Interesting Links and Articles

• The Philoctetes Center Multidisciplinary Study of the Imagination "was established to promote an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of creativity and the imaginative process."


• I'm not looking, honest! "[Kazuhiro Yokota, of Osaka University in Japan, and his colleagues] managed to do what had previously been thought impossible: they probed reality without disturbing it. Not disturbing it is the quantum-mechanical equivalent of not really looking. So they were able to show that the universe does indeed exist when it is not being observed." (The Economist, Mar 5th 2009)


• IBM plans 'brain-like' computers "'We are attempting a 180 degree shift in perspective: seeking an algorithm first, problems second. We are investigating core micro- and macro-circuits of the brain that can be used for a wide variety of functionalities.'" (BBC News, Friday, 21 November 2008)


• The coming evangelical collapse "We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West." (Michael Spencer, Tue Mar 10, 2009)


• The Happiness of the People "America's current leaders seem to be leading us down the path to European-style social democracy. But although it makes for pleasant lives, the European model stifles human flourishing and erodes the civic and cultural institutions and habits that make for a vibrant, sustainable, and satisfying way of life. Moreover, critics of the European model are about to get a boost from scientific discoveries in neuroscience and genetics that human nature is not malleable, which will undercut the foundations of social democracy. The answer: American exceptionalism, in which individuals freely unite to construct a civic culture. What follows is the text of Charles Murray's Irving Kristol Lecture, delivered at AEI's Annual Dinner at the Washington Hilton on March 11, 2009." (Charles Murray, March 12, 2009)


• Is That Your Final Answer? Study Suggests Method For Improving Individual Decisions "Dialectical bootstrapping is a method by which an individual mind averages its' own conflicting opinions, thus simulating the 'wisdom of the crowd.' In other words, dialectical bootstrapping enables different opinions to be created and combined in the same mind." (ScienceDaily, Mar. 14, 2009)


• The Equality Trust "believe[s] that in order to gain substantial improvements in the real quality of life of the populations of developed countries it is necessary that differences in income and wealth are greatly reduced. [...] However, differences in income and wealth will only be reduced when there is a widespread public understanding of the benefits which greater equality can bring to all of us. "


• Living Well is More Important then Organic Fruit "Please go out there and do. Live. Don’t be the same as yesterday. Don’t live vicariously online. Don’t use language that has no meaning or talk ideas you don’t really live. Don’t hide. Don’t copy others or live their ideas or life. Don’t fear doing your thing. Don’t fear doing. Instead of reading a decorating magazine, paint that room. Instead of thinking of baking, do up a cake. Run, walk, bike. Put that self help book down and pick up yourself."


• 'Eye for an eye' approach does not pay, study "Living by the motto 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' makes people less happy and successful, a study has found." (John Bingham, 25 Mar 2009)

Interesting Articles

Philosophy's Great Experiment (Prospect, March 2009) - A dynamic new school of thought is emerging that wants to kick down the walls of recent philosophy and place experimentation back at its centre. It has a name to delight an advertising executive: x-phi. [(Experimental Philosophy)]

Pakistan's Sufis Preach Faith and Ecstasy (Smithsonian magazine, December 2008) - Sufism is not a sect, like Shiism or Sunnism, but rather the mystical side of Islam—a personal, experiential approach to Allah, which contrasts with the prescriptive, doctrinal approach of fundamentalists like the Taliban.

Is time an illusion? (New Scientist, 19 January 2008) - Physicists have long struggled to understand what time really is. In fact, they are not even sure it exists at all. In their quest for deeper theories of the universe, some researchers increasingly suspect that time is not a fundamental feature of nature, but rather an artefact of our perception. One group has recently found a way to do quantum physics without invoking time, which could help pave a path to a time-free 'theory of everything.' If correct, the approach suggests that time really is an illusion, and that we may need to rethink how the universe at large works. 'It is not reality that has a time flow, it is our very approximate knowledge of reality that has a time flow. Time is the effect of our ignorance.'

Dial H for Happiness: How Neuroengineering May Change Your Brain (Wired.com, March 3, 2009) - Schneider has agreed to give me TMS. Specifically, he will use it on a part of my brain that controls movement: the motor cortex. He ushers me into an overly large black leather chair. Except for the large, two-lobed paddle hanging from the back, which is connected to an impressive power supply, the chair resembles something a therapist might use. A few inches over my ear is the part of my brain that controls my hand and arm. Schneider holds the coil there and activates it. The muscles in my scalp contract automatically, and it stings. My hand is jumping with each loud snap from the TMS machine.

13 Unsolved scientific puzzles (Times Online, February 27, 2009) - Author Michael Brooks has investigated some of the most puzzling anomalies of modern science, those intractable problems that refuse to conform to the theories. Here he counts down the 13 strangest.

Doubting Darwin: Debate Over The Mind's Evolution (All Things Considered, February 20, 2009) - [S]ome Darwin skeptics are focusing on the human brain. They say a higher power must be involved; otherwise, how could a bunch of cells produce such complicated mental processes as consciousness or subjective experiences? How could something like free will be the result of evolution?

Are Our Brains Becoming 'Googlized?" (Search Engine Land, Nov 14, 2008) - 'emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle aged and older adults,' and that 'internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function.' This is a long way of saying that being online helps keep those little gray cells busy. The level of brain activity was compared to that of reading a book. With internet usage, a significantly bigger piece of neural real estate lit up on the fMRI indicating that more parts of the brain were engaged.

Realization of Relative Reality Leads to Self-Inquiry

From the Wikipedia article on the Interpretation of quantum mechanics:

"... the world around us seems to be in a specific state, yet quantum mechanics describes it with wave functions governing the probabilities of values. In general the wave-function assigns non-zero probabilities to all possible values for a given physical quantity, such as position. How then is it that we come to see a particle at a specific position when its wave function is spread across all space? In order to describe how specific outcomes arise from the probabilities, the direct interpretation introduces the concept of measurement. According to the theory, wave functions interact with each other and evolve in time according to the laws of physics until a measurement is performed, at which time the system will take on one of the possible values with probability governed by the wave-function. Measurement can interact with the system state in somewhat peculiar ways..."

According to quantum mechanics, the very act of measuring influences the value that is measured. Replace a few words and you have: "The very act of looking influences what we see."

We see with our eyes which passes images to our brain. Our mind interprets the visual stimulus: "That painting is ugly," or "That girl is cute."

In addition, if we assume that the brain produces the mind, then the instrument itself is a part of this quantum system. Infinite recursion anyone? Anyone?

I hope this idea frustrates and confuses you. I hope you experience doubt about your own thoughts. I hope you ask yourself, repeatedly, "Who am I?" with genuine curiosity.

All scientific, philosophical and theological questions lead to this one simple question. Without pursuing its answer all else is naught.

On Perception

Every person is entitled to their opinion, perspective and world-view. Collectively, I'll call these "perceptions."

Considering that the origin of perceptions are rooted in upbringing, culture and personal experiences--with characteristics specific to the individual--how could a person not be entitled to their own perspective?

To disregard the opinion of another is to consider his or her entire life experience invalid. Our collective experiences all point to and support a particular world-view, from which we form our opinions. To question them is to question our own experiences.

If we suppose that all perceptions are valid, that there is nothing "wrong" but simply "different," where is "truth," or better stated, what is "objective reality?"

Objective reality is defined by numbers. The more people that hold a particular belief or perception, the more "real" their relative reality becomes. Indeed, the culture produced by collective perception reinforces itself. The shared perception becomes "objective" because there is no one (or few) to question it.

The world as I see it is much different than the world an African sees it. Are either of our perceptions invalid? Who will judge? Who is not influenced by their past or their environment? Who is free from the constraints of their own mental patterns?

If indeed there is no objective world "out there," then what is the "out there" that we see, hear, taste, smell, feel and contemplate about all day, every day.

There is no "out there." There is no objective reality. Who would know about it? How would they know about it?

Can you see the world in relation to anything other than yourself? In relation to anything other than your past? How would you perceive it? With your mind? A mind that has been shaped, arguably beyond our control, for decades, by a culture of consumerism, emotionally traumatic relationships and mediocre parenting?

The world you experience, having been filtered through the mind, is non-different from the mind itself. Every perception you have of the outer-world is simply an extension of your conscious or subconscious mind. Everywhere you go, there you are.

To understand yourself is to understand the world. To embrace your lack of knowledge is to embrace your fellow man in the wondrous mystery of life.

Elizabeth Gilbert: On Creative Genius

On Culture and Spiritual Community

Reverend J. Dana Trent recently asked me about my opinion of the Binkley Baptist Church's covenant. My initial response:

"I have to admit that reading the church covenant reminded me of my psychological aversion to joining groups. The self-imposed pressure of group obligations make me uncomfortable."

To which she responded:

"I know what you mean about self-imposed formal group pressure. The irony of that church covenant is that many people ... feel it's 'anti-Baptist' because Baptists are very individualistic and autonomy-oriented. I want to hear more about how you feel/perceive this."

There is a lot of value is being part of a group. Some people need external accountability and a feeling of community to be consistent in their spiritual practice. Some people are the opposite.

For example, folks who eventually become atheists may idealize the principles of Christianity, and then become disillusioned when they don't see those principles applied perfectly by practitioners.

Ideally, members of a community should emphasize individual accountability and introspection, otherwise those external pressures become artificial and competitive.

I would argue that in the past, humanity's culture emphasized the virtues mentioned above, so the spiritual communities that developed within the context of such a culture did not have to address issues that arise when those virtues are not present. It may seem like a "dumbing down" of spiritual principles, but I think those virtues need to be address by spiritual communities. "How?" is a big question, and should be voluntarily determined by members according to their collective psychological predispositions. The "how" should be flexible, even readily disregarded if it's effectiveness eventually becomes questionable.

I looked in my Gita (18.42-43) to find a few nice virtues: tranquility, self-control, austerity, forgiveness, honesty, faith, determination, and generosity.

Interesting articles

• Exploring Consciousness through the Study of Bees (Scientific American, January, 2009) "... there is no accepted theory of consciousness, no principled theory that would tell us which systems, organic or artificial, are conscious and why."


• How Google Is Making Us Smarter (Discover, January 15, 2009) "the mind appears to be adapted for reaching out from our heads and making the world, including our machines, an extension of itself."


• Is Technology Producing A Decline In Critical Thinking And Analysis? (ScienceDaily January 29, 2009) "'As students spend more time with visual media and less time with print, evaluation methods that include visual media will give a better picture of what they actually know...'"


• DVD teaches autistic kids what a smile means (Associated Press, January 15, 2009) "About a decade ago, Baron-Cohen suggested that autism — which is much less likely to afflict girls — might be an extreme version of the typical male brain. Men tend to understand the world via patterns and structure, whereas women are more inclined to understand emotions and sympathize with others."


• Mind Out Of Balance, Body Out Of Balance (ScienceDaily, January 27, 2009) "Many ... adults who suffer from anxiety disorders also have problems with balance. As increasing numbers of children are diagnosed with anxiety, Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that the link between balance and anxiety can be assessed at an early age and that something can be done about it before it becomes a problem."


• Elevating Science, Elevating Democracy (The New York Times January 26, 2009) "Science is not a monument of received Truth but something that people do to look for truth. That endeavor, which has transformed the world in the last few centuries, does indeed teach values. Those values, among others, are honesty, doubt, respect for evidence, openness, accountability and tolerance and indeed hunger for opposing points of view. [...] The habit of questioning that you learn in physics is invaluable in the rest of society."