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Post by Anthony Perez on Jul 3, 2015 20:56:04 GMT
week #1
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates was sentenced to death for not believing in the gods recognized by the state. Socrates was questioning religion and in such a society was deemed highly offensive and unforgivable, however Socrates was merely pursing knowledge and try to expand not only his mind but that of the state which he felt such an obligation to he would be willing to sacrifice his life. Another charge on Socrates was he was corrupting the youth. Socrates teaching was viewed as being against society’s point of views. Although this was his intentions, Socrates was not trying corrupt the youth rather he was trying to expand and make others question ideology and to not just accept what was told to them.” I have always had a great interest in religious questions, and now, as he charges me with rash imaginations and innovations in religion”. (P.8). In the end, Socrates was give poisonous hemlock as his punishment for so called crimes against the state.
2. Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion?
The reason for conflicts within sciences and religions are based on individual’s beliefs, perceptions and misunderstandings of such topics. One of the core ideals of any religion is faith. A religious person who has lost a loved one or had a horrible tragedy occur in their life will most of the time respond “It is god’s will” or “Everything happens for a reason”. A religious person accepts that an omnipotent being is in control, on the other hand, a logical person would more likely reason that the outcome could have been altered by changing one or many prior actions that led up to the final result. While these thought processes are not constant, meaning a religious person can easily comprehend logical reasoning or vise versa, when two people debate on such topics most people tend to lean more towards one way of thinking or the other. For us to understand either thought process or belief and make those connections we must understand both side and there lies the problem as the book matter vs. spirit states “Our evolution has bounded what we can and cannot know about the world around us. Because of this our brains are not well adapted to understand either the very large or the very small.”(P.10). Since science and religion are so massive a field to try and understand, we has humans will never fully comprehend these subjects which will lead to confusion and misunderstands and in turn conflict.
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Post by Anthony Perez on Jul 3, 2015 20:56:58 GMT
week#2
1. Why is understanding Physics and the general rules of the universe so important in doing philosophy?
Philosophy is the study on oneself, the world we live in and our relationship to this world and one another, however, there is believed to be two realms in the study of philosophy, The Phenomenal and the Noumenal realm. Phenomenal realm refers to how we see the world with our senses, how we see and experience it. The Noumenal realm can be said to be the opposite, the understanding of an object without the use of the senses. Since the Noumenal realm requires the lack of senses, some believe it is impossible to understand. This implies we are only capable of understanding the world within the Phenomenal realm which requires the use of physics and other such rules of the universe. As stated in Quantum Weirdness. “The observer, when he seems to himself to be observing a stone, is really, if physics is to be believed, observing the effects of the stone upon himself.” The use of physics and other academic disciplines are vital to expanding our understanding beyond our normal senses.
2. What is eliminative materialism? Provide three examples of it.
Eliminative Materialism refers to people’s common sense of understanding the mind as false or as explained in video Eliminative Materialism part 1 the explanation of a Phenomenon through one or many academic disciplines. As we continue to improve in academia we are able better explain occurrences that were either deemed unexplainable or to have believed to have been cause by some omnipotent being. In early days of ancient Greece, lightning was believed to be the weapon of Zeus but now we know lightning is caused by many small bits of ice move around in the air causing the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. People use to believe diseases were punishment from the Gods, but now are known to be caused by bacteria and viruses. People even use to believe the world was flat but was later proved to be round. Because of eliminative materialism we are able to change are ways of thinking from theory or belief to fact or logical reasoning.
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Post by acurtiss on Jul 4, 2015 7:46:27 GMT
Hello,
I enjoyed reading both of your answers for the 2nd week of class. They were very concise and seemed to reflect a great comprehension of the reading materials. The explanation regarding the Noumenal realm is to the point and the examples that provided for the 2nd question were well stated. Good job.
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Post by jchang194 on Jul 4, 2015 19:47:34 GMT
Hello,
I really liked your definitions of the phenomenal and Noumenal realm and how you made them clear and easy to understand since I had a difficult time understanding them myself. You make a good point when you said that physics is necessary to further expand our knowledge on the phenomenal realm. Physics truly does aid in further increasing our senses and also helps us to look at things and to address difficult theories and conjectures in a different light.
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Post by desireevallejo on Jul 8, 2015 20:09:04 GMT
week 1 response
I do agree with why socrates was sentenced cause he didn't believe i the gods by the state. Everyone was so against him and willing to do anything for him to receive punishment. Its really sad but people though he was horrible. But Socrates just believed what he believed in and he just listened to his heart and not following everybody and their beliefs.
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Post by Anthony Perez on Jul 8, 2015 22:11:25 GMT
week#3
1. Why is the theory of evolution so important in understanding how human beings behave?
The theory of evolution gives us an understanding as to why we exist. As we look to the changes of animals throughout the centuries we see reasons why they were able to survive and change as they have. Similarly, humans can look at themselves and see the changes that have occurred within us. These traits are the reason why we have survived thus far. The difficulty we face is that our changes or evolution is not so much a physical one, but one of mental growth. “In Edelman's model, higher consciousness, including self-awareness and the ability to create scenes in the mind, have required the emergence during evolution of a new neuronal circuit”(P.24). Since consciousness is based on an evolutionary trait, we can evaluate how people think and behave based on how those actions would benefit that person whether consciously or subconsciously. If we look at the video the evolutionary imperative, the biggest question we can ask is whether life is worth living. Perhaps the various reasons human beings behave so differently, is our consciousness gives us our own reasons to make life worth living making consciousness a very necessary evolution for our survival.
2. What questions do you think evolutionary theory cannot answer?
Evolutionary theory cannot answer how the first species was created. As we continue to explore and learn about past species of animals and where they came from. We will be unable to find what started it all. As we continue to find answers only more questions will reward our efforts. What made the first species? Many will argue it was god. Perhaps they are right or easily could be wrong. Evolutionary theory may have the potential to tell us about ourselves and how we evolved from our ancestors but I do not believe it will ever tell us how we were truly created. Even if we have every piece of the puzzle I cannot fathom how the ultimate questions would be answered. In truth this questions may be beyond the scope of evolutionary theory and would perhaps require every academic disciplines to even have a slight chance of being answered.
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Post by Anthony Perez on Jul 17, 2015 19:56:09 GMT
week#4
1. Explain the virtual simulation theory of consciousness.
The virtual simulation theory of consciousness refers to an evolutionary trait inherited from changes within our brain’s activity to allow for our survival in this world. The idea is that we are able to create a virtual simulation of scenarios to evaluate the possible outcomes giving us insight as to what to do if certain situations arise without the consequences of death. As we compare animal’s consciousness to our own, we see they contain a primary consciousness but not the secondary consciousness or virtual simulator. As written in Is the Universe an APP “An animal could construct a set of discriminations: qualia. It could create a scene in its own mind and make connections with past scenes. At that point primary consciousness sets in. But that animal has no ability to narrate. It cannot construct a tale using long-term memory, even though long-term memory affects its behavior” (P. 86). Our thought processes have altered and allowed us to be conscious of our consciousness. Although we believe animals to be incapable of such though processes, we suffer from being unable to fully comprehend other thought processes not just with animals but with other humans. The reality is for all we know inanimate objects could be capable of such consciousness but we are unable to evaluate it do to our limited senses.
2. How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it for our genetic survival?
As we try to examine the world around us, are brain has limitations of our senses which creates reality as only we are capable of perceiving and not as how it truly is around us. As written in Is the Universe an App “Our five senses don't reveal the universe at large so much as provide us with a severely edited version of what our bodies necessitate to live long enough in order to pass on our genetic histories.” (P.99). The reality there is no way of knowing if our actions our truly our own or if the neurons in our brain have already predetermined our actions and only make it appear as if we are in control. The reason why this holds such validity is our need for survival. The brain cannot always rely on our virtual simulator in situations that require an almost instant answer that determines life or death. Just as a guitarist is capable of playing subconsciously when he has mastered his craft so too has our brains made us unaware when it is vital to our survival.
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Post by jchang194 on Jul 18, 2015 21:53:33 GMT
Extra Credit response (Week 4)
I really liked your input on our brain tricking us in order to ensure our genetic survival. The brain is truly amazing because it takes only what it needs and makes us do things in the best and efficient way possible to ensure our survival. However, I do think that there are some scenarios and situations that we may encounter in our lives that we have never experienced before therefore our neurons won't have a formulaic step by step method on what to do since the situation is foreign. This possibility makes me believe that no matter how second nature it may seem, we can and are consciously thinking of different ways to survive.
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Post by Anthony Perez on Jul 24, 2015 20:36:26 GMT
week#5
1. Do you think artificial intelligence will be a significant problem in the future?
The technology of today continues advancements and as such has proven how much of a dependence we have on these technologies. The reality is we will become lost if we ever lose such luxuries. As mankind continues to create artificial intelligence, these technologies will be able to surpass our processing capabilities which will in turn cause conflict with human beings. The problem will likely be created with how humans would treat this technology. Our abilities will allow us to create a human like entity, yet most will treat such as an object. This to me is a very scary situation if these A.I beings can comprehend the situations and could turn against their creators perhaps not in a physical way but in ways we would be able to trust them or they would refuse to help us. Can you image if Siri from IPhones gave you incorrect directions or deleted your file because you made her angry? We keep creating more advanced technology and keep putting more dependence on them as such. If computers could think like a human being, we would be at their mercy.
2. How has technology impacted your life?
Technology has become an everyday necessity within my life. Luck everyone else; I must have my phone with me at all times to keep in contact with those important to me, for entertainment and for information about current events. I am capable of reading any book I please with a simple search, run a game and I can immerse myself in new world with weird new creatures, people and landscapes. I can also use it for work such as using my laptop to answer this week’s essay question. The truth is I am as dependent on technologies as everyone else. The ease and the capabilities of these new gadgets make it impossible to resist. The problem for me is rather than exploring the world around us, I tend to remain on the virtual realm. The temptations of technology make it much harder for me to be as interested about nature and to go outside and learn about them. In the video “Is the universe an App?” There is debate about the dream state and that consciousness is a virtual simulator and what is real? I suppose technology is just another realm and can also be a part of these questions and perhaps is not a problem after all.
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Post by Anthony Perez on Jul 27, 2015 3:15:39 GMT
week#6
1. Why are Faqir Chand’s experiences important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles?
The reason understanding Faqir Chand’s experiences is important is it helps us differentiae religious visions and miracles and not be easily duped by illusions created by our own minds. As we evaluate Faqir Chand’s life, we see a lot of personal development and reason to his beliefs. The many visions seen of religious figures do not create a meaning of an omnipotent being or divine Gurus but personal reflection from religious teachings, experiences, meditation and/or prayer. These “divine interventions” come only from within us and our subconscious. “Are they a creation of my own mind, and does my guru also not know about his appearances to me? Only then, according to Faqir, did he realize the truth: "All manifestations, visions, and forms that are seen within are mental (illusory) creations."[Faqir Chand, The Secret of Secrets (Hoshiarpur: Faqir Charitable Library Trust, 1975)]. Based are Faqir’s understandings this is the definition of a religion vision. A miracle, on the other hand, is something that is beyond normal human abilities, yet these are a rarity since most would me miracles are frauds created by people who want to appear to have some kind of psychic ability. In truth, there are some phenomena that cannot be explained logically and perhaps is caused by some religious or spiritual powers. Although we may turn to religion and these spiritual leaders to answer such unexplainable phenomena, we must always approach all questions with logical reasoning.
2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy."
Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence but only way to study such topics is by testing theories and ideas, that is where science comes into play. As we test these theories through science, we are able to make more definitive answers or hypothesis on these tested subjects. Although some former concepts proven by science might later be proven incorrect, the idea is we are making logical understands to thought processes which in turn become a new form of academic discipline. From the book Circle of the Wise “What happens, of course, in the history of the subject, is that as theories develop, and as hypotheses become confirmed, they sort of "hive off" the mother body, they "hive off" of philosophy, and they become a specialized discipline, like chemistry, or physics, or cosmology, or what-have-you.”(P.70). In essence, Philosophy could be considered the initial form of all prior academic disciplines that pursues the growth of knowledge. If a topic studied by philosophy fails to become its own discipline, then it lacks the intellectual growth or does not have the ability to pass beyond a theory.
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