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08-09-2006, 08:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spacemonkeyadb
I think your overall interpretation of the full song is right on. I'm just looking at how you relate this particular line ("move by will alone") to the rest of the lyrics, so this is why I am focusing on this part.

Carbonatedgravy says that it's selfish "human will" that ignores the needs of others. We are moved by (selfish) will alone, and not by concern for other people.

Your view seems to go beyond this by claiming that this selfish human will is merely symptomatic of a deeper "universal will" that determines how we act (via physics, chemistry, etc).
I'm not against this idea, but I don't think everybody would want to label these cosmic forces as "will", and I think many would even want to contrast these forces with "will" in the regular human sense.
If most people would not recognize this use of "will" as universal will, then most people would miss the meaning of the line, IF this is what was meant by it.

So this is why I'm not convinced that this was the intended meaning for the line.

so we can agree that Maynard is associating "will" with "instinct"?
Old 08-09-2006, 08:39 AM   #10
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Re: Move by will alone...?

Quote:
Originally Posted by spacemonkeyadb
I think your overall interpretation of the full song is right on. I'm just looking at how you relate this particular line ("move by will alone") to the rest of the lyrics, so this is why I am focusing on this part.

Carbonatedgravy says that it's selfish "human will" that ignores the needs of others. We are moved by (selfish) will alone, and not by concern for other people.

Your view seems to go beyond this by claiming that this selfish human will is merely symptomatic of a deeper "universal will" that determines how we act (via physics, chemistry, etc).
I'm not against this idea, but I don't think everybody would want to label these cosmic forces as "will", and I think many would even want to contrast these forces with "will" in the regular human sense.
If most people would not recognize this use of "will" as universal will, then most people would miss the meaning of the line, IF this is what was meant by it.

So this is why I'm not convinced that this was the intended meaning for the line.

so we can agree that Maynard is associating "will" with "instinct"?
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