Category

Theory

But The Parts of Our Bodies Are Not Just Connected Through Physical Mechanisms: Panpsychism and the Combination Problem

Art, Painting, Philosophy, Theory, Thoughts

“…the elements or constituents of organisms are related to each other in two basic ways—through external (physical) relations and internal (nonphysical) relations. The external relations are studied in physics, and involve the four forces of electromagnetism, strong and weak nuclear, and gravity. These forces bind physical components together. But the parts of our bodies (cells,…

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On Daniel Dennett’s “sort of” Theory of Consciousness

Art, Current Events, Philosophy, Psychology, Theory, Thoughts

“[Daniel Dennett] regards the zombie problem as a typically philosophical waste of time. The problem presupposes that consciousness is like a light switch: either an animal has a self or it doesn’t. But Dennett thinks these things are like evolution, essentially gradualist, without hard borders. The obvious answer to the question of whether animals have…

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Q: Do business leaders make good politicians? A: Nope.

Current Events, Philosophy, Politics, Theory, Thoughts

“Leaders in business have a single overriding goal which must be proven to a well-defined audience of investors:  making a profit, measured every quarter. By contrast political leaders have multiple goals, few of which are clearly stated or predominate over the others. They have multiple constituencies and a plethora of responsibilities measured primarily by the…

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Laws of Nature? Nah. Habits of Nature? Ah, that’s better.

Philosophy, Science, Theory

“…this planet, or this nebula in which our sun is placed, may be gradually advancing towards a change in the general character of its spatial relations. Perhaps in the dim future humankind, if it then exists, will look back to the queer, contracted three-dimensional universe from which the nobler, wider existence has emerged.” –Whitehead, Modes…

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“I feel” vs. “I think”: Thoughts on Cognition and Emotion

Art, Philosophy, Psychology, Science, Theory, Thoughts

“I contend that the notion of mere knowledge is a high abstraction, and that conscious discrimination itself is a variable factor only present in the more elaborate examples of occasions of experience. The basis of experience is emotional.” —A.N. Whitehead, Adventures of Ideas Lately I have thinking about the phrases “I feel” and “I think.”…

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Meaning Runs Far Deeper Than Designation

Art, Philosophy, Theology, Theory

Meaning runs far deeper than designation. We will never be able to think our connection to reality if we think of reality as a collection of things, because meaningful experience is about more than things. Experience is constituted by events. The ontology of an event cannot be captured by the mental representation of material things…

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