[EVA] Moura interviews with Gainax people & others

[Gwern Branwen]

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 12:45 PM, Peter Svensson <sun1jack at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> We don't even know that their goals were
>> any kind of transcendence - why I linked that Olivier email...
>
> Any definition of transcendence that excludes the Human Complementation Project is a lousy one.

By which you mean the Instrumentality of Mankind, a secretive,
powerful organization which has as its motto 'Watch, but do not
govern; stop war, but do not wage it; protect, but do not control; and
first, survive!', is incompatible with the idea of colonizing other
planets so as to get some of humanity's eggs out of its only basket?

Oh wait, I've mixed up my fictional universes again. Zut!

On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 3:43 PM, Aaron Clark <aaronc1 at umbc.edu> wrote:
> If you want any further proof that you CANNOT just say that the religious
> aspects in Evangelion mean nothing, read this:
>
> http://www.crossroad.to/text/responses/Evangelion.htm

Watch: 'The religious aspects in Eva have no more meaning than the
technobabble.'

> People take religion very seriously.  You don't just dick around with
> someone's religion and then retcon it.  I'm sure there are people out
> there that would consider Evangelion as tantamount in offensiveness to
> Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ".
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ
>
> Also, you're not even allowed to talk about Evangelion over at Christian
> Anime Alliance.  Try convincing those people it "means nothing" while
> you're at it.

     "_Nego consequentiam_! I don’t see at all why I should have
respect for lies and frauds because other people are stupid. I respect
truth everywhere, and it is precisely for that reason that I cannot
respect anything that is opposed to it. My maxim is, _Vigeat veritas,
et pereat mundus_, the same as the lawyer’s _Fiat justitia, et pereat
mundus_. Every profession ought to have an analogous device."
--Schopenhauer

> My opinion is that people should enjoy fictional works like Evangelion as being harmless and innocuous, that it doesn't mean anything specific, as in it isn't commentary, but people should understand and be respectful to the religious elements that compose the show that have inherent meaning, even if they don't necessarily have any specific relevance to the plot.
> They still mean something, within and without the plot.  I still think saying "they mean nothing" is somewhat disrespectful and insensitive to where they originated from.
> Does that make sense?

I understand, but do not agree. I do not remember me or V arguing
anything like 'because the Lilith stories have little to do with the
NGE character, Lilith is a rabbinical fabrication with no connection
to actual history, theology, or faith and is silly nonsense'*.

So I have no idea why you are bringing up 'respect'. I hope no homies
will pop a cross in our asses for (not) dissing Jesus tha
mutherfooking Christ!

* although I do actually think the Lilith stories (and religions) are
nonsense, I am not interested in polluting this ML by rehashing the
atheism debate; my arguments are strictly about NGE.

-- 
gwern