Ever noticed how the Gibson books seem to progress toward a living matrix? Like at the end of Neuromancer Case is talking to the AI and it says it has BECOME the net. And he even sees a little ghost of himself walking around in the matrix with Neuromancer and Linda Lee. Ok.. now in Virtual Light, there's the character (Security Guard with all the allergies whose name escapes me) who grew up in a trailer park that believes that God is in the TV. (Neuromancer?) In Idoru we have the "walled city" which is a virtual community created out of a shared killfile (with the help of Neuromancer?) There are other examples in his other books, but it's too early for me to recall them.
According to Gibson, the Neuromancer trilogy is a completely different universe and timeline from VL and Idoru. If you read the rest of the NM trilogy, you would know that the Wintermute/Neuromancer consciousness that "became" the net*(see spoiler at bottom) split up into many godheads, which were perceived by certain people as representations of the Hatian voodoo deities.
In that sense, "heaven" is merely the place where our spirit comes to contentment and bliss. Heaven is really just a state of mind, not a place you go when you die. Most humans live in a state of mind called "hell" because they choose to focus on the negatives.
I believe Plato defined immortality as how your actions during life are remembered by history. If you do good things, and many people remember you well for them, you are in heaven. If you do ill, and are infamous for such, you are in hell. If nobody remembers you, you are in limbo.
The "immortality" that the Finn achieves later in the trilogy is basically a more advanced version of this concept, in that his memories and intentions live on, although perhaps without that "spark" that we might call a human soul. The "immortality" and "omnipotence" that the Wintermute/Neuromancer consciousness achieved was a larger version of this, as the purpose of the Straylight run was to free it of it's programmed inhibitions, and allow it to use all the resources of the Net as its original programming (by Marie France Tessier) intended.
At any rate, I agree and disagree with the contention that god is in the net. I agree that people carry god with them;when enough people get together of like mind, they summon their shared god, in that they reinforce each others feelings and viewpoints.
On the light side, is there any doubt that a bunch of true believers at a baptist revival, asking for their god's blessings, will be uplifted simply by their shared experience? On a darker note, is there any doubt that those commiting the crimes of oppression and murder during the Inquisition did in fact feel that they were doing god's work, in that they were justified and reinforced by each other and the power of the church? This is where I am in agreement.
On the flip side, you might be able to tell I am in disagreement about the profundity of this idea, as I am an atheist. Yes, god is in the matrix, as much as in Jerusalem or anywhere humans of like minds interact, but it is a psychological construct, not a paranormal phenomenon. I'm not sure if I make myself clear, but those who have read and understood Illuminatus! will get it, specifically the appendix having to do with the education of Stella Maris.
* Spoiler! Look in mirror to decode, sorta.iruatneC ahplA raen, ten rehtona htiw etacinummoc dna etacol ot atad dna secruoser s'ti dezilitu ti taht ni ten eht emaceb ssensuoicsnoc recnamorueN/etumretniW ehT
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The "immortality" that the Finn achieves later in the trilogy is basically a more advanced version of this concept, in that his memories and intentions live on, although perhaps without that "spark" that we might call a human soul. The "immortality" and "omnipotence" that the Wintermute/Neuromancer consciousness achieved was a larger version of this, as the purpose of the Straylight run was to free it of it's programmed inhibitions, and allow it to use all the resources of the Net as its original programming (by Marie France Tessier) intended.
At any rate, I agree and disagree with the contention that god is in the net. I agree that people carry god with them;when enough people get together of like mind, they summon their shared god, in that they reinforce each others feelings and viewpoints.
On the light side, is there any doubt that a bunch of true believers at a baptist revival, asking for their god's blessings, will be uplifted simply by their shared experience? On a darker note, is there any doubt that those commiting the crimes of oppression and murder during the Inquisition did in fact feel that they were doing god's work, in that they were justified and reinforced by each other and the power of the church? This is where I am in agreement.
On the flip side, you might be able to tell I am in disagreement about the profundity of this idea, as I am an atheist. Yes, god is in the matrix, as much as in Jerusalem or anywhere humans of like minds interact, but it is a psychological construct, not a paranormal phenomenon. I'm not sure if I make myself clear, but those who have read and understood Illuminatus! will get it, specifically the appendix having to do with the education of Stella Maris.
* Spoiler! Look in mirror to decode, sorta .iruatneC ahplA raen, ten rehtona htiw etacinummoc dna etacol ot atad dna secruoser s'ti dezilitu ti taht ni ten eht emaceb ssensuoicsnoc recnamorueN/etumretniW ehT