@Billy_T
I was specifically trying to say that I don't think we can define determinism without epistemology. I know this seems offtopic, but how can we discuss certainty of something in reality without specifying how we'd go about measuring it or observing it, and the fact that there is no...
@honestrosewater
I wasn't looking for an explanation of what logic is. I've studied it for quite a bit and I'm taking a symbolic logic course right now. I just wasn't sure if my understanding of Godel's Theorem was correct. Yes, the other posts on this subject did turn out to be helpful.
Does religion not implicitly rely on logic?
If you sin, then you go to hell.
If the bible says to do x, and you do not do x, the you are violating the bible.
It is my understanding that theologists have to rely on logic to study religion, just as much as physicists rely on logic to study...
Godel, Escher, Bach is an excellent book, I'm about half way through it. If you want a good book on consciousness, I recommend "The Quest for Consciousness," by Koch. It has a very good, structured, analytical approach. It's meant to be more of a textbook, but it's not a difficult read. Also, it...
One of the axioms of the axiomatic set theory is that there are no universal sets. However, God is omnipresent, so he would have to be this universal set. Thus, God would immediately lead to a contradiction within the set theory. Does this prove that there is no God?
In short, the answer to your question is: No.
Have you looked at Godel's theorem? It shows that, from what I understand, that any axiomatic system has to be incomplete, in the sense that there will aways be true statements that you cannot derive within the system. There are probably people on...
I don't believe determinism has been defined properly in this thread. For something to be predetermined, there has to be an observer that can do the determining, which means that this observer has to be aware of the speed and velocity of every particle in the universe (or whatever system he is...
Whoever wrote this has not the slightest understanding of biology.
"The pH of those people's bodies' was not acidic enough to support the transformation of the germ into a bacteria, fungus or virus."
How does a germ transform into a virus. Judging from the quote. I don't think the author...
Most definitions of the word "God" state that it is something beyond the reach of science, and present from (at least) the Big Bang. Thus I wouldn't go as far as to say that these aliens have evolved into Gods, but I do think its quite probable that there are life forms out there that have...
I just realized something somewhat mind-boggling, and felt an urge to share it with someone before that "high" you get from philosophical revelations goes away.
I take it for granted that mathematics is the most fundamental reality, and everything else emerges from mathematics, and...
Hi everyone.
I'm applying to college right now, the Engineering Physics major has caught my eye. Can someone give me some info on this major, like is this a good major to pursue, and what career options are generally available, (and of course how much money you can make :smile: ). My original...
TENYEARS:
From what I understand, the book you refer to is about cult brainwashing and ritual abuse. I don't want to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but, out of curiosity, are you saying you witnessed/have been a part of this?
TENYEARS:
I'm a bit confused. I changed my beleif because I gained more scientific knowledge about the world around me. How can there be "no box." One way or another I'm still going to have an internal representation of reality inside of me that tells me what to think and on which I base by...
sorry about not responding in a while. a bit preoccupied with college apps
TENYEARS:
When first introduced to this topic about a year ago, I was very naive about it, but since then I have learned more about physics and psychology, and my view of the world has changed from a dualist one to a...
I would say that if you are capable of learning any new information during the experience, that you can only attain through sensory input and would otherwise not have learned, then we can assume that its real. Was there anything that you learned that you didnt know, like the position of any of...
That was kinda my original question. Is there anything inside of us that is capable of leaving the body and exist independantly with no physical hardware. As far as I know, our consciousness is just software, with the hardware counterpart being neurons and synapses. So does that mean that our...
There was a thing on the discovery channel a while ago. Pilots exposed to extreme G forces experience the same floating and out of body effect due to a lack of oxygen in the brain.
Ego is our immediate gain from helping to improve things: you do it cause it makes you feel good about yourself. But I also believe that we evolved specifically in such a way that our ego demands that we work to improve society. Thus while to the individual ego is a very personal source of...
Perhaps this post is better suited for the pseudo-science or religion forum, but I think people here would be less biased and more inclined towards a scientific responce. I picked up a book about astral-traveling a couple of years back, when I wasn't as much of an atheist and materialist as I am...
jammieg ang Gale:
This is sort of what Psychocybernetics claims. Sitting down and visualising yourself doing something (that you are normally not good at or have a fear of) will reprogram your brain in such a way as allow you to get good at it.
wuliheron:
What studies are you referring to...
We all want to die thinking that our presence on this planet made a difference. It is one of our innate instincts, closely associated with procreation. Without those two instincts, evolution would not have worked and the human society would have collapsed because no one would be interested in...
Hi everyone.
I was reading over the thread, as I've been absent from PF for a while (new school, new job, family) and I am a bit confused as to the meaning of the word 'energy' in the conversation. Does this refer to a supernatural energy, something in the area of stimulation of the charkas...
hi everyone, I'm back
prizm, specifically what Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle states is that an unobserved particle does not have a position. It only takes on a position when light is shined upon it, and the certainty of the position/speed depends on the frequency of light...
The reason nature has it in such a way that we have two biological parents is because this provides for optimal efficiency in diversity and evolution, and it has nothing to do with how kids are raised.
What's wrong with a child growing up in the presence of multiple parental influences?
Are there any animals out there except for humans that practice monogamy? As far as I can recall, humans are the only ones that do while all of the species that are biologically closer to humans practice polygamy. I guess it wouldn't be too far fetched to say that its more natural for a mammal...
1. Should this 'energy' exist, why do you believe that only humans, and not animals, would have it? How are we so different from animals?
2. Have there ever been any conlusive scientific studies done that at least hinted at the validity of religiuos miracles? Singing to your plants doenst...
Yes, but who decides what's right and what's wrong? All right and wrong would be relative to the person deciding, would it not? What is right for one person would be wrong to another, and thus supreme good is relative to the individual, and outside the human perception the words good, bad...
'Supreme' is a funny word, and in a way I agree that supreme good is impossible. But one could also claim that, relative to the observer, the 'supreme good' is whatever is necessary and proper for his own survival and well being (keeping in mind that helping others would fit into this category...
I have a hard time imagining how killing 10 million strangers would have no adverse effect on you.
1. Surely, your friend's friend's friend's friend must know someone in that 10 million, and that would have some adverse effect.
2. Would guilt not be considered an adverse effect, even...
I think the entire idea of sin is flawed. Sure, we could say that any action that harms another being is a sin, but then any action we take will somehow harm someone else. Driving a car releases pollution, pollution causes lung cancer, therefore driving a car is a sin. Eating a 12 oz steak for...
Royce, what I was trying to say is that there is no innate intelligence. Even something as basic as control of the limbs is learned in the first few days (or months) of its life. What follows, as you said yourself, is explorations, which itself is an act of trial and error, and exploration...
Neither do I, but its these random hit and miss atempts that give an organism the ability to develop intelligence. No organism is born with intelligence, but it is developed using random hit and miss attempts in the first few years of a child's life, like not eating would be a miss because it...
I think the very question is "illogical" :wink: because logic is not an attribute of the universe, but instead is our means of understanding the universe, while the universe itself has nothing to do with logic. For expample, imagine a person who for the first time in his life is exposed to...
As is the case with the brain. I'm not saying the hardware on the market today is capable of true AI, but what's stopping us from developing hardware that can modify itself.
Then again, maybe it is possible with a regular computer and a big enough hard drive, with software that has the...
I stronly disagree with your view of AI. A computer does not need to programmed to have logic, the one hurdle the programmer has to overcome is to give the computer the ability to learn, and a motive to do so. This can be compared to a child growing up. When the child is born, it has no login...
Isn't that the same as saying that Ben Franklin "invented" electicity. Mathematical relationships exist in the world around us regardless of whether or not they are observed by a sentient being.
Very interesting, Alexander.
But mathematics is only able to describe interactions between physical objects. It is not able to stand by itself. You can't add 2+2 without saying 2 of something, like 2 of a certain paricle.
I just realized that my statement above sounds an aweful lot like...
Lets not forget that wavelength is not the only thing that determines the color that we perceive. Intensity also has some impact, as well as the surrounding colors. Take a look at some Impressionist paintings. When a color is by itself it looks different from when its paired up with its complement.
From what I understand, people trapped in the matrix are still able to use their brain and be creative, since your brain is hooked up to the computer. There are still artists and musicians in the matrix who play music and create works of art?
Either that or I just badly misunderstood you post...
Iacchus32, regarding your question on universality:
There is a certain disorder in some people where they see the complementary of every color. For expample, instead of blue they see orange and instead of green they see red. Wouldn't that mean that there is no universality in color perception?
OK, let's assume that this world is in a matrix, and we are all imprisoned by artificial intellingence. Now, in a couple of decades, we (menaing the inhabitants of the matrix) are going to create AI of our own, and the robots, without knowing that they are already in a matrix, will imprison...
Color is just a certain quality that our brain assigns to a certain range of wavelengths. From the human perception, infrared or UV are not colors, because the brain is incapable of assinging a color to those waveleghts. But, from the perception of a cat (I believe cats are able to see UV)...
Boulderhead, should a definition of god state that it is anything less than option #1, the question I posted would simply not be applicable to that definition. If god is not all powerful, then he may not even know how to make a burrito.