Post by Kyle Blake on May 18, 2015 11:44:13 GMT
week 1 & 2 question 1
Greek philosopher, Socrates, was put on trial for his life and eventually sentenced to death in 399 B.C. in Athens. According to How Socrates Died, the philosopher was brought to trial and killed because he was guilty of two crimes. The first, he “didn’t believe in the gods recognized by the state” and the second, he “corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings”. Socrates had the opportunity to escape death by poisonous hemlock, but instead chose to face death rather than live on. He felt that it would be wrong to “return evil with evil” and that his obligations to the State were absolutely binding. Socrates was seemingly unafraid of death, for he believed that although his body may be dead, his soul would live and pass on to a better place and that he would be much happier there than he had ever been on Earth.
week 1 & 2 question 2
According to The Great Mystery: Matter vs. Spirit, “the conflict between science and spirituality stems from a linguistic confusion over what the term ‘matter’ means and what it ultimately implies”. Science and religion see mankind very differently. Science tells us that we are just the body, the reconfiguration of atoms, like all other life on Earth, whereas religion tells us that we are beings of light and that we are God’s creation. Another major conflict between the two is that science only accepts what can be proved and is open to possible falsification, where religion relies on blind faith and is often unwilling to be disproved. Even if we forego both science and religion, we are still living a mystery. We are simply incapable of understanding the complexity of life and its origins. Although science expands previous limits and knowledge, it still leaves us with unanswered questions, as we are limited by our own neural constraints from the beginning.
week 3 question 1
Understanding physics, such as quantum mechanics and the general rules of the universe are essential in doing philosophy. Philosophy is the study of knowledge, therefore the people who practice philosophy are people seeking a better understanding of why things are the way they are, like those who study physics. They main difference is that those studying physics use math to find the answers. Without physics many questions about the nature of reality cannot be answered. Understanding the structure of space, time, and matter requires quantum physics. Basically, the physicists are out to find and understand the rules of the universe mathematically, where those practicing philosophy question why those rules are rules at all. They aim for clarity of large concepts and are pay close attention to detail. Making it easy for them to see gaps in arguments. Gaps that if left overlooked provide entry points for conceptual objections. Physicists need philosophers and philosophers need physicists whether they like it or not. The physicists ethos doesn't promote the type of critical approach toward arguments that philosophers have, while physicists are able to calculate the rules of the universe that philosophers need to know in order to formulate their questions about it.
week 3 question 2
Eliminative materialism is the claim that our ordinary, rational understanding of the mind is wrong and that the mental states we know do not actually exist. Eliminative materialism is an eliminative process to prove a phenomena through mathematics. If there isn't an explanation for the phenomena, then one turns to physics, then chemistry, then biology, then psychology. If there still isn't a valid explanation for a phenomena they turn to sociology. Eliminative materialism helps us better understand our bodies, minds, and society. An example of eliminative materialism would be humans replacing the explanation of muscle ache from tiny ghost circulating our body pulling the muscles to our central nervous system. Another example would be Thor, the thunder god, the discovery of electrical magnetic currents, and instead of evil spirits causing sickness we discuss bacteria and viruses, as stated by Professor David Christopher Lane in the video, “Eliminative Materialism: The Death of Thor, Part Two”.
week 4 question 1
Like all organisms, humans are the products of biological development and environmental interactions. Because of natural selection, a key mechanism of evolution, organisms with favorable and heritable traits are able to pass on their genes to offspring, bettering their chances of survival. We are the descendants of those survivors, the humans who, against all odds, survived and passed on their genetic codes. Evolutionary variations and adaptations explain why we look the way look and also explains why we behave the way we do. Evolutionary theory proves that our minds are the way they are because of our species evolutionary history. Essentially, we are designed to promote maximum fitness. To survive we must better our chances of survival and reproduction. Self-consciousness and awareness give us an advantage over other species because we are able to play situations out in our minds before actually taking action, allowing us to predict possible outcomes and the probability of those outcomes. In The DNA of Consciousness, Professor Andrea Diem-Lane says,” If you can imagine without real consequence, then you have a better chance of living if you already played out (internally) competing strategies”. Evolutionary theory is important to understanding human behavior because it helps us answer questions about how we came to be the way we are and why we do the things we do. Our self-consciousness and awareness is simply a product of evolution. It is just another trait that we acquired over time to compete and survive in our environment.
week 4 question 2
Evolutionary theory may explain why humans are self-conscious and aware, but what about other animals? How do they think and why didn't they develop the traits that we did? I personally see humans and animals as equals in the sense that we all evolved from a common organism. We simply acquired different traits along the way in order to survive in each of our environments. Like us, other animals recognize themselves and others as individuals, they know and remember their place in the social hierarchy, they use language to express themselves, and are able to pass information from one generation to the next. I believe that animals, like us, are aware of their being. I think we are more like “animals” than most people are even willing to consider. Because there is so much we don’t about our own species, I have a really hard time making any assumptions about the consciousness of other animals, which is why I am all for the ethical treatment of all animals.
Greek philosopher, Socrates, was put on trial for his life and eventually sentenced to death in 399 B.C. in Athens. According to How Socrates Died, the philosopher was brought to trial and killed because he was guilty of two crimes. The first, he “didn’t believe in the gods recognized by the state” and the second, he “corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings”. Socrates had the opportunity to escape death by poisonous hemlock, but instead chose to face death rather than live on. He felt that it would be wrong to “return evil with evil” and that his obligations to the State were absolutely binding. Socrates was seemingly unafraid of death, for he believed that although his body may be dead, his soul would live and pass on to a better place and that he would be much happier there than he had ever been on Earth.
week 1 & 2 question 2
According to The Great Mystery: Matter vs. Spirit, “the conflict between science and spirituality stems from a linguistic confusion over what the term ‘matter’ means and what it ultimately implies”. Science and religion see mankind very differently. Science tells us that we are just the body, the reconfiguration of atoms, like all other life on Earth, whereas religion tells us that we are beings of light and that we are God’s creation. Another major conflict between the two is that science only accepts what can be proved and is open to possible falsification, where religion relies on blind faith and is often unwilling to be disproved. Even if we forego both science and religion, we are still living a mystery. We are simply incapable of understanding the complexity of life and its origins. Although science expands previous limits and knowledge, it still leaves us with unanswered questions, as we are limited by our own neural constraints from the beginning.
week 3 question 1
Understanding physics, such as quantum mechanics and the general rules of the universe are essential in doing philosophy. Philosophy is the study of knowledge, therefore the people who practice philosophy are people seeking a better understanding of why things are the way they are, like those who study physics. They main difference is that those studying physics use math to find the answers. Without physics many questions about the nature of reality cannot be answered. Understanding the structure of space, time, and matter requires quantum physics. Basically, the physicists are out to find and understand the rules of the universe mathematically, where those practicing philosophy question why those rules are rules at all. They aim for clarity of large concepts and are pay close attention to detail. Making it easy for them to see gaps in arguments. Gaps that if left overlooked provide entry points for conceptual objections. Physicists need philosophers and philosophers need physicists whether they like it or not. The physicists ethos doesn't promote the type of critical approach toward arguments that philosophers have, while physicists are able to calculate the rules of the universe that philosophers need to know in order to formulate their questions about it.
week 3 question 2
Eliminative materialism is the claim that our ordinary, rational understanding of the mind is wrong and that the mental states we know do not actually exist. Eliminative materialism is an eliminative process to prove a phenomena through mathematics. If there isn't an explanation for the phenomena, then one turns to physics, then chemistry, then biology, then psychology. If there still isn't a valid explanation for a phenomena they turn to sociology. Eliminative materialism helps us better understand our bodies, minds, and society. An example of eliminative materialism would be humans replacing the explanation of muscle ache from tiny ghost circulating our body pulling the muscles to our central nervous system. Another example would be Thor, the thunder god, the discovery of electrical magnetic currents, and instead of evil spirits causing sickness we discuss bacteria and viruses, as stated by Professor David Christopher Lane in the video, “Eliminative Materialism: The Death of Thor, Part Two”.
week 4 question 1
Like all organisms, humans are the products of biological development and environmental interactions. Because of natural selection, a key mechanism of evolution, organisms with favorable and heritable traits are able to pass on their genes to offspring, bettering their chances of survival. We are the descendants of those survivors, the humans who, against all odds, survived and passed on their genetic codes. Evolutionary variations and adaptations explain why we look the way look and also explains why we behave the way we do. Evolutionary theory proves that our minds are the way they are because of our species evolutionary history. Essentially, we are designed to promote maximum fitness. To survive we must better our chances of survival and reproduction. Self-consciousness and awareness give us an advantage over other species because we are able to play situations out in our minds before actually taking action, allowing us to predict possible outcomes and the probability of those outcomes. In The DNA of Consciousness, Professor Andrea Diem-Lane says,” If you can imagine without real consequence, then you have a better chance of living if you already played out (internally) competing strategies”. Evolutionary theory is important to understanding human behavior because it helps us answer questions about how we came to be the way we are and why we do the things we do. Our self-consciousness and awareness is simply a product of evolution. It is just another trait that we acquired over time to compete and survive in our environment.
week 4 question 2
Evolutionary theory may explain why humans are self-conscious and aware, but what about other animals? How do they think and why didn't they develop the traits that we did? I personally see humans and animals as equals in the sense that we all evolved from a common organism. We simply acquired different traits along the way in order to survive in each of our environments. Like us, other animals recognize themselves and others as individuals, they know and remember their place in the social hierarchy, they use language to express themselves, and are able to pass information from one generation to the next. I believe that animals, like us, are aware of their being. I think we are more like “animals” than most people are even willing to consider. Because there is so much we don’t about our own species, I have a really hard time making any assumptions about the consciousness of other animals, which is why I am all for the ethical treatment of all animals.