4. Jon Campbell
5. MyDreamOfReality
5a. Haven't received a grade yet, http://mentallament.blogspot.com/
6. jon@joncampbell.net
7. Mental lament, http://mentallament.blogspot.com/
8. yes
9. yes
10.
Week 1 - Philosophy Films
I have to agree with what Soren Kierkegaard said, he said "I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations--one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it--you will regret both.", the general idea here is that whether you do or do not do something you will always have regrets. My favorite sang is "It is easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.".
This goes to show that most people will take your position more easily if its after the fact than before the fact, If you don't believe me try it out, its always easier to apologize than to ask for permission, and usually people are more receptive when you come to them with an apology.
Week 1 - Expert Lecture Posting
Before viewing the expert lecture on Aldous Huxley I really didn't know that much about the life and ideals of the famous Philosopher. After viewing the pseudo-documentary I have a better understanding as to what Philosophy is and where it is going. The film gave the viewer a real excitement about Philosophy and left the viewer looking for more.
There are a few comments I would like to make about the film, I did not understand why the film producer decided to produce the film in such an euphoric manner. I would think that Huxley's works would speak for themselves. The euphoric nuances of the film made it difficult to view in less than two sittings.
Week 2 - Assigned Reading Posting
Cosmic Inflation, the theory involving the rapid expansion of heavy particles that is believed to have shaped the universe as it appears today. One of the questions that people asked about the big
bang theory was "How is it possible that something so unlikely occurred in just the right place at the right time?", well thankfully this theory of inflation quenches that question with the following postulate:
The physical conditions from one moment to the next are stable, meaning the rate of expansion, called the Hubble Parameter, is nearly constant, which leads to high levels of symmetry. Hubble's law is a statement in physical cosmology which states that the redshift in light coming from distant galaxies is proportional to their distance.
Week 2 - Philosophy Films
I have two iterations and ideas are on the film "Gods too Decompose", one is the idea that this film portrays about god being a figure that one can loose or one could find around a corner, this idea that god is something that is tangible is I believe a somewhat new idea, something that the thinkers of the Renaissance era brought about in their daily contemplations of the universe and everything in it. I think this idea and many others have brought about the idea that we have outgrown god like a kid outgrows an old pair of pants or shoes, that we have killed god by loosing our naivete, our ideas of magic or wonder.
The second question or idea would be "Who or what will replace god now that he is dead?", this question is derived from the fact that all humans have ambitions and dreams, and god is one of those dreams, and what would happen to our dreams if god remains dead? I believe that god will be replaced by another form of god or religion, which will bring about the question "Was god ever dead in the first place?".
Week 2 - Expert Lecture
Lisa Randal is a leading physicist that has been building a theory of multiple dimensions, this theory is postulated on the idea that gravity as a force that is very weak in comparison to the other three forces. This theory states that there are multiple "Branes" of energy that would help explain why gravity is so weak a force in comparison of the other forces, she thinks that there is a heavy gravity Brane where all the remaining energy from gravity is located.
I would agree with this theory as one of the fundamental ideas of physics is that energy can not be destroyed, but only relocated to another form. If you work out the equations for the energy of gravity you come up sort, like the energy is disappearing, this makes no sense in the current ideas of physics.
Week 3 - Assigned Reading Posting
Meme theory is the theory that just like genes propagate through the gene pool via various methods (mainly sexual transmission), that memes (songs, fashion sense, and other ideas) propagate through society jumping from one brain to another. "When you plant a fertile meme in my mind you literally parasitize my brain, turning it into a vehicle for the meme's propagation in just the way that a virus may parasitize the genetic mechanism of a host cell." (Richard Dawkins 1989)
I find this meme theory very plausible and agree with this theory, as there has to be a vehicle of transferring ideas from one person to another. I think that the name of these "memes" should more precisely describe exactly what they do, but then again the term "gene" really doesn't describe what it is or what it means.
Sources: Richard Dawkins,1976, The Selfish Gene, 1989 edition, Oxford University Press
Week 3 - Expert Lecture Posting
The lecture I am going to retort on is the interview of Edward O. Wilson and his discussion of Consilience, Religion, and the Human Mind. The interview started off with the discussion of the Human mind and what exactly Consilience means. Consilience is the breaking down of complex problems into simpler problems and comparing these problems with the laws of physics, this is usually referred to as Reductionism (or Reductionist Projects). The interview progressed to speaking about the human mind and how the human mind works in regard to solving problems.
The last portion of the interview was about religion and Edward O. Wilson doesn't believe that God oversaw the evolution of man, and how he believes that man will be able to duplicate evolution in the lab in a few years. He also went over the idea that an eternity of bliss to the human mind would be boring and that he is comfortable with the fact that he will cease to exist when he dies, I agree with this idea, as I can't imagine what an eternity of anything would be like, and to compare it with what I have seen I think I would at least like something else for variety.
Week 3 - Philosophical Film Posting
My retort is on the ever constant battle between Evolution and Creationism, and has to deal with a quote from Francis Crick "A knowledge of the true age of the earth and of the fossil record makes it impossible for any balanced intellect to believe in the literal truth of every part of the Bible in the way that fundamentalists do". I have always questioned the validity of the Bible or other written religious works, and based on certain scientific finds we can discount the majority or the time tables in the Bible or other religious works.
One problem with questioning the validity of the timetables in these works is that once you can disprove one element of these works it becomes much easier to question the entire work, and question if there are other parts of these books that could also be invalid. I would like to see what scientific finds occur over the next twenty years that help to correct our understand of how we came to be and what struggles our ancestors had to overcome.
Sources: Francis Crick
Week 4 - Expert Lecture Posting
Steven Pinker believes that human evolution is very important when it comes to understanding the human brain, as he believes that the human brain has been evolving since the beginning of man. One of the topics that he discussed in this interview was why he believes the human brain evolved the way it did and the differences between the human brain and a machine. He thinks that the human brain evolved to the brain that we have today because of trade, and he backs this with the fact that humans build societies and enjoy the company of others than our own kin, which is different than most of the other species on this planet.
Steven Pinker also spoke about "Kin Selection", and what that particular idea and term means, he stated that most species on this planet only associate with their kin, and do not form communities or societies. They spoke about the "Selfish Gene" and what Dawkins meant in the idea of what a selfish gene would mean.
Week 4 - Assigned Reading Posting
This posting is on the "The Astonishing Hypothesis" published by Francis Crick in 1994. I agree with Crick that the human soul is nothing more than a fabrication that man has invented, as to why man has created this mythos I can only guess. I think that man needs to believe in the idea that there is life after death, isn't this why religion is so fascinating and why so many people believe that there is a soul. I believe that this idea that we will exist after death helps man continue his daily activities, helps man through life. Who would want to work a job 40 hours a week if there was nothing to look forward to at the end of the tunnel?
Another point that this Hypothesis introduces is that if all thought and awareness of man is a chemical process, wouldn't we be able to duplicate this process once technology advances to the point that we can further explore the human brain and nervous system?
Week 4 - Philosophical Film Posting
When we wake in the morning from the time that we go to bed, we think that we are in control of our body and what our body is doing. This film "A Glorious Piece of Meat" talks about the idea that the human consciousness is nothing more than the biological make up of our minds and nervous system (the network of neurons), I would have to disagree with this postulate, and since there is no proof on either side of the argument I have developed a few questions to help formulate ideas in the opposition. If the human consciousness is nothing more than a complex network of neurons why is it that one persons dreams and ambitions are different from another's? Why is it that siblings with generally the same biological make-up completely different? What reason would there be for the brain to create this guise of consciousness to fool us into thinking that we are more than we are?
In reality we are what we are, I believe that the brain creates this illusion of life to help us continue with our lives, and to help us accomplish our goals without the idea that we are only a biological machine and that we are nothing more than a biological machine. If you really think about it, what purpose would there be to invent a new space fairing plane or new storage medium, if all it was for was illusion? What reason would there be for a soul in a biological machine, as Francis Crick puts it "The soul is nothing more than a complex network of neurons".
Sources: Francis Crick
Week 5 - Expert Lecture Posting
One question I ask vegetarians when I meet them is, "Why are you a vegetarian, don't you know that a balanced diet includes a large amount of protein?", most reply with they are a vegetarian because they don't like the taste of meat, or that meat makes their stomach hurt. I feel for the animals in this film from P.E.T.A. just as much as the other people that watch this film do, but I think that first this film uses graphic images to portray the idea that all slaughter houses are like the ones in this film, which I know to be an incorrect fabrication, and that some of the acts in this film are illegal. One question that enters my mind after discarding the shock this film produces is, What would happen to the animals if we used the grain to feed third world countries, wouldn't they die? If we stopped eating meat, wouldn't we have a large cow and pig population problem on ours hands? If we did stop eating meat where would the increased amount of vegetables needed to feed the populace come from?
I don't think that the radicals at P.E.T.A. have actually thought about these questions, and what the ramifications would be if the nation stopped eating meat. I have a friend which usually helps me question the ideas of others and help them understand why they are doing what they are doing, his question to most vegetarians is "So its OK to eat vegetables because they don't scream, when you kill them?", this statement has a lot of meaning, and I think that the people that are behind the vegetarian movement should think about this, and what ethical questions come from the act of growing vegetables for slaughter.
Week 5 - Assigned Reading Post
Why is it that people are so easily swayed by the idea of peace? Why is it that the person that lays down his life protecting another is called a hero? I believe that violence is a natural reaction to challenge or danger, that is helped by the sudden burst of adrenaline , which is a natural defense mechanism of our bodies, I do not believe that the answer to all problems is to stand your ground and die if combated by violence. Gandhi states that it is better to reply to violence with violence than cowardice, what I don't agree with is that it is always the best thing to back down from a fight, in my personal experience it is possible to stand your ground and most adversaries will back down (usually 90%), some on the other hand will push the issue and a violent situation occurs.
It appears that Gandhi says something close to what I believe, but again he thinks that it is better to die than fight and stay alive, "Though violence is not lawful, when it is offered in self-defence or for the defence of the defenceless, it is an act of bravery far better than cowardly submission. The latter befits neither man nor woman. Under violence, there are many stages and varieties of bravery. Every man must judge this for himself. No other person can or has the right.". What are your opinions on these issues, would you let your adversaries kill you to prevent violence?
Sources: The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi
Week 5 - Philosophical Film Posting
The film Flame On was mainly based on the idea that our conceptions of ourself are usually not understood until our death, and that any idea can change scope with time. This idea is enforced with the fact that Proust was easily identifiable as a homosexual, but he would engage in arguments with anyone that decided to call him "gay", this trait of his wasn't really appreciated until after his death.
The idea that homosexuality was not shunned or frowned upon in the times of Greece, but shortly after it was an offense that was punishable by death. Throughout history we have seen that the opinion of society has changed, and the punishments for things of old have become pass times for the things of the future, today we are free to explore any religion or idea that we have an interest in, hopefully this policy will endure into the future.
Week 6 - Expert Lecture Posting
The turning point in Ramana Maharshi's life was in November of 1895 when he was introduced to Indian Philosophy. Just after this he was overcome by the idea that he was going to die. He asked what does death mean, and what is dieing? After this he was centered within on the supreme self, his union with god.
With these new experiences he no longer liked sports or anything that took away from the preoccupation of self awareness that was awakening in him. On August 29th 1896 two months after his awakening, he was trying to write out an English grammar exercise, after trying and failing he pushed aside the exercise, crossed his legs and started his meditation.
Source: Ramana Maharshi and Indian Philosophy
Week 6 - Assigned Reading Posting
What I believe Nicholas of Cusa means by the term "Learned Ignorance" is that at one point in any persons education, that person will come to the realization that they know very little about the subject that they are learning, or just how much someone else knows about the subject they have learned, usually after this point people either accept the fact that the have a lot to learn, or abandon the subject they were learning. People learn more by failure than they do by success, as they get more practice, and usually have to learn to correct the mistake that they made, in this one can really never be open to the idea that they are wrong, unless they are willing to admit that their own ignorance.
Nicholas of Cusa stated in his text about Learned Ignorance "Socrates seemed to himself to know nothing except that he did not know. And the very wise Solomon maintained that all things are difficult and unexplainable in words", with these two sentences I believe that Nicholas of Cusa is trying to tell people that it is alright to not know everything, and help them understand that usually after they admit that they do not know everything they can begin to learn.
Sources: Nicholas of Cusa, 1981, On Learned Ignorance, 1985 Edition, The Arthur J. Banning Press
Week 6 - Philosophical Film Posting
The film Inner Visions and Running Trains is about a realization that Baba Faqir Chand had in Iraq in 1919 at a military battle. There was a revolt by the local aborigine's that lead to a fierce battle. He was an inspector in the department of telegraphy and the railways. There were heavy casualties on both sides of the battle.
After a massive onslaught from the opposition his ranks were low on ammunition, and asked him to ask for a shipment of arms, they stated that if another onslaught like the one before occurred they would run out of ammunition and die. After he sent the request for ammunition he was visited by his guru, which told him that the enemy forces were going to come for their dead, but would not attack him, and to save their ammunition. He told the ranks what his guru had told him and the enemy only came for their dead, they did not engage.
Source: Inner Visions and Running Trains
11.
Steven Pinker believes that human evolution is very important when it comes to understanding the human brain, as he believes that the human brain has been evolving since the beginning of man. One of the topics that he discussed in this interview was why he believes the human brain evolved the way it did and the differences between the human brain and a machine. He thinks that the human brain evolved to the brain that we have today because of trade, and he backs this with the fact that humans build societies and enjoy the company of others than our own kin, which is different than most of the other species on this planet.
Steven Pinker also spoke about "Kin Selection", and what that particular idea and term means, he stated that most species on this planet only associate with their kin, and do not form communities or societies. They spoke about the "Selfish Gene" and what Dawkins meant in the idea of what a selfish gene would mean.
12.
I am not exactly sure what you meant by this question, as it is nonsensical, but I think that the question that you were asking is "Why is the theory of evolution beneficial to philosophers, and how does the idea of evolution aid most ideas of philosophy?", This is a good question, which I will answer in two parts. The idea of evolution benefits Religious philosophy in the fact that it helps to answer questions about our beings that are left unanswered by most religions, it helps us to understand where we might of come from, and where we might be going. It helps us understand the trials that our ancestors have endured and what we have endured as a race.
It helps Neuro Philosophers better understand how the brain works by looking at how the brain has evolved, and how the brain is evolving, which allows them to create postulates about what might be and what was. It helps us understand ourselves by examining our past, and allows us to better understand the species around us because we can see similarities in their biological makeup.
13.
Francis Crick does not believe in the human soul, because he believes that the soul is nothing more than a fabrication of man, nothing more than a network of neurons. In his text The Astonishing Hypothesis, Crick states the following: "His hypothesis, astonishing or not, is really quite simple: man has no soul, no spiritual self which transcends his/her physical frame. What we take to be the soul, Crick argues, is nothing more than a complex network of neurons. We are to the very core physical beings who have somehow deceived ourselves into believing that we are something more, something non-material, something transcendent."
I cannot agree or disagree with Crick as there is no proof of either the existence or lack of existence of the human soul. I would hope that mans soul does exist, as the idea that life is nothing more than the biological result of our bodies, is somewhat sad and disappointing.
14.
15.
To compare John Searle's and Ken Wilber's views we have to choose a subject, the subject I chose was "Cognitive Science", which is mostly about understanding mans consciousness. Ken Wilber has broken down consciousness into a four quadrant model, this model consists of intentional, behavioural, cultural, and social consciousness. His opinion on mans consciousness is that it is based on knowledge.
John Searle's opinion on consciousness is that it is a biological phenomenon, and he iterates this idea in this statement "We should think of consciousness as part of our ordinary biological history, along with digestion, growth, mitosis and meiosis. However, though consciousness is a biological phenomenon, it has some important features that other biological phenomena do not have". John Searle does not believe that consciousness is based on knowledge.
I personally would have to agree with Ken Wilber, as I have noticed in myself that my consciousness has changed with age, and the only attribute I can see that has changed with my aging is my knowledge and understanding of the world.
16.
The theme behind the film "A Glorious Piece of Meat" is the idea that Francis Crick wrote bout in his text "The Astonishing Hypothesis", the idea that man has no soul, and that mans conception of the soul is nothing more than a complex network of neurons. Francis Crick stated "We are to the very core physical beings who have somehow deceived ourselves into believing that we are something more, something non-material, something transcendent".
Any religious person would argue that man does have a soul, because it is impossible for man to be as complex as he is just by the reactions of the biological network of neurons that makes up our brains. They would argue that man is nothing without his soul and that the very idea that man has no soul is offensive and absolutely idiotic. I believe that any religious person would argue against this statement, because with the human soul most religions would be a lie.
17.
18.
What I believe Nicholas of Cusa means by the term "Learned Ignorance" is that at one point in any persons education, that person will come to the realization that they know very little about the subject that they are learning, or just how much someone else knows about the subject they have learned, usually after this point people either accept the fact that the have a lot to learn, or abandon the subject they were learning. People learn more by failure than they do by success, as they get more practice, and usually have to learn to correct the mistake that they made, in this one can really never be open to the idea that they are wrong, unless they are willing to admit that their own ignorance.
Nicholas of Cusa stated in his text about Learn Ignorance "Socrates seemed to himself to know nothing except that he did not know. And the very wise Solomon maintained that all things
are difficult and unexplainable in words", with these two sentences I believe that Nicholas of Cusa is trying to tell people that it is alright to not know everything, and help them understand that usually after they admit that they do not know everything they can begin to learn.
19.
Why is it that people are so easily swayed by the idea of peace? Why is it that the person that lays down his life protecting another is called a hero? I believe that violence is a natural reaction to challenge or danger, that is helped by the sudden burst of adrenaline , which is a natural defense mechanism of our bodies, I do not believe that the answer to all problems is to stand your ground and die if combated by violence. Gandhi states that it is better to reply to violence with violence than cowardice, what I don't agree with is that it is always the best thing to back down from a fight, in my personal experience it is possible to stand your ground and most adversaries will back down (usually 90%), some on the other hand will push the issue and a violent situation occurs.
It appears that Gandhi says something close to what I believe, but again he thinks that it is better to die than fight and stay alive, "Though violence is not lawful, when it is offered in self-defence or for the defence of the defenceless, it is an act of bravery far better than cowardly submission. The latter befits neither man nor woman. Under violence, there are many stages and varieties of bravery. Every man must judge this for himself. No other person can or has the right.". What are your opinions on these issues, would you let your adversaries kill you to prevent violence?
Sources: The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi
20.
The notion of the myth of eternal recurrence is more commonly referred to as reincarnation. In the film one question is raised, would you like to relive life over and over again for all eternity? I personally will be happy to die at the end of my life, I just hope to complete the tasks that I have set out for my life. In the film it portrays the messenger of this idea as a demon, and that in this recurring life you would feel pain after pain, but it leaves out the possibility that in this recurring life you could feel joy and pleasure over and over again.
Reliving these lives time and time again, times without number. Would it be a curse to have an unlimited amount of tries on life, or a blessing? What would you do differently next time, what would you do the same? Would life remain special, or would this diminish the experience?
21.
The film Flame On was mainly based on the idea that our conceptions of ourself are usually not understood until our death, and that any idea can change scope with time. This idea is enforced with the fact that Proust was easily identifiable as a homosexual, but he would engage in arguments with anyone that decided to call him "gay", this trait of his wasn't really appreciated until after his death.
The idea that homosexuality was not shunned or frowned upon in the times of Greece, but shortly after it was an offense that was punishable by death. Throughout history we have seen that the opinion of society has changed, and the punishments for things of old have become pass times for the things of the future, today we are free to explore any religion or idea that we have an interest in, hopefully this policy will endure into the future.
22.
23.
24.
The film Inner Visions and Running Trains is about a realization that Baba Faqir Chand had in Iraq in 1919 at a military battle. There was a revolt by the local aborigine's that lead to a fierce battle. He was an inspector in the department of telegraphy and the railways. There were heavy casualties on both sides of the battle.
After a massive onslaught from the opposition his ranks were low on ammunition, and asked him to ask for a shipment of arms, they stated that if another onslaught like the one before occurred they would run out of ammunition and die. After he sent the request for ammunition he was visited by his guru, which told him that the enemy forces were going to come for their dead, but would not attack him, and to save their ammunition. He told the ranks what his guru had told him and the enemy only came for their dead, they did not engage.
Source: Inner Visions and Running Trains
25.
26.
27.
Why turn vegetarian? The film from the radical group know as P.E.T.A. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), had many reasons to change your eating habits, and they represented these reasons visually, mostly with offensive imagery of cruelty to animals. A few reasons portrayed in the film were To prevent the killing of animals for use as a food source, to better allocate the nations food supply that is used to feed these animals, eating meat is one of the leading causes of heart disease (This is not confirmed by the FDA), because eating meat and dairy makes you fat (also not confirmed by the FDA), and because eating meat can cause impotence (again, not confirmed by the FDA).
Notice that some of these statements are not backed by scientific discovery or fact, but ficticious statements and rumors. Most of the reasons that P.E.T.A. give are indeed ethical questions about the treatment of animals in slaughter houses and the overall treatment of animals in the food industry. One thing I do not understand is why P.E.T.A. sways from its ethical statements to statements of health and fabrication.
28.
The turning point in Ramana Maharshi's life was in November of 1895 when he was introduced to Indian Philosophy. Just after this he was overcome by the idea that he was going to die. He asked what does death mean, and what is dieing? After this he was centered within on the supreme self, his union with god.
With these new experiences he no longer liked sports or anything that took away from the preoccupation of self awareness that was awakening in him. On August 29th 1896 two months after his awakening, he was trying to write out an English grammar exercise, after trying and failing he pushed aside the exercise, crossed his legs and started his meditation.
Source: Ramana Maharshi and Indian Philosophy
29. My Favorite Expert Lecture film that I watched this semester was the very first film I watched, the one about Aldous Huxley and his views, called "Aldous Huxley on Man's Search for Truth".
30. My Favorite Philosophical film that I watched this semester was the film about atoms, called "Little Things That Jiggle".
31. My favorite reading this semester was "The Astonishing Hypothesis" written by Francis Crick.
32. The most unusual thing I learned this semester is that most Philosophical interviews and text are mostly filled with the ramblings of intellectuals, and that in these texts there are a few great ideas, but these texts are mostly made up of filler.
