Interesting, Graham! Thanks for you insights. I posted the list above as a light-hearted invitation to ponder how different life would if those concepts were not part of our world-view. I found it almost impossible to imagine, and I find it fun to wonder about such unusual ideas. There's as many notions of 'fun' as there are people, it seems.

My intention was certainly not to start a scholarly discourse or argument about the book or it's author - just some whimsical entertainment - inspired by a thread called 'Every Wonder'. But I have discovered as a new member of Mudcat that not much can be said - or wondered about - on this forum without someone jumping on an unforeseen soapbox (or jumping down my throat!) Oh well, c'est la vie. Soapboxes can be fun too, at times. Arguments? Not fun, and usually a big waste of time and energy, in my experience.

By the way, here's a picture and some information about another so-called Indian Weed. native to Australia, India and Asia. Doesn't look like our Aussie friends smoke it though!

Happy wonderings!