Spinozan Implications Of the D.B. Way

by A.T.T.

Baruch Spinoza  Spinoza was one of the most important philosophers of the European tradition of rationalism.  He was born in Amsterdam in 1632, into a distinguished Jewish family exiled from Spain and living in the relative religious freedom of the Netherlands.  He became learned in the work of Jewish and Arabic theologians. However, contact with dissident Christian movements, and with the with the scientific and philosophical thought of Descartes, led Spinoza to distance himself from orthodox life, and in 1656 he was deemed a heretic, cast out of the synagogue.

Donnie Bob Belly is one of the curious-but not-particularly-important-so-far philosophers of the Texalina tradition of physical existentialism.  He was born in Dime Box, Texas, sometime between 1940 and 1960, into a family that tried to migrate from South Carolina to Florida, but wound up in Texas.  He became learned in the verbal traditions of Belly fuding and breeding thought.  However, Donnie Bob developed individual variations on Belly Ways that have been deemed heretical, incomprehensible, "purty tasty", "not bad", and "dadgum crazy".  No one seems to know just where Donnie Bob got those extra thoughts or how he got them.  Reading and inquiring conversation do not appear to have been prominent components of his methodology.   

On the surface, Baruch Spinoza and Donnie Bob Belly would seem to have nothing on common.  I sure missed it.  However, Dr. CM, an East Texalina observer of Texalina and Belly Ways, has pointed out there are actually some uncanny similarities, as well as maybe two or three canny ones.  When asked if he would like to elaborate on his observations, Dr. CM said, "The long answer is 'no.'"  An abiding East Texalina belief is that the less said about marginally-literate, eccentric West Texalinans, the better.  West Texalinans are encouraged to examine their own.

The primary similarity is a common focus on geometrical relationships.  Spinoza based his theories on what he called "The Geometrical Method,." a system based largely on Cartesian equations.  D.B. Belly relies as heavily on the more complex geometrical relationships that form belly shapes.  Belly form, and the forces that enhance optimal belly formation, are central to the D.B. approach.  The D.B. system is generally considered more complete.  As Karl Marx noted, "Even  with  philosophers  who  gave their  work  a  systematic form, e.g.  Spinoza,  the  real  inner  structure  of  their system is quite distinct from  the  form  in which they consciously presented it."  Presentation of form is of paramount importance in the D.B. Way.

There are other similarities that could be noted, and probably should be.  Too much noting in one note shot is considered dadgum poor form in West Texalina, however, so subsequent notes on this topic will just have to wait for another notation session.