Final exam
3b. I think I deserve a C+ or B-. I wouldn’t give myself an A because I feel like there is still more for me to understand. Philosophy is a very broad subject and it was very difficult to get a grasp on a lot of the concepts talked about throughout this course.
4. Monique Paramo
5. I never received a grade for my midterm. I emailed it to you on a word document. I have uploaded it to the website on #7
6. moniqueparamo@gmail.com
7. http://moniqueparamo.blogspot.com/
8. yes
9. yes, with the exception of Dennett’s video
10.
11. Pinker believes that evolution is important in understanding human behavior because he believes that it is important for people to understand why they act they way they do. He believes that some of our traits have been passed down through generations and these traits explain why we act the way we do.
He wants to answer why the elements of behavior, consciousness, and morality are what they are and how they came about. Through reason and logic, we have discovered a certain basis of morality and have adapted our lives to it.
12.The theory of evolution is helpful in studying philosophy because philosophy is such a broad subject, it is at the basis of everything. It is a necessity for science to exist and to explain certain things that philosophy addresses.
I have stated before that philosophy is the study of inquiries and finding the answer to “why?” The theory of evolution helps us ask and answer the question of “why?” when we wonder why we exist, why are we here, how did we get here, and even “How?”
13. Francis Crick does not believe in a soul because we have conned ourselves into believing something that there is no proof of. What we do have proof of is being composed of neurons.
Crick, in “The Astonishing Hypothesis” argues that conscience is made up of “a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules.” To support his point, he brings up how most of us “believe” there is a little person inside of us that tells us what to do and what not to do. He calls this the “Fallacy of the Homunculus.
14. Some major issues behind the nuero-ethical argument for vegetarianism are the idea of pain and feeling morally wrong which is why humans don’t eat other humans. We tend to associate what we eat with pain, therefore, we do not know what it’s like to be a chicken, and as a result, we eat chicken.
15. Ken Wilber's view of consciousness differ from John Searle's views. According to Searle, consciousness is varies and is based on the individual person. Searle's theory states that "consciousness is a real subjective experience, caused by the physical processes of the brain. Wilber believes that consciousness is a physical process—that not only the biological process of neurons
and groups of neurons is responsible of explaining the concept of consciousness.
I find that even though both don’t believe in a soul, I am leaning more towards agreeing with Wilber than with Searle because of his model. I think it covers more and answers more concerns. It is more inclusive.
16. The theme behind the movie “Glorious Piece of Meat” addresses the limitations of the “I” and even though we can do so much and have advanced as much as we have, we still have limitations and ambiguities.
The speaker was listing all of the things that “he(I)” doesn’t do like making his heart beat, blinking, sleeping, waking up, creating antibodies, etc. He states that the “I” doesn’t do a whole lot of anything and that we believe the “I” to be more powerful than “we” really are.
17. Sam Harris is very critical of religion. His strongest arguments include comparing religion to war. I think this is a very strong argument because in looking back on history, we will find that religion has been at the root for a lot of the wars. Even now post-9/11, we can see that religion has played a role in such a historical event that is still going on.
I didn’t find a lot of weaknesses in his argument because religion also doesn’t have any borders and we continue to see that today. People from almost every religion, at one point or another, try to convert others to their religion. It is part of what can make religion so dangerous. It has to do with control. Controlling how people live, from the way they dress, to what they eat.
18. Nietzsche genealogy of morals goes back to how we attain the morals that we have now. Morals are values that people live by and because we are so different, people live by different moral codes.
Nietzsche compares philosophers and their moral codes to trees that bear fruit. The fruit of the trees are the morals or pearls of wisdom that we can chose to live by, or eat that certain fruit from that certain tree. If we decide that we don’t like the fruit from that tree, we can chose to eat from another tree.
19. Gandhi believed in ahisma—nonviolence because causing harm to another living thing would be bad karma. He also believed that if everyone adopted ahisma as a way of life, then the world would and could be free of all war.
20. Nietzsche’s notion of eternal recurrence states that the eternal hourglass of existence will be turned again and again and again and you will be a part of it. I think this video is speaking for advancement and against redundancy. Life being redundant and being lived the same over and over will be boring and we will remain stagnant.
I think that is why the film was broken into two parts. The first part consisted of the same images over and over—things that are familiar. The video then ends with undiscovered frontiers—Mars, Earth, and space. Although we already know a little about them, there are untapped sources that still need to be discovered. There is a life of progress and advancement.
21. The ironic theme in the movie “Flame On” lies in sarcasm and the film’s ironic tone. It starts off as a propaganda piece that looked like it was put together in the age of conservatism like the 1950s and the “Leave It To Beaver” era. It then started taking a sarcastic turn when it began to show very notable and respected people in different professions like philosophers and writers like Walt Whitman—people whose talents cannot be denied.
I also liked the way the film ended by using the quote that “truth is not part of the proceedings.” And I think that that is something that gets lost in the midst of a lot of things. A lot of times people focus on people’s characteristics or personal lives instead of their accomplishments. Following the saying about truth with a list of notable homosexuals is a reminder that a person’s sexuality doesn’t hinder or enhance a person’s value.
22. the Daniel Dennett video did not work.
23. Betrand in a “Free Man’s Worship” states that man has created the notion that God is the creator of everything that is good. If we sacrifice for God, we will see some sort of reward.
He adds that everything in this life is nothing but the end result of atoms. Everything that happens and everything we do is the accidental result of moving and colliding atoms.
24. The overall theme of the movie “Inner Visions and Running Trains” is that God or a higher power comes in many forms and is created in the mind. Chand believes that all gurus are ignorant about the real cause of the miracles and visions attributed to them. This realization first dawned on him during a military battle in Iraq in 1919.
He says that during the battle and seeming to be in a weakened position with his troops preparing for battle with very little ammunition, he began to worry until he had a vision of his guru advising him not to worry and that the opposing army was just going to come by to pick up their dead. Upon returning, he was being praised and worshipped for saving the lives of his soldiers.
25. Nicholas of Cusa terms the phrase “learned ignorance.” Learned ignorance is defined as something that people are ignorant about but they are taught to believe to be true. There have been many instances of learned ignorance. Some of the most familiar examples of learned ignorance are the earth being flat and the sun revolving around the earth—the earth being the center of the cosmos or universe.
Its implications for my own life are mostly based on everyday fallacies, but I would say the biggest implication this term has on my life is in the place of religion and my faith. Although I wouldn’t use the word “ignorant” to describe myself or my faith, I can see how some might use it to describe me especially since I don’t have solid proof that God exists, my faith is strong enough to believe that God does exist.
26. By Neural Darwinism, Edelman refers to a nueral goup selection that occurs in the brain. It’s similar to evolution and natural selection of ideas that take place in the brain instead of genes with natural selection and evolution. It’s how different neurons in the brain form different structures and groups within the brain.
Second nature is a state of consciousness. Not sleep or coma. Language would be a concept of second nature.
27. People should turn vegetarian due to the ethics and morals behind causing harm and killing another living thing. Ethically, people believe it is wrong to do so. Some of it has to do with the pain that animals go through and once we realize that, some people have decided to turn vegetarian.
Some arguments against vegetarianism would be the theory of natural selection and the order of the food chain. As humans, we are superior to cows and other animals. It’s all a process of life. Other arguments could use the Bible for support that the animals were created “for” Adam and Eve and to be used as “food.” Another reason would be for the economy. America has a lot invested in the cattle industry, and thirdly to satisfy nutrition.
28. The turning point in Ramana Maharshi’s life was what he gained form a near death experience. He learned that when a person dies, the person’s soul continues to thrive.
29. Gandhi’s double shame was when his father was terminally ill. Gandhi was always at his father’s side taking care of him, but he would think of his wife and had carnal desires. She was pregnant at the time and so one night, he left to be with his wife and wasn’t present at his father’s bedside when he passed away. Gandhi felt shame that he chose his carnal desires—to be with his wife instead of with his ailing father. His wife was pregnant and when the baby died, Gandhi felt responsible for abandoning his father to be with his pregnant wife. He blamed himself for both deaths.
I don’t think Gandhi would have a different view of that event if he lived during our era because I think he would still have the same beliefs and same principles that made him who he was.
30.
31. The author’s overall thesis in “Is My i-phone Conscious” is that the idea of our conscious is nothing but a bunch of neurons acting and moving a certain way. To understand the conscious isn’t a “philosophical problem.” It’s a “technical problem.”
The sound-grenade application is an illustrative example of how people have different levels of consciousness. I think this can explain why he, his brother, and a student were immune to the sound that was so hard to stomach.
32.
33. Tolstoy had a somewhat dark outlook on life and its “meaning.” He was famous and well-respected and had many things to be happy about. He also reflected on suicide.
He believed that suicide was a sign of strength and that it was the strongest mental state of a human. This belief seems to counter how suicide is viewed by most. Although it requires an extraordinary amount of passion to end one’s own life, it is viewed as a cowardly act due to the notion that suicide is an “easy” way out as opposed to facing the problems or circumstances that have led to such an act.
34. My favorite expert film lecture this term was by Aldous Huxley. 1984 by George Orwell is one of my favorite books that I’ve read. I haven’t read it since high school in 1996, but it has stayed with me ever since. Watching his interview gave me insight to how things are, how they used to be, and how they might get. It cause me to think a lot about where we are and where we’re going. I also want to read “Brave New World.”
35. My favorite movie this term was “Flame On” due to its sarcasm and ironic tone. It just reinforces the idea that society can choose to focus on the wrong things, like a person’s sexual orientation, instead of the important things that they have contributed to society.
36. My favorite reading was on Gandhi. He has been a very iconic figure in history and I have always wanted to read more about him. I think it’s amazing how he was able to accomplish so much by preaching about love and nonviolence. Very inspirational.
37. The most unusual thing I learned this term was how science and philosophy are connected and intertwined. I never thought of them being so closely connected. I always thought of philosophy of a more abstract art whereas science being pretty straightforward and concrete. I was also not familiar with the different branches of philosophy that are science-based. Although I knew that philosophy encompassed a lot of different areas, the relation to science was eye opening.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
midterm
Midterm
4. Monique Paramo
5. user name – moniqueparamo
6. email – moniqueparamo@gmail.com
7. http://moniqueparamo.blogspot.com/
8. Yes
9. Yes, with the exception of expert lecture 1 for week 2. The video wasn’t available.
10.
11. Lisa Randall believes that there may be many more dimensions than we presently know in current physics because we have to take into account the way gravity factors into everything. Gravity can change the dimensions. She uses an example of a bathroom and a shower with a shower curtain. She adds that the room is 3 dimensional and asks us to take into account the water drops that may be on the shower curtain. Those drops are there because of gravity and asks us how gravity affects these. She also addresses the laws of physics in space and whether things can change in space time.
12. Pythagoras believed in reincarnation and that one would continue to reincarnate until the person became immortal. He believed philosophy and religion were connected.
13. I tend to agree that religion and philosophy are compatible with one another. Adams from UCLA states that “Science is a human activity which proceeds on certain principles, has certain institutions, and serves certain functions of human life. It has produced a large body of beliefs which are widely held among our society.” And in a nutshell, religion attempts at doing these same things. These principles can be the Ten Commandments in Christianity or the way to live in “the Tao.” Religion is founded on certain principles which are supposed to serve as functions to human life.
Paul Churchland from UCSD states that religion started as a way to “give a cosmological theory of the origins of the universe and the human race's place in it and the significance we have.” He continues by adding that religion does “engage in moral questions; to find basic principles on which answers can be given to new moral problems.” Religion is philosophical and can doe some of the same things that philosophy does.
14. Socrates was put on trial because he was accused of corrupting the youth. He defended his position by disrespecting the officials during his trial and in doing so, came off arrogant by suggesting that he shouldn’t receive a punishment. This led to his death by drinking the hemlock even though he had several opportunities to escape his death.
15. In order to fully understand philosophy and its history, one must first understand what philosophy is. According to www.dictionary.com, philosophy is the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. It is also divided in “three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy that are accepted as composing this study. Wikipedia also categorizes philosophy into 4 major parts—western philosophy, eastern philosophy, Abrahamic philosophy, and African philosophy, with each having a number of different components.
Western philosophy is divided into 4 different parts and runs from the fall of the Roman Empire and runs to present day. Some of the prominent philosophers in this group include: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Medieval philosophy was mainly concerned with Christianity and the application of Aristotle’s logic into everyday life. One focal point in Medieval philosophy wasn’t to convert people to Christianity, but to make philosophy acceptable in a Christian context by proving the existence of God through logic.
Eastern philosophy refers to various philosophies of the “east” and asian countries like China, India, Japan, and Persia. Eastern philosophy is then broken up into subcategories like Confucian philosophy, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
Abrahamic philosophy consists of a more religious philosophy that dates back to Abraham from biblical scriptures. And because there are various religions that deal with the Old and New Testaments, the Hebrew Bible, and the Qu’ran, there are subcategories of Abrahamic philosophy like Jewish, Christian, and Islamic philosophy.
Lastly, African philosophy addresses and focuses on such themes as African perceptions of time and personhood.
16. The Big Bang and the inflationary universe is a belief of the creation of the universe. The inflationary universe began taking shape immediately after the big bang and caused the universe to expand. These two theories go hand in hand because they help explain why the universe or why the world appears “flat.” It is important to know astronomy when dealing with philosophy because it requires us to ask “why?”
17. Heisenberg’s views on philosophy differ from Einstein’s because Einstein believed that reality existed even if its physicality could not be seen. He believes reality was independent of what can actually be seen. They are similar in that their approach comes from the same idea and are centered around reality.
18. Meme theory is the idea that ideas are like genes in that they battle for natural selection and survival. It is similar to Darwin’s theory of evolution in that certain genes (but in meme theory, these genes are ideas) are passed down. I think meme theory is definitely plausible. I agree with the existence of meme theory because in looking back at all of the technological advancements we have witnessed, meme theory certainly can be applied to all of them. I mean, just look at the different modes of media. We went from beta, to vhs, to dvd, to hd dvd, to blu-ray, and now 3-d. These new advancements and inventions are based on fundamental ideas and have adapted to survive in a technological age.
19. Understanding biological evolution is important in understanding human thought and behavior because according to the theory of evolution, we are where we are because we have adapted. Dawkin’s would state that we have taken ideas and adapted some of those ideas to create new ones. Darwin would say that the animals that are still alive today have accomplished the same thing—genetically.
20. A video classified fundamentalism as a mental disease because there is so much evidence—irrefutable evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The narrator adds that it can be a mental disease because a lot of times people are not even open to the idea to where one won’t even discuss the opposing view.
21. Wilson and Gingerich both deal with the debate of science and religion. They “part ways” however in that Wilson focuses more on religion and creation and how people are at the root of the decay in our environment like climate change, endangered species, etc. Gingerich focuses on the value of religion and how religion can be a helpful tool in the maintenance of the environment. Although both made strong points about religion, I liked that Wilson addressed some of the dangers to our environment and how he hopes that thinking “green” isn’t just a fad.
22. Fukuyama’s idea of the “end of history” deals with the advancement in science and how it has affected history. His idea of the end of history is when we will live in an age where science will have given us all of the answers and information about the universe and its history. I don’t think there will ever be an “end to history” because the universe is so vast and there are still so many things unknown even just here on earth that the end of history just seems infinitely far away.
23. Cusa states that the more he knows “he is unknowing, the more learned he will be.” What Cusa means by this is that once someone is able to acknowledge that he or she doesn’t know something, this acknowledgment will open them up to ask questions and be open and willing to learn.
24. Nietzsche believes that we have “killed” God. What he means by that is that God is absent in a lot of what we have done, whether it be some inhumane acts, atrocities, discoveries, etc. He is stating that God’s “presence” has less of a role in our society and God and religion has taken a back seat to things like materialism and science.
25. The movie “Little Things That Jiggle” helps to explain why physics is an important study in philosophy by showing that philosophy can expand on the study of physics by asking “why?” Without science, or physics, we may never have found things out about different dimensions, sociobiological factors, etc. and all of these things help us get more insightful and want to learn more about the unknown.
26. I would explain the line “To have freedom of religion, one must also have freedom from religion” by referring back to Nicholas of Cusa’s philosophy of unknowingness and fundamentalism being “a mental disease.” According to Cusa, in order to learn more about religion, you would have to be open to what you don’t know. Taking the unknown from other religions will and can provide someone with the freedom to examine other religions and choose their religion instead of being raised into a specific religion. This cannot be possible unless one is open to talk about things other than their own beliefs and being open to those opinions without being ignorant to them.
27. Dawkins believes that believing in God is delusional because there is so much evidence in evolution and no scientific evidence that supports God’s existence.
28. Yes, I believe that science can offer and does offer a sense of mystery comparable to what certain religions offer because there are still questions about God and there are still so many unknown things in all facets of science and depending on how passionate someone is about science, this sense of mystery can be the same to that of religion.
29. According to Stephen Wolfram, an understanding of cellular automata suggests a “new kind of science” it gives us a new way of looking at how to explain nature’s behavior than the scientific approach. He explains that computers and the study of certain algorithms can help explain certain patterns in nature.
30. Darwin’s rejection of Christianity was a major turning point in his life. Without rejecting Christianity, I don’t think he would have been able to theorize about evolution.
31. Spooky physics is made up of debate of reality and quantum physics between Einstein and Bohr. I think Einstein got the better of Bohr in the debates. I liked Einstein’s stance because he believed that through observations and past experiences, certain events in nature can be determined. And after all, isn’t that what science is all about?
32. Evolutionary philosophy is the study of the mind with evolution and that the mind was created by natural selection.
4. Monique Paramo
5. user name – moniqueparamo
6. email – moniqueparamo@gmail.com
7. http://moniqueparamo.blogspot.com/
8. Yes
9. Yes, with the exception of expert lecture 1 for week 2. The video wasn’t available.
10.
11. Lisa Randall believes that there may be many more dimensions than we presently know in current physics because we have to take into account the way gravity factors into everything. Gravity can change the dimensions. She uses an example of a bathroom and a shower with a shower curtain. She adds that the room is 3 dimensional and asks us to take into account the water drops that may be on the shower curtain. Those drops are there because of gravity and asks us how gravity affects these. She also addresses the laws of physics in space and whether things can change in space time.
12. Pythagoras believed in reincarnation and that one would continue to reincarnate until the person became immortal. He believed philosophy and religion were connected.
13. I tend to agree that religion and philosophy are compatible with one another. Adams from UCLA states that “Science is a human activity which proceeds on certain principles, has certain institutions, and serves certain functions of human life. It has produced a large body of beliefs which are widely held among our society.” And in a nutshell, religion attempts at doing these same things. These principles can be the Ten Commandments in Christianity or the way to live in “the Tao.” Religion is founded on certain principles which are supposed to serve as functions to human life.
Paul Churchland from UCSD states that religion started as a way to “give a cosmological theory of the origins of the universe and the human race's place in it and the significance we have.” He continues by adding that religion does “engage in moral questions; to find basic principles on which answers can be given to new moral problems.” Religion is philosophical and can doe some of the same things that philosophy does.
14. Socrates was put on trial because he was accused of corrupting the youth. He defended his position by disrespecting the officials during his trial and in doing so, came off arrogant by suggesting that he shouldn’t receive a punishment. This led to his death by drinking the hemlock even though he had several opportunities to escape his death.
15. In order to fully understand philosophy and its history, one must first understand what philosophy is. According to www.dictionary.com, philosophy is the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. It is also divided in “three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy that are accepted as composing this study. Wikipedia also categorizes philosophy into 4 major parts—western philosophy, eastern philosophy, Abrahamic philosophy, and African philosophy, with each having a number of different components.
Western philosophy is divided into 4 different parts and runs from the fall of the Roman Empire and runs to present day. Some of the prominent philosophers in this group include: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Medieval philosophy was mainly concerned with Christianity and the application of Aristotle’s logic into everyday life. One focal point in Medieval philosophy wasn’t to convert people to Christianity, but to make philosophy acceptable in a Christian context by proving the existence of God through logic.
Eastern philosophy refers to various philosophies of the “east” and asian countries like China, India, Japan, and Persia. Eastern philosophy is then broken up into subcategories like Confucian philosophy, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
Abrahamic philosophy consists of a more religious philosophy that dates back to Abraham from biblical scriptures. And because there are various religions that deal with the Old and New Testaments, the Hebrew Bible, and the Qu’ran, there are subcategories of Abrahamic philosophy like Jewish, Christian, and Islamic philosophy.
Lastly, African philosophy addresses and focuses on such themes as African perceptions of time and personhood.
16. The Big Bang and the inflationary universe is a belief of the creation of the universe. The inflationary universe began taking shape immediately after the big bang and caused the universe to expand. These two theories go hand in hand because they help explain why the universe or why the world appears “flat.” It is important to know astronomy when dealing with philosophy because it requires us to ask “why?”
17. Heisenberg’s views on philosophy differ from Einstein’s because Einstein believed that reality existed even if its physicality could not be seen. He believes reality was independent of what can actually be seen. They are similar in that their approach comes from the same idea and are centered around reality.
18. Meme theory is the idea that ideas are like genes in that they battle for natural selection and survival. It is similar to Darwin’s theory of evolution in that certain genes (but in meme theory, these genes are ideas) are passed down. I think meme theory is definitely plausible. I agree with the existence of meme theory because in looking back at all of the technological advancements we have witnessed, meme theory certainly can be applied to all of them. I mean, just look at the different modes of media. We went from beta, to vhs, to dvd, to hd dvd, to blu-ray, and now 3-d. These new advancements and inventions are based on fundamental ideas and have adapted to survive in a technological age.
19. Understanding biological evolution is important in understanding human thought and behavior because according to the theory of evolution, we are where we are because we have adapted. Dawkin’s would state that we have taken ideas and adapted some of those ideas to create new ones. Darwin would say that the animals that are still alive today have accomplished the same thing—genetically.
20. A video classified fundamentalism as a mental disease because there is so much evidence—irrefutable evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The narrator adds that it can be a mental disease because a lot of times people are not even open to the idea to where one won’t even discuss the opposing view.
21. Wilson and Gingerich both deal with the debate of science and religion. They “part ways” however in that Wilson focuses more on religion and creation and how people are at the root of the decay in our environment like climate change, endangered species, etc. Gingerich focuses on the value of religion and how religion can be a helpful tool in the maintenance of the environment. Although both made strong points about religion, I liked that Wilson addressed some of the dangers to our environment and how he hopes that thinking “green” isn’t just a fad.
22. Fukuyama’s idea of the “end of history” deals with the advancement in science and how it has affected history. His idea of the end of history is when we will live in an age where science will have given us all of the answers and information about the universe and its history. I don’t think there will ever be an “end to history” because the universe is so vast and there are still so many things unknown even just here on earth that the end of history just seems infinitely far away.
23. Cusa states that the more he knows “he is unknowing, the more learned he will be.” What Cusa means by this is that once someone is able to acknowledge that he or she doesn’t know something, this acknowledgment will open them up to ask questions and be open and willing to learn.
24. Nietzsche believes that we have “killed” God. What he means by that is that God is absent in a lot of what we have done, whether it be some inhumane acts, atrocities, discoveries, etc. He is stating that God’s “presence” has less of a role in our society and God and religion has taken a back seat to things like materialism and science.
25. The movie “Little Things That Jiggle” helps to explain why physics is an important study in philosophy by showing that philosophy can expand on the study of physics by asking “why?” Without science, or physics, we may never have found things out about different dimensions, sociobiological factors, etc. and all of these things help us get more insightful and want to learn more about the unknown.
26. I would explain the line “To have freedom of religion, one must also have freedom from religion” by referring back to Nicholas of Cusa’s philosophy of unknowingness and fundamentalism being “a mental disease.” According to Cusa, in order to learn more about religion, you would have to be open to what you don’t know. Taking the unknown from other religions will and can provide someone with the freedom to examine other religions and choose their religion instead of being raised into a specific religion. This cannot be possible unless one is open to talk about things other than their own beliefs and being open to those opinions without being ignorant to them.
27. Dawkins believes that believing in God is delusional because there is so much evidence in evolution and no scientific evidence that supports God’s existence.
28. Yes, I believe that science can offer and does offer a sense of mystery comparable to what certain religions offer because there are still questions about God and there are still so many unknown things in all facets of science and depending on how passionate someone is about science, this sense of mystery can be the same to that of religion.
29. According to Stephen Wolfram, an understanding of cellular automata suggests a “new kind of science” it gives us a new way of looking at how to explain nature’s behavior than the scientific approach. He explains that computers and the study of certain algorithms can help explain certain patterns in nature.
30. Darwin’s rejection of Christianity was a major turning point in his life. Without rejecting Christianity, I don’t think he would have been able to theorize about evolution.
31. Spooky physics is made up of debate of reality and quantum physics between Einstein and Bohr. I think Einstein got the better of Bohr in the debates. I liked Einstein’s stance because he believed that through observations and past experiences, certain events in nature can be determined. And after all, isn’t that what science is all about?
32. Evolutionary philosophy is the study of the mind with evolution and that the mind was created by natural selection.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Week 6
Week 6
1. Inner Visions and Running Trains – Chand believes that all gurus are ignorant about the real cause of the miracles and visions attributed to them. This realization first dawned on him during a military battle in Iraq in 1919.
He says that during the battle and seeming to be in a weakened position with his troops preparing for battle with very little ammunition, he began to worry until he had a vision of his guru advising him not to worry and that the opposing army was just going to come by to pick up their dead. Upon returning, he was being praised and worshipped for saving the lives of his soldiers. Chand didn’t understand the praise. He then comes to the conclusion that God or a higher power comes in many forms and is created in the mind.
2. The Zahir – Jorge Borges states that "The Zahir stands for beings or things which have the terrible power to be unforgettable, and whose image eventually drives people mad." This quote stood out to me because of the contradiction within the quote. To use the adjective “unforgettable” is usullay a good thing. Unforgettable has a positive connotation, but here, Borges uses it negatively.
Borges is saying that the Zahir is unforgettable and its image can drive people to insanity. I think the Zahir is supposed to represent God or some higher power depending on one’s belief. When I look at it like that, then I can see why Borges believes this. People can be very passionate about their beliefs, their religion, and their God.
3. Cusas writes of something he calls “learned ignorance.” Learned ignorance is defined as something that people are ignorant about but they are taught to believe to be true. There have been many instances of learned ignorance. Some of the most familiar examples of learned ignorance are the earth being flat and the sun revolving around the earth—the earth being the center of the cosmos or universe.
4. Tolstoy had a somewhat dark outlook on life and its “meaning.” He was famous and well-respected and had many things to be happy about. He also reflected on suicide.
He believed that suicide was a sign of strength and that it was the strongest mental state of a human. This belief seems to counter how suicide is viewed by most. Although it requires an extraordinary amount of passion to end one’s own life, it is viewed as a cowardly act due to the notion that suicide is an “easy” way out as opposed to facing the problems or circumstances that have led to such an act.
5. Darrow in “To Be Agnostic” writes that physics (science) is everywhere. The same laws of physics apply to everyone regardless of gender, race, age, or beliefs. Things like gravity do not change.
I think he is making this point to show that we live in a diverse world and people tend to judge others on their “otherness,” rather than looking at the similarities. And in thinking about it, different cultures share similar things whether it’s a rite of passage, traditions, and beliefs. They are just variations of each other. Physics, or science, is universal.
1. Inner Visions and Running Trains – Chand believes that all gurus are ignorant about the real cause of the miracles and visions attributed to them. This realization first dawned on him during a military battle in Iraq in 1919.
He says that during the battle and seeming to be in a weakened position with his troops preparing for battle with very little ammunition, he began to worry until he had a vision of his guru advising him not to worry and that the opposing army was just going to come by to pick up their dead. Upon returning, he was being praised and worshipped for saving the lives of his soldiers. Chand didn’t understand the praise. He then comes to the conclusion that God or a higher power comes in many forms and is created in the mind.
2. The Zahir – Jorge Borges states that "The Zahir stands for beings or things which have the terrible power to be unforgettable, and whose image eventually drives people mad." This quote stood out to me because of the contradiction within the quote. To use the adjective “unforgettable” is usullay a good thing. Unforgettable has a positive connotation, but here, Borges uses it negatively.
Borges is saying that the Zahir is unforgettable and its image can drive people to insanity. I think the Zahir is supposed to represent God or some higher power depending on one’s belief. When I look at it like that, then I can see why Borges believes this. People can be very passionate about their beliefs, their religion, and their God.
3. Cusas writes of something he calls “learned ignorance.” Learned ignorance is defined as something that people are ignorant about but they are taught to believe to be true. There have been many instances of learned ignorance. Some of the most familiar examples of learned ignorance are the earth being flat and the sun revolving around the earth—the earth being the center of the cosmos or universe.
4. Tolstoy had a somewhat dark outlook on life and its “meaning.” He was famous and well-respected and had many things to be happy about. He also reflected on suicide.
He believed that suicide was a sign of strength and that it was the strongest mental state of a human. This belief seems to counter how suicide is viewed by most. Although it requires an extraordinary amount of passion to end one’s own life, it is viewed as a cowardly act due to the notion that suicide is an “easy” way out as opposed to facing the problems or circumstances that have led to such an act.
5. Darrow in “To Be Agnostic” writes that physics (science) is everywhere. The same laws of physics apply to everyone regardless of gender, race, age, or beliefs. Things like gravity do not change.
I think he is making this point to show that we live in a diverse world and people tend to judge others on their “otherness,” rather than looking at the similarities. And in thinking about it, different cultures share similar things whether it’s a rite of passage, traditions, and beliefs. They are just variations of each other. Physics, or science, is universal.
Week 5
Week 5
1. “Flame On” – My first impression of the video was that it starts off as a propaganda piece that looked like it was put together in the age of conservatism like the 1950s and the “Leave It To Beaver” era. It then started taking a sarcastic turn when it began to show very notable and respected people in different professions like philosophers and writers like Walt Whitman—people whose talents cannot be denied.
I also liked the way the film ended by using the quote that “truth is not part of the proceedings.” And I think that that is something that gets lost in the midst of a lot of things. A lot of times people focus on people’s characteristics or personal lives instead of their accomplishments. Following the saying about truth with a list of notable homosexuals is a reminder that a person’s sexuality doesn’t hinder or enhance a person’s value.
2. “The Myth of Eternal Recurrence” – The eternal hourglass of existence will be turned again and again and again and you will be a part of it. I think this video is speaking for advancement and against redundancy. Life being redundant and being lived the same over and over will be boring and we will remain stagnant.
I think that is why the film was broken into two parts. The first part consisted of the same images over and over—things that are familiar. The video then ends with undiscovered frontiers—Mars, Earth, and space. Although we already know a little about them, there are untapped sources that still need to be discovered. There is a lif of progress and advancement.
3. In Nietzsche’s essay, he attempts to race back the origins of morals and human morality. Morals and values vary from culture to culture and even from person to person. I think a big part of that depends on a person’s upbringing.
Nietzsche brings up a good point that one event can shape our future morals. However, I feel that that might be making every single event too significant. Growing up, we all mess up and misbehave and do little things that get us in to trouble. I feel that instead of it being every single event that shape our future morals, it can be a series of events that make up one big realization or epiphany that shapes our future moral code.
4. Gandhi has always been one of the people I have always wanted to learn more about. Prior to my reading, I knew very little about him. I knew he preached love and nonviolence and protested with a hunger strike. It is his way of living and reacting nonviolently that makes him so admired. The quote that resonates Gandhi the most in my opinion is “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
Reading nonfiction, biographies, and autobiographies has always been interesting to me and inspiring. Most people that have contributed to society and inspired people to do remarkable things all have a remarkable story. They have dealt with some sort of major crisis in their life and were able to do what they did in large part because of those hardships. Going back to Nietzsche’s future moral code, has shaped them to who they are.
5. Watching the video about turning vegetarian was a bit hard to do. This goes back to another week’s readings that addressed us being the supreme being on earth and that we don’t eat other humans because we know what kind of pain a human goes through. We go on eating animals like cows, chickens, etc. because we cannot relate to what it’s like to feel pain like they do.
This changes that because it shows animals suffer. It’s like some PETA videos I’ve seen where they show how animals are killed for furs. It also reminds me of “Fast Food Nation” and “Super Size Me” where the film is eye-opening and has a big effect on the viewer due to the nature of the subject matter.
1. “Flame On” – My first impression of the video was that it starts off as a propaganda piece that looked like it was put together in the age of conservatism like the 1950s and the “Leave It To Beaver” era. It then started taking a sarcastic turn when it began to show very notable and respected people in different professions like philosophers and writers like Walt Whitman—people whose talents cannot be denied.
I also liked the way the film ended by using the quote that “truth is not part of the proceedings.” And I think that that is something that gets lost in the midst of a lot of things. A lot of times people focus on people’s characteristics or personal lives instead of their accomplishments. Following the saying about truth with a list of notable homosexuals is a reminder that a person’s sexuality doesn’t hinder or enhance a person’s value.
2. “The Myth of Eternal Recurrence” – The eternal hourglass of existence will be turned again and again and again and you will be a part of it. I think this video is speaking for advancement and against redundancy. Life being redundant and being lived the same over and over will be boring and we will remain stagnant.
I think that is why the film was broken into two parts. The first part consisted of the same images over and over—things that are familiar. The video then ends with undiscovered frontiers—Mars, Earth, and space. Although we already know a little about them, there are untapped sources that still need to be discovered. There is a lif of progress and advancement.
3. In Nietzsche’s essay, he attempts to race back the origins of morals and human morality. Morals and values vary from culture to culture and even from person to person. I think a big part of that depends on a person’s upbringing.
Nietzsche brings up a good point that one event can shape our future morals. However, I feel that that might be making every single event too significant. Growing up, we all mess up and misbehave and do little things that get us in to trouble. I feel that instead of it being every single event that shape our future morals, it can be a series of events that make up one big realization or epiphany that shapes our future moral code.
4. Gandhi has always been one of the people I have always wanted to learn more about. Prior to my reading, I knew very little about him. I knew he preached love and nonviolence and protested with a hunger strike. It is his way of living and reacting nonviolently that makes him so admired. The quote that resonates Gandhi the most in my opinion is “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
Reading nonfiction, biographies, and autobiographies has always been interesting to me and inspiring. Most people that have contributed to society and inspired people to do remarkable things all have a remarkable story. They have dealt with some sort of major crisis in their life and were able to do what they did in large part because of those hardships. Going back to Nietzsche’s future moral code, has shaped them to who they are.
5. Watching the video about turning vegetarian was a bit hard to do. This goes back to another week’s readings that addressed us being the supreme being on earth and that we don’t eat other humans because we know what kind of pain a human goes through. We go on eating animals like cows, chickens, etc. because we cannot relate to what it’s like to feel pain like they do.
This changes that because it shows animals suffer. It’s like some PETA videos I’ve seen where they show how animals are killed for furs. It also reminds me of “Fast Food Nation” and “Super Size Me” where the film is eye-opening and has a big effect on the viewer due to the nature of the subject matter.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Week 4
Week 4
1. Gerald Edelman on Neural Darwinism
2. Crick, in “The Astonishing Hypothesis” argues that conscience is made up of “a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules.” To support his point, he brings up how most of us “believe” there is a little person inside of us that tells us what to do and what not to do. He calls this the “Fallacy of the Homunculus.
Mentioning this fallacy of the little man strengthens his argument by reminding us how silly or elementary that sounds. I was quickly able to recall cartoons from my childhood that would show a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other and they would argue with one another. This would represent one’s conscience. Click argues that it is all done by neurons.
3. Crick definitely sounds like an interesting individual. I have never heard of someone being able to locate where free will is located in the brain. It sounds impossible and I had a hard time following how blinking is associated with free will and consciousness. Or is that the point?
Is that mentioned to validate his point? Is it to explain that everything is controlled by neurons?
4. I liked the last paragraph on “The Astonishing Hypothesis” because I agreed with the counters to Crick’s assertions in regard to animals, animal testing, and pain. I am not a member of PETA, but to fully agree with his approach and view on animals asks us to completely disregard some of his points of everything being “sophisticated neural chemistry.”
Doesn’t that counter his point? Especially since our DNA is 99% identical to that of a chimpanzee. Is one percent that significant?
5. “Why I Don’t Eat Faces?” – it was interesting how the author noted that his switch to vegetarianism was caused due to not being able to go to sleep because of all the junk food he had eaten during the day. I can relate to this feeling because I have noticed that I feel a lot better when I eat healthier. I feel awake, alert, and relaxed.
This doesn’t just stay true to food. I mean, I am not a vegetarian, but I am aware of what I eat and I try to get some exercise in whenever time allows, and when I do, I feel great. I feel awake, alert, and relaxed. I am sure there is a connection.
6. Another thing I found interesting is how the author addressed the “taste” of things and points out that the taste lies more in the spices of the foods and not so much the food itself.
7. I could relate to the point he makes when he says that we don’t really feel bad eating animals because we don’t see the animals get killed. We see the food as prepared to cook and after its cooked, ready to eat. We don’t eat humans because we know what it’s like to be a human.
This reminds me of a time I went to visit some family in Mexico when I was younger. I was about 10 years old and I remember looking out into the backyard only to see my grandmother kill a chicken. I remember not having any of the chicken that we had for dinner that day.
8. Glorious Meat – one part that stood out during the video was when the speaker was listing all of the things that “he(I)” doesn’t do like making his heart beat, blinking, sleeping, waking up, creating antibodies, etc. He states that the “I” doesn’t do a whole lot of anything and that we believe the “I” to be more powerful than “we” really are.
I’m a little confused on this part. I am able to follow what’s being said, but I am getting lost because things (falling asleep, awakening, our heart beating, etc) are caused by our neurons. Well, are we not doing that or causing these things to happen because they’re happening because of our neurons?
9. The book “Is Consciousness Physical” shows the relationship of questions and how these questions are related to science and religion. We always want to know the why to everything and this starts at such an early age. I remember reading something about the average 4 year old asking over 4 hundred questions a day.
As a result, I think it states that we go on living and existing when we have a purpose and this purpose can be found in either religion or science. The difference is that in science we have an answer or truth that has been tested and in religion, it is based on faith or a search for that answer.
10. Searle mentions consciousness and our ability to have a conscience. In thinking about this further, it makes me wonder about some animals, at least domesticated animals like dogs. I have had dogs all my life and we have gone through the process of basic training whether it’s sitting, rolling over, potty-training, etc.
Part of the process of training my dogs has been to reward them for good behavior and giving them a little smack when inappropriate behavior takes place. Does the reinforcement of proper behavior prove that dogs do have a conscience, even if it isn’t as complex as ours?
1. Gerald Edelman on Neural Darwinism
2. Crick, in “The Astonishing Hypothesis” argues that conscience is made up of “a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules.” To support his point, he brings up how most of us “believe” there is a little person inside of us that tells us what to do and what not to do. He calls this the “Fallacy of the Homunculus.
Mentioning this fallacy of the little man strengthens his argument by reminding us how silly or elementary that sounds. I was quickly able to recall cartoons from my childhood that would show a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other and they would argue with one another. This would represent one’s conscience. Click argues that it is all done by neurons.
3. Crick definitely sounds like an interesting individual. I have never heard of someone being able to locate where free will is located in the brain. It sounds impossible and I had a hard time following how blinking is associated with free will and consciousness. Or is that the point?
Is that mentioned to validate his point? Is it to explain that everything is controlled by neurons?
4. I liked the last paragraph on “The Astonishing Hypothesis” because I agreed with the counters to Crick’s assertions in regard to animals, animal testing, and pain. I am not a member of PETA, but to fully agree with his approach and view on animals asks us to completely disregard some of his points of everything being “sophisticated neural chemistry.”
Doesn’t that counter his point? Especially since our DNA is 99% identical to that of a chimpanzee. Is one percent that significant?
5. “Why I Don’t Eat Faces?” – it was interesting how the author noted that his switch to vegetarianism was caused due to not being able to go to sleep because of all the junk food he had eaten during the day. I can relate to this feeling because I have noticed that I feel a lot better when I eat healthier. I feel awake, alert, and relaxed.
This doesn’t just stay true to food. I mean, I am not a vegetarian, but I am aware of what I eat and I try to get some exercise in whenever time allows, and when I do, I feel great. I feel awake, alert, and relaxed. I am sure there is a connection.
6. Another thing I found interesting is how the author addressed the “taste” of things and points out that the taste lies more in the spices of the foods and not so much the food itself.
7. I could relate to the point he makes when he says that we don’t really feel bad eating animals because we don’t see the animals get killed. We see the food as prepared to cook and after its cooked, ready to eat. We don’t eat humans because we know what it’s like to be a human.
This reminds me of a time I went to visit some family in Mexico when I was younger. I was about 10 years old and I remember looking out into the backyard only to see my grandmother kill a chicken. I remember not having any of the chicken that we had for dinner that day.
8. Glorious Meat – one part that stood out during the video was when the speaker was listing all of the things that “he(I)” doesn’t do like making his heart beat, blinking, sleeping, waking up, creating antibodies, etc. He states that the “I” doesn’t do a whole lot of anything and that we believe the “I” to be more powerful than “we” really are.
I’m a little confused on this part. I am able to follow what’s being said, but I am getting lost because things (falling asleep, awakening, our heart beating, etc) are caused by our neurons. Well, are we not doing that or causing these things to happen because they’re happening because of our neurons?
9. The book “Is Consciousness Physical” shows the relationship of questions and how these questions are related to science and religion. We always want to know the why to everything and this starts at such an early age. I remember reading something about the average 4 year old asking over 4 hundred questions a day.
As a result, I think it states that we go on living and existing when we have a purpose and this purpose can be found in either religion or science. The difference is that in science we have an answer or truth that has been tested and in religion, it is based on faith or a search for that answer.
10. Searle mentions consciousness and our ability to have a conscience. In thinking about this further, it makes me wonder about some animals, at least domesticated animals like dogs. I have had dogs all my life and we have gone through the process of basic training whether it’s sitting, rolling over, potty-training, etc.
Part of the process of training my dogs has been to reward them for good behavior and giving them a little smack when inappropriate behavior takes place. Does the reinforcement of proper behavior prove that dogs do have a conscience, even if it isn’t as complex as ours?
Week 3
Week 3
1. Richard Dawkins and the strangeness of science states that “there are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamed of or can be dreamed of in any philosophy.” He opens up his expert lecture with this quote and I really liked it because I think it encompasses what philosophy is. He adds that quantum theory is so vast and adds so much to philosophy that it is really impossible to know all there is to know about quantum theory.
Dawkins adds that if you think you really know about quantum theory, then “you don’t really know quantum physics at all.” I am kind of lost on this whole thing though. I don’t have a good grasp on what quantum theory is, but I think it connects to what was talked about in week 2 with the different dimensions in space.
2. One thing I liked that Dawkins points out is that science helps philosophy. He said something that as we learn more about science and can explain why things are they way they are, it causes a domino effect in asking questions.
These discoveries cause our brains to formulate new questions and increases our ability to increase our “middle world” and the middle-sized world we have to navigate.
3. I remember sitting through an anthropology class where the professor was lecturing on evolution and focused on the evolution of man. However, I remember feeling a little lost because the lecture lacked some background information as fundamental of defining evolution.
I liked that this reading compared evolution and phylogenies to family trees. It’s a concept that is familiar and makes evolution easier to understand by showing lineage through shared ancestry. The diagrams and examples made it easier to follow.
4. “Sociobiology has been less successful in its application to human behavior than in its application to non-human systems. According to many critics of human sociobiology, standard sociobiological models are inadequate to account for human behavior, because they ignore the contributions of the mind and culture.”
This quote stood out because in reading the first few paragraphs, I was intrigued by the ability to study animals and their behavior and relating the observed behavior to people. This passage however reminded me of something I heard about the difference between man and animals.
Critics of human sociobiology remind us that standard sociobiological models cannot account for human behavior because humans have a mind and the mind gives us the ability to choose, the ability to show regret, and fully comprehend the result of our actions. In other words, humans can feel guilty and that guilt is shaped by cultural values and way of life.
5. The philosophy film that stood out the most was “Survival of the Sufficient.” I liked the metaphor that was made about how we are who we are because of editing. We have been edited by our parents, teachers, friends, experiences, etc. This makes a lot of sense in that everything we do and have done has shaped us into the person we are—we have learned from our experiences.
I would have liked to hear more about the role that deception plays in editing our existence.
1. Richard Dawkins and the strangeness of science states that “there are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamed of or can be dreamed of in any philosophy.” He opens up his expert lecture with this quote and I really liked it because I think it encompasses what philosophy is. He adds that quantum theory is so vast and adds so much to philosophy that it is really impossible to know all there is to know about quantum theory.
Dawkins adds that if you think you really know about quantum theory, then “you don’t really know quantum physics at all.” I am kind of lost on this whole thing though. I don’t have a good grasp on what quantum theory is, but I think it connects to what was talked about in week 2 with the different dimensions in space.
2. One thing I liked that Dawkins points out is that science helps philosophy. He said something that as we learn more about science and can explain why things are they way they are, it causes a domino effect in asking questions.
These discoveries cause our brains to formulate new questions and increases our ability to increase our “middle world” and the middle-sized world we have to navigate.
3. I remember sitting through an anthropology class where the professor was lecturing on evolution and focused on the evolution of man. However, I remember feeling a little lost because the lecture lacked some background information as fundamental of defining evolution.
I liked that this reading compared evolution and phylogenies to family trees. It’s a concept that is familiar and makes evolution easier to understand by showing lineage through shared ancestry. The diagrams and examples made it easier to follow.
4. “Sociobiology has been less successful in its application to human behavior than in its application to non-human systems. According to many critics of human sociobiology, standard sociobiological models are inadequate to account for human behavior, because they ignore the contributions of the mind and culture.”
This quote stood out because in reading the first few paragraphs, I was intrigued by the ability to study animals and their behavior and relating the observed behavior to people. This passage however reminded me of something I heard about the difference between man and animals.
Critics of human sociobiology remind us that standard sociobiological models cannot account for human behavior because humans have a mind and the mind gives us the ability to choose, the ability to show regret, and fully comprehend the result of our actions. In other words, humans can feel guilty and that guilt is shaped by cultural values and way of life.
5. The philosophy film that stood out the most was “Survival of the Sufficient.” I liked the metaphor that was made about how we are who we are because of editing. We have been edited by our parents, teachers, friends, experiences, etc. This makes a lot of sense in that everything we do and have done has shaped us into the person we are—we have learned from our experiences.
I would have liked to hear more about the role that deception plays in editing our existence.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Week 2
- Lisa Randall on the universe – I was very impressed with Lisa Randall’s credentials. Her credentials tell me that she is a genius. Her interview gave me the impression that she is on the verge of something huge. She gives me that impression by her approach. She seems to always be asking “Why?” I don’t know a lot about physics but the fact that she’s asking “why” about gravity and other dimensions in space.
I didn’t know about the different dimensions and that there were 4 dimensions. And they mention that there is a possibility that there may be more than 10 dimensions. The 4th dimension is said to be time, and Randall makes reference to a 5th dimension of space time. Is time different in space? How does imagination play into this?
- Reading about cosmic inflation was like reading a foreign language. I had to read it slowly and read it several times. It was very confusing and I still don’t know about a lot of what I read. I am guessing that it has something to do with Lisa Randall’s appearance on Charlie Rose and her discussion about other dimensions.
I think that cosmic inflation relates to what Lisa Randall was talking about because she mentioned something about other dimensions and that maybe one day we will be able to see something in other dimensions. I think that relates to cosmic inflation due to the belief of the big bang theory and how things appear “flat.” I can’t connect the dots though.
- Randall talks about the growing interest and study and belief that there are more dimensions. She states that the study of dimensions has been growing since the late 19th century, even before Einstein. She mentions that “String Theory” has been the key to studying dimensions.
Randall mentions that it is believed that the laws of physics are the same here on earth as it is in space. What I don’t understand is if that is what is believed, then what is the difference between “time” and “space time?”
- Edward O. Wilson on the Creation – I found it ambitious of Wilson trying to “bridge” religion and science. I understand them to be polar opposite ideologies.
It didn’t take long for me to get confused. I started getting confused as early as he started talking about climate control. Is he saying that he wants people of religion to start looking at science to help save our environment?
- I liked that in reading about Descartes, that there was mention of the allegory of the cave. It was something that I had heard about years ago, but was reconnected with again in this week’s reading. I had forgotten what the lesson was about the allegory.
The one true philosopher was the one that escaped the cave and was able to witness things for himself. He was the one that saw the sun, saw the plants, and the trees, and knew there was something other than shadows.
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