Les Miserables, version brick, Installment 2: Volume 2, Book 7

[elsane]

Alternate post title: well, that made for an argumentative plane ride.

I have actually been hugely enjoying the infamous digressions, after setting aside a certain allowance for the rolling of eyes. One of the side benefits of reading La Brique electronically is that I feel blissfully at liberty to scribble mad quantities of notes and arguments in the margins. Well, the last couple of chapters I have stopped to comment on every paragraph, because these are the chapters where Hugo decides to go into great detail about how atheism destroys society.

For now I have to go be productive and stuff, so I leave you with two thoughts.

• Dear Hugo,
  
  Your "proof" of the existence of a divine essence is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the mathematical concept of infinity.
  
  Very nettled love,
  -me.
  
  
• "To place the infinity here below in contact, by the medium of thought, with the infinity on high, is called praying." (Vol II, Bk 7, Ch V.)
  
  Not so, sir! It’s called science.
  

(General book logging as well as a post on Waterloo: coming when things calm down a bit I swear no really)

Comments

[cordialcount]

Applause for a proper distinction between infinity as a metaphysical concept and infinity in its various mathematical definitions. /chinhands for more thoughts in lieu of actually reading the Brick

[genarti]

Heee. I think I'm glad that I haven't felt the urge to argue with Hugo much, because I'm not sure how one ever stops! (Certainly he doesn't stop arguing with the world, and also with himself.) Which is not to imply that I agree with him about everything; I just text skygiants with "And now he's talking about [atheism/nuns/Waterloo/love]. OH VICTOR HUGO." a lot.

So, er, yes, I have given in and joined in the great Les Mis reading! And am surprising myself by devouring it, although I'm also finding all the recent recap posts handy in knowing what to expect next, especially during the bits I'm less interested in. (Marius. Sorry, Marius.) Right now I'm probably about 2/3 of the way through! ONWARD TOWARDS THE GLORIOUS DEATH OF ALMOST EVERYBODY.

[carmarthen]

Oh good, I shall look forward to Hugo's Thoughts on Atheism, for a value of "look forward to" that will involve shrieking.