mystic bourgeoisie: joan was quizzical

Studied metaphysical. Science in the park. I've always wondered what the Beatles were on about in that song. Quizzical about what? Joan who? Ah, but as with so many other questions in this life, we'll probably never know. The whole premise is epistemologically opaque.

Somewhere around here, I have a copy of Aristotle's Metaphysics. I've never read it, of course, but I understand it was fairly influential in its day. I was just browsing through this category on Amazon...

Books > Subjects > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Metaphysics

...to see if Aristotle (I forget his first name) shows up there. And I'm glad to report that he does -- but, as of this writing, at #77. That is, on the fourth page, with 20 hits per page. I tried to see how many books are listed overall, but it seems to be a lot. I quit at #400 -- the Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Locke on Human Understanding. I tried to read that once, but I couldn't understand a word. I suspect many others must have had the same problem with these metaphysicians, because books of this type rank pretty low in terms of Amazon sales -- except for Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre, which shows up on the first page at #9 (number nine... number nine...) and Being on Time by Martin Heidegger (who was a Nazi) at #17.

But look, I wasn't born yesterday. I don't think any of these are truly representative of the kind of metaphysical studies Joan was wont to engage in at the park. That's what research is all about, though: digging ever deeper and presenting one's findings to a panel of one's peers. And so, Valued Peers, having perused the Amazon Metaphysics category in a deeply analytical frame of mind, I submit the following sample, which aims to demonstrate, succinctly, what I found (numbers refer to sales rank)...

1.		The Holographic Universe ...explains in clear terms the theory and physics of holography and its application, both in science and in explanation of the paranormal and psychic.... recommended for science collections. ~Library Journal
2.		The Self-Aware Universe Consciousness, not matter, is the ground of all existence, declares University of Oregon physicist Goswami, echoing the mystic sages of his native India. He holds that... consciousness creates the physical world. ~Publishers Weekly
5.		The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are The individual may be understood... as an incarnation of the Self, of the Godhead, or whatever one may choose to call IT. ~ p. 78, author Alan Watts explaining "what Vedanta calls the Self, the One-without-a-second..."
13.		Mind into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit I consider Fred Alan Wolf one of the most important pioneers in the field of consciousness. This book could change the way you perceive the world. ~Deepak Chopra. (See author also in What the Bleep)
15.		Astral Dynamics: A New Approach to Out-of-Body Experiences I rarely see animals projecting in higher levels of the astral planes, although I frequently encounter them in lower regions, with pets often accompanying their human friends. ~the author, p. 23
18.		Secrets in the Fields: The Science and Mysticism of Crop Circles Silva, who has worked in graphic design and advertising for most of his professional life, conveys his keen passion for earth mysticism... ~Library Journal
24.		The Reincarnation of Edgar Cayce? Interdimensional Communication and Global Transformation ...there may be many other people incarnate on the planet whose Higher Selves are part of the Ra group or possibly other group souls. ~p. 15

So there you have it: metaphysics. It would seem that Joan was ahead of her time. But no quick-and-dirty overview of this hugely fascinating subject would be complete without my favorite: #30...