in their own 4-D projection. It may not be the same 4-D projection as me. The world being a wonderful place allows limits to converge to One value when you converge from the Left and the limit converges to a Different value when you converge from the Right. Uh, I didn't mean to take a political spin on it, but that fits, too.
If we come up with different Estimates of Truth, it may be a side effect of our differing perspectives. Yes, there is a Single Objective Truth. But no, we only build Estimates based upon our differing perspectives.
So, you and me disagree. Who's Right? (I'm quite far right, but that's
a pun.
Ok, you don't believe in those cool hyperspacial dimensions. That's ok.
We'll take your Estimate of Truth and then take my Estimate of Truth
and difference each of them from what we know about 4D. By this means,
we have progress.
This is science: One bunch of guys come up with an Estimate of Truth.
It explains a lot. But it doesn't explain something. So, as evidence
mounts that Something's Wrong, a bunch of young Turks come up with a
different Estimate of Truth. My, isn't that the structure of Scientific
Revolution? I think so.
But let's talk about Pleasure.
Everything we want, everything that's good is a sub-space projection of
something better that's in that higher-dimensional space i call the
spiritual. Everything. A guy named CS Lewis said spirits walk thru
walls because the spirits are real, and the walls are illusory.
Here's some Bible verses: "PS 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he
will give you the desires of your heart. PS 16:11 You have made known
to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Every good thing you like
here is a pale shadow (sub-space projection) of a spiritual reality
which is much better in Heaven.
So, I figure Heaven is imaged in everything you want right now. Even
the Bad Things you want are a distortion or a twist on some other Good
Thing. We like to be free of annoying jerks. So we want to kill our
boss. The Good Thing in heaven isn't shooting galleries with CEOs as
targets, it is freedom from jerks. You ever get finished with something
and feel real good about the accomplishment? And want another
challenging project? I don't figure that's the image of something
boring. I figure the accomplishment and fun projects to be part of
Heaven.
In this context, I'm a hedonist.