tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2946534773407276339.post5058146868404874998..comments2023-11-05T04:09:53.857-05:00Comments on Something Short and Snappy: Cat's Cradle Book Club meeting, chapter 1-4Erika The Over Queenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03649072707709302370noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2946534773407276339.post-46568368946438257192013-06-05T14:02:38.079-04:002013-06-05T14:02:38.079-04:00I do think you're mistaken about Bokononism. ...I do think you're mistaken about Bokononism. It's not a religion for people who <i>don't</i> like religion; it's a religion for people who <i>do</i> like it, but can't get past the literal-mindedness of religious dogma. To me, Bokononism says that we think in stories -- stories make us who we are -- and if it makes you happier, stronger, and better to suppose that a particular story is true, then you should go ahead and suppose that story is true. Other people can, and should, suppose that different stories are true. These kinds of stories are never true <i>universally</i>.<br /><br />When I was a kid and still believed in god, it occurred to me one day that I got a lot more spiritual feeling from reading books about Aslan than I did from the Bible. It was my first dim recognition of the idea that two different stories can be about the same thing, and which story you choose to believe matters less than the thing the story is about. Ultimately it led me away from theism, and I suppose C.S. Lewis would've been sad about that as it was the opposite of his intention, but so it goes.<br /><br />Anyway, that principle is what I think Bokononism, and in particular its emphasis on <i>foma</i>, is all about.Evannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2946534773407276339.post-87053983089738601062013-05-19T06:41:26.997-04:002013-05-19T06:41:26.997-04:00i read the first four chapters, but I'm still ...i read the first four chapters, but I'm still not really sure what the book is about. I'm not finding character revelations or any semblance of a plot in any of the sentences. but i'll keep reading because reading is fun. i just don't really know what to think of something i've only read a few pages of.Anonymusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2946534773407276339.post-16000039332526720192013-05-01T16:50:19.847-04:002013-05-01T16:50:19.847-04:00Honestly, I don't care for Vonnegut. I couldn&...Honestly, I don't care for Vonnegut. I couldn't choke through Slaughterhouse 5, and found this one just as hard to stomach. (And I love to read, and will read anything). Truth be told, I had to force my way through Rushdie also, but enjoyed his writing more than V. I did however, read this entire book in the last 2 days, and I suppose I should re-read it by chapter with your review. I was never good at "book reports" in school (years ago), especially on books I didn't care for. So, I'm glad someone else is doing it.Karen Bebenseehttp://www.facebook.com/krbebsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2946534773407276339.post-28724510199443819012013-04-29T19:02:10.866-04:002013-04-29T19:02:10.866-04:00I've read the whole book many times and I'...I've read the whole book many times and I'll be interested to see how you feel about Bokononism when you get farther into the book. I don't think that it's a religion for people who don't want religion or don't like it; I think in a way it's Vonnegut playing with the idea of religion: here's a religion that is deliberately created (you'll find out why and how), whose creator is still around (we meet him later) and knows what has been done in the name of his religion. And yet, for all its fakery, its obvious made-up nature, it turns out to be useful in the way that sometimes religion itself can be useful: it does help people deal with terrible circumstances (in this case, desperate poverty and the end of the world). <br /><br /><br /><br />There are a lot of things I liked about Bokononism when I read the book, but I don't want to spoil anything by telling you about them now.Noranoreply@blogger.com