Sonnettics

It’s possible to interpret The Rime of the Ancient Mariner as an anti-slavery poem, though Coleridge never explicitly stated that it was written with that intention. However, several scholars have argued that the poem’s themes—guilt, suffering, and moral reckoning—resonate with contemporary abolitionist discourse.

Evidence for an Anti-Slavery Reading:
1. The Mariner’s Crime and Guilt:
   - The killing of the albatross could symbolize the destruction of innocence and the moral blindness of those who participated in the slave trade.
   - The Mariner's suffering and lifelong penance may reflect the deep moral stain that Coleridge believed slavery left on individuals and society.

2. The "Nightmare Life-in-Death" and the Slave Ship Imagery:  
   - The ghostly ship with Life-in-Death and Death gambling for the Mariner’s soul has been compared to the horrific conditions aboard slave ships.
   - The description of the "rotting" ship and the suffering of the crew may evoke the inhumane treatment of enslaved people during the Middle Passage.

3. Connection to Abolitionist Language:  
   - Coleridge was well aware of abolitionist literature and had condemned slavery in his essays and letters.
   - Some of his contemporaries, like William Wordsworth and Robert Southey, wrote more explicitly against slavery, and he was part of the same intellectual circle.

4. Moral and Spiritual Awakening:  
   - The Mariner's redemption only begins when he recognizes the beauty of the natural world, which could parallel the idea that those complicit in slavery must come to see the humanity of the enslaved.

Possible Counterarguments:
- The poem is deeply allegorical, and Coleridge may have been more focused on broader themes of sin, punishment, and redemption rather than slavery specifically.
- Unlike some of his contemporaries, Coleridge never directly linked the poem to abolition in his writings.

Conclusion:
While The Rime of the Ancient Mariner may not have been written explicitly as an anti-slavery poem, its themes align with abolitionist concerns. Given Coleridge’s personal opposition to slavery, it’s plausible that his views influenced the poem’s imagery and moral lessons.

Which day is the “birth” day of the United States of America? 

Analogously, birthing a nation is like birthing a baby. 

Neither a country, nor a baby is “born” until its body is completely out of the mother’s body.

(And yes, there is blood and pain and crying and swearing in both instances.)

The “birth” of our country took 13 years and selecting a birthday depends on perspective:

September 5, 1774 the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. (contractions)

July 4, 1776 Signing of the Declaration of Independence. (checking into the hospital)

September 3, 1783. The Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War and acknowledged the sovereignty of the United States. (delivery)

September 17, 1787 Constitution Day, commemorating the signing of the United States Constitution. (creation of birth certificate)

So, I vote for September 3rd, the day the United States was completely out of “mother” Britain’s body. 

Happy “Checking Into the Hospital Day” everyone!

It’s me you see the Kilted Sonneteer
My life is thus composed iambically
My feet are shod to take me far or near
I am a Kilted Sonneteer you see

A kilt to honor sonneteers of yore
Like Burns who dealt with bullshit from “the crown”
A tribute to the kilt he never wore
In dress or verse I’d never let him down

My songs are often metered by my kilt
My kilt a simple metaphoric line
Come look and see the sonnets I have built
The title “Kilted Sonneteer” is mine

And thus I share my sonnets far and near
Because I am The Kilted Sonneteer

Faith: Because in a world which requires us to choose between fantasy and reality, sometimes it just feels good to lie to oneself.

It can be argued that intelligence can never be truly artificial from a semantic point of view. The argument hinges on the definition and inherent meaning of "intelligence" and "artificial."
Etymological Perspective:


"Intelligence" comes from the Latin intelligentia, which implies understanding, perception, and discernment—qualities traditionally associated with conscious beings.
"Artificial" derives from artificialis, meaning "made by art" or human craft. It suggests something constructed rather than naturally occurring.
Meaning and Authenticity:
 If intelligence is defined as a process of reasoning, adaptation, and understanding, then calling it "artificial" implies it is a simulation rather than the real thing. This aligns with the idea that machines do not understand in the way humans or animals do—they process information without true awareness or intentionality.


Analogy to Other Artificial Concepts:


"Artificial leather" mimics leather but is not genuine leather.
"Artificial flowers" resemble real flowers but lack the biological processes of growth and reproduction.
By this logic, "artificial intelligence" may only mimic intelligence rather than truly possess it.
The Chinese Room Argument (John Searle):
 This philosophical thought experiment argues that a system (such as AI) can manipulate symbols to appear intelligent without actually understanding them. If intelligence necessarily involves understanding, then what AI exhibits is not real intelligence but a sophisticated simulation.


Function vs. Essence:
 If intelligence is purely defined by function (solving problems, learning from data), then AI might qualify as intelligent. But if intelligence is defined by intrinsic qualities like consciousness, self-awareness, and intentionality, then artificial intelligence remains an oxymoron.


From a semantic standpoint, then, intelligence—if it implies something organic, conscious, or self-aware—can never be truly artificial, only imitated.
Furthermore, "artificial intelligence" can be considered semantically oxymoronic depending on how one defines "intelligence."
An oxymoron occurs when two words with seemingly contradictory meanings are combined, creating a paradoxical phrase. Let's break it down:
Artificial (adj.) – Man-made, synthetic, not occurring naturally. It often connotes imitation rather than genuine essence.
Intelligence (n.) – The capacity for understanding, reasoning, and learning, typically associated with conscious, living beings.
Why It Might Be Oxymoronic:
If "intelligence" inherently requires understanding, consciousness, or self-awareness, then pairing it with "artificial" (which implies an absence of those qualities) creates a contradiction.
Similar to "synthetic authenticity" or "genuine fake," the phrase suggests something that both is and is not intelligence.
Why It Might Not Be Oxymoronic:
If intelligence is defined functionally (as the ability to process information, recognize patterns, and make decisions), then an artificial system could be considered intelligent, making the phrase coherent.
The term is now widely accepted and understood to mean machine-based cognitive functions, even if those functions differ from human cognition.
Conclusion:
Semantically, "artificial intelligence" leans toward being an oxymoron if one views intelligence as requiring organic consciousness. However, in everyday usage, the term has become conventionalized, making the contradiction less apparent.