I’d like to make one thing very clear from the beginning: no animals were harmed in the making of this blog. (If this tongue-in-cheek claim doesn’t bring at least a trace of a smile, please keep reading. In the paragraphs below I briefly explain what augury is, as well as the role it plays in my blog title.)
Augury is a form of divination: yet one more example of humankind’s efforts to solicit the counsel and guidance of supernatural forces. Contrary to popular misconceptions, however, an augur does not predict the future; neither does he or she determine in advance what action should be taken in a particular situation. Instead, as the crowd-sourced wisdom of Wikipedia can attest, an augur looks for signs -- a process known as ”taking the auspices” -- indicating whether or not a plan already decided upon should proceed.
(The distinction is not insignificant. After all, humans are possessed of free will, and our capacity for blithe self-determination lends an air of . . . well, unpredictability to most any situation. Indeed, considering our recorded history, it’s hard to believe there are divinities out there willing to accept credit for our behavior. What gods may exist must rightly view our species askance . . . and from a distance. Honestly, if they haven’t decided to engrave our doom in stone already, it’s because they’re leaving that task to us.)
To continue my definition: the word augur has both generic and specific meanings. In the most general sense, using a variety of methods, augurs determine whether a proposed action will meet with the approval of the gods. For example, a haruspex sacrifices animals and “reads” their entrails; a cartomancer interprets layouts of ordinary playing cards, or more recently, the tarot; still other forms of divination find omens using coins, dice, books, etc. -- each according to their own customs, and each characterized by their own jargon. And finally, an augur (in the most ancient and specific sense of the word) identifies portents by observing the behaviors of birds. (Hmm, does that mean our two cats are augurs...?)
Unlike its arcane and venerable analogues, Blaugury will employ none of these practices -- especially animal sacrifices! -- to take the (modern) auspices. It will not seek benediction from any pantheon of deities, nor be constrained by any formal religious tenets; it will not invoke the participation of mythic entities of any color or stripe. Instead, this blog will focus principles of logic, reasoning and common sense to examine both established and emergent trends, social, political and technological. It will use the products of science and the tools of mind to try and analyze the net impact of these trends upon the collective health and well-being of our species and our planet.
Of course, it’s also appropriate to say Blaugury will offer a more reality-based examination of this nexus of ideas than that which runs through my science fiction/fantasy series “The Merlin Protocol.” The reader may also take comfort in knowing this survey won’t rely solely on the contents of my own modest tool belt. I’ll expand upon that notion in my next post.
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