Notre-Dame is burning!

1. The Notre Dame in Assassin's Creed: Unity was so accurate it may be used to help reconstruct the real thing.
This is not really a thing. Hence the "may", which is really a "won't".

Caroline Miousse and the peeps at UbiSoft Montreal did an amazing job of recreating the interior of Notre Dame in AC: Unity, yes. Apparently it was the work of two years, and the result was spectacular; for all its launch-date flaws, Unity's visual fidelity was outstanding and a testament to the work of Miousse and her art team. With that said, nobody is actually pushing this idea except for r/gaming. (It has been widely mocked on, say, a certain other subreddit.) Notre Dame's reproduction in a video game environment was an impressive achievement in the context of video games. But the reconstruction authority has literally millions of images of the cathedral created over the last several centuries to source the layout of the cathedral. Nobody official has said anything about Unity being used for obvious reasons, so all of the news articles suggesting it are effectively unsourced. Another example of social media creating its own news cycle out of vapor and dust.

It seems likely that the precise laser scans of the late Andrew Tallon, Hannah Groch-Bagley, and their group of art historians would actually be used by the reconstruction authority. Such scans would be significantly more useful for architectural purposes, being fairly exact and specific measurements. And unlike Unity, the scans provide information that we didn't already have before.

To be clear, it doesn't seem like anybody official has evinced much interest in these scans yet, either. That, too, is pure speculation. But based on its own merits, it's more likely than using AC: Unity.
 
It's neat that the whole comparing outgroups to animals, taxing churches and pissing about bills while not worrying about related cheques is at home here. Just when the world is getting you down and you think Kirk Lazarus might be right, you realize there are still people dedicated to doing things proper thorough all the way.

This story has been hard to watch. I'm sure the French and friends will make the best of this that can be had. It's just a building, true, but it still means something decent to a lot of folks everywhere. Thinking of ya.
 
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This is not really a thing. Hence the "may", which is really a "won't".

Caroline Miousse and the peeps at UbiSoft Montreal did an amazing job of recreating the interior of Notre Dame in AC: Unity, yes. Apparently it was the work of two years, and the result was spectacular; for all its launch-date flaws, Unity's visual fidelity was outstanding and a testament to the work of Miousse and her art team. With that said, nobody is actually pushing this idea except for r/gaming. (It has been widely mocked on, say, a certain other subreddit.) Notre Dame's reproduction in a video game environment was an impressive achievement in the context of video games. But the reconstruction authority has literally millions of images of the cathedral created over the last several centuries to source the layout of the cathedral. Nobody official has said anything about Unity being used for obvious reasons, so all of the news articles suggesting it are effectively unsourced. Another example of social media creating its own news cycle out of vapor and dust.

It seems likely that the precise laser scans of the late Andrew Tallon, Hannah Groch-Bagley, and their group of art historians would actually be used by the reconstruction authority. Such scans would be significantly more useful for architectural purposes, being fairly exact and specific measurements. And unlike Unity, the scans provide information that we didn't already have before.

To be clear, it doesn't seem like anybody official has evinced much interest in these scans yet, either. That, too, is pure speculation. But based on its own merits, it's more likely than using AC: Unity.

Jesus, dude, do you know everything about everything? :yeah:
 
Thanks. I guess we disagree on key points. I certainly see the world as a better place now than 1000 years ago. I think more people are in less pain and struggle less now than in the past. I also think that we are ethically pretty similar, but a more global world with improved communications and travel just allow for more opportunities to do good and to do ill towards others. Well, I hope you are making an effort to join with one of the groups you see doing better than the rest of us.

Obviously the world was better 1000 years ago.
For starters, in 1019 Byz Empire was #1 and Thessalonike was certainly in the top 10 euro cities, possibly in the top5.

Oh, you meant for barbarians too. In that case it is better now :)
 
Jesus, dude, do you know everything about everything? :yeah:

One could almost hope he'd go into teaching. Coolest future principle ebarrrrr!
 
France is a disgusting country that I wouldn't put any horror past.
And that makes them a disgusting nation? Unlike Stonehenge, which is certainly pre British/English identity, ND has always been French. French atheism is pretty recent and not all French are atheists. You should chat with @Marla_Singer about this.
As I've been called on that, I would give an answer.

Modern French values are the heritage of both Christianism and Cartesianism. They don't come out of nowhere. From catholicism, we have grown the idea that Humanity was universal, from Cartesianism (and his descendants who are the Enlightenment philosophers), we have grown the idea that humans need to have equal rights in order to have equal dignity.

I haven't been baptized, and as a kid when I asked to my mother "who is God?", she answered me "an imaginary friend invented by people fearing death". So yeah, I've basically grown up as an atheist and I am still. Despite this, my moral values, those in which I strongly believe, are still inherited from the christian spirituality.

I don't see the growth of atheism in Europe since the 18th century as a denial of religious values. French revolutionaries had severe issues with temporal governance of the 18th century Catholic church, they had issues as well with the superstitious artefacts it used to affirm its ruling, but they didn't rejected principles inherited from Christian spirituality. As a matter of fact, the core element to the French Revolution, the declaration of Human Rights, which has caused some animosity among the country's neighbours, was declared under the auspices of the Supreme Being, and His Holy Spirit is even pictured above it.

Spoiler :
All this to say that modern European atheism should better be seen as an evolution of christianism rather than a mere denial of it. Mouthwash, you were saying that men were, to you, better 1000 years ago than they are now. However, my only question would be: is it better that one bases his moral values on superstitions or on rational thinking?

Told differently, should we behave good because we fear to burn in hell, or because we've convinced ourselves that hurting others was not a smart idea? As a matter of fact, I don't believe modern christians would disagree the second option is indeed the better, yet 1000 years ago, it's more the first option which was prevailing.
 
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Building have to be maintained, and if the state takes them over, it falls upon it to maintain them. Or assume responsibility for its destruction.

Also, the damn building is a church, what else would you use if for, a garage? It's so evidently absurd to complain that the church is "fleecing" people for maintenance without proving that the money is not actually going for maintenance, that I too suspect trolling. Some people here would fit right in with Napoleon's horde of french vandals back n the 19th century.

Speaking of such, what is Macron talking about, new times and new materials? A competition? Is he going to plant a crystal obelisk on top of the altar replacing the spire or what?
 
As I've been called on that, I would give an answer.

Modern French values are the heritage of both Christianism and Cartesianism. They don't come out of nowhere. From catholicism, we have grown the idea that Humanity was universal, from Cartesianism (and his descendants who are the Enlightenment philosophers), we have grown the idea that humans need to have equal rights in order to have equal dignity.

Just wanted to note that, philosophically, this isn't accurate, Marla. For a few reasons:
1) Descartes doesn't see himself as a philosopher; in fact he hated philosophers. That much is easy to find spelled out in his texts, and certainly in his two treatises on philosophy/method. Furthermore - unlike, say, Kant - Descartes never seems to have actually read much philosophy.
2) Descartes was full catholic. His idea of god isn't philosophical in the slightest and ended up making him a bit of a joke in the history of philosophy. His "proof that god exists" is also rather cringe-inducing and circular.
3) The "Enlightment philosophers" aren't directly descended from Descartes; Hume for example is entirely antithetical, while Kant reacts to Hume and not to Descartes.
4) Equal rights/universalism of humanity isn't a Cartesian idea (not sure what gave you such an impression; it is an idea millenia older than Descartes; even Alex the great can be tied to it).
 
it is an idea millenia older than Descartes).

Oh? Do tell...

All this to say that modern European atheism should better be seen as an evolution of christianism rather than a mere denial of it.

This is actually a great way to put into words something I've been thinking about for a while, so thanks.
 
Oh? Do tell...

There are many thinkers who suggest universal humanity. Eg even Socrates does so when he argues that a servant, a person who had no formal education, can understand math concepts if people just bother to present them to him.
Alex the great apparently thought there could be a greek-persian-other society without castes (it didn't happen in reality, of course).
(just two examples)
 
There are many thinkers who suggest universal humanity. Eg even Socrates does so when he argues that a servant, a person who had no formal education, can understand math concepts if people just bother to present them to him.

I'm more interested in the 'equal rights' part.
 
All spartan homioi had equal rights ^_^
(and women controlled the money in that society)
You've never heard about Helots?

Kyriakos, there's no doubt the European civilization has been founded in Greece, and the Greek influence went even far beyond in the Middle East and Northern Africa, but trust me you have more useful fights than arguing about Greeks establishing the universalism of mankind. Jesus among many others I guess would probably have a better argument.

But anyway, we're moving away from Our Lady of Paris. :)

For now people are saying it seems to stand well. The major risk at this stage would be the scaffolding to collapse because of strong winds. I hope they'll remove it fast.
 
You've never heard about Helots?
Homoioi were definitionally not helotes (or paroikoi, etc.). They were "Equals", or full citizens. They, and nobody else, had claim to equal rights in Lakedaimon.

The comment was presumably made tongue-in-cheek.
 
It is easier for people to give money for clearly defined projects that have an easy seen results. And then later they can go see what they paid for.
 
Just a short comment about the fire by a gal with French Roots:

 
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