What, Why & How do we Know ?
About half-way through Kevin Mitchell’s “Innate” as I type. Highly recommended as an educational read – very matter-of-fact / common-sensical style – on understanding that pre-wired traits are not hard-wired (plastic) and that genes & DNA really do drive (most of) the whole (genetic) process of development of the human individual – traits, propensities, capabilities … Continue reading “Innate Progress”
In connection with the publication of “On Quality”, the Spectator book club has Sam Leith interviewing Wendy Pirsig. (30 minute audio). Actually quite fascinating since Leith actually appears to have prior understanding and research (and empathy) on the relevant topics. Great also to hear Wendy talking so enthusiastically with him about Bob and his work … Continue reading “Wendy Pirsig Interviewed on Quality”
I’ve just taken possession of Kevin Mitchell’s (2018) “Innate – How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are”. No idea why it’s taken me so long to acquire a copy, he’s been on my book list for some time and I’ve been following him for a few years on Twitter – he’s a … Continue reading “Innate by Kevin Mitchell”
I am again, as once or twice previously, in a “Just Write Something” mode. In many ways it’s how I came into blogging itself – when wrestling with complex issues beyond the day job – writing – putting into language in any medium – is part of the thinking processes. Dialogue about it helps too. … Continue reading “Distractions from “Just Write Something!””
I’ve actually blogged only one reference to Louis Sass – when talking about the mental illness created by crises of denial by the left of our right brain worldviews (McGilchrist, Sigmund, et al). The story of where “knowledge” went wrong in the 20thC. The denial of sacred nature beyond objective science. (Myself, above.) Following that … Continue reading “Louis Sass”
Still drafting a longer thesis on my full metaphysics, prompted in this earlier post, but the premises are quite straightforward: IF – we allow that physics (physicalism / materialism) are fundamentally about information and processes (ie computation). THEN – I’m happy to be considered a physicalist, and that all evolved phenomena, including those of subjective … Continue reading “IF, THEN, ELSE – It’s Not Complicated”
I made a single reference to Pirsig and “quality” in the previous post about Kastrup and “consciousness”. It prompted me to re-read a few earlier references I’d written – a couple of which I realise I’m quite proud of, and thought I’d “re-up” on these pages: “After the Fireworks” (July 2018) – a retrospective on … Continue reading “Important Pirsig Highlights”
In this dialogue Bernardo Kastrup gives us his working definition of “consciousness: That whose excitations are the experiences we have. (Independent of our experiencing of them.) The sine qua non of experience. Raw subjectivity Raw basic experience. This is Pirsigian quality. He doesn’t use the formulation above in his book “The Idea of the World”, … Continue reading “Kastrup’s “Definition” of Consciousness”