Okay, this is the last word from Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway.
Immaterial (im-uh-TEER-EE-uhl) [Latin im- without, not mÄteriÄlis; of, belonging to matter.]
adj.
- of no essential consequence; unimportant.
- not pertinent; irrelevant.
- not material; incorporeal; spiritual; having no material body or form.
Usage: Mr. Fletcher, retired, of the Treasury, Mrs. Gorham, widow of the famous K. C., approaached Him simply, and having done their praying, leant back, enjoyed the music (the organ pealed sweetly), and saw Miss Kilman at the end of the row, praying, praying, and, being still on the threshold of their underworld, thought of her sympathetically as a soul haunting the same territory; a soul cut out of immaterial substance; not a woman, a soul.
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More like this
Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence - neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish - it is an imponderably valuable gift.
- Maya Angelou
PZ tells us that the people in Kensington have strong opinions about who discovered North America, and you can learn about them at the Kensington Runestone Museum.
Over at Lapham's Quarterly, John Jeremiah Sullivan has
an excellent article on the subject of animal consciousness. Here's the opening:
D. James Kennedy, head mackerel of Coral Ridge Ministries, had a very serious heart attack last month. He seems to be recovering now, and let's all wish him well and encourage him to relax, enjoy the rest of his life, and stop standing up in pulpits and lying.