What, Why & How do we Know ?
Terry Bristol, Director of ISEPP (University of Oregon) introduced the concept of reality as Engineering into the Friends of Wisdom environment, which caught my imagination, because I’m an engineer and came to this space through engineering. (Notice, Linus Pauling and Bob Ulanowizc connections BTW.) And, having been inflicted by Pirsigian Metaphysics of Quality before noticing … Continue reading “Engineering at the Dawn of Time ?”
Thanks to David Morey over at MoQ-Discuss for picking up these links to papers mentioning Pirsig’s work. (I’m guessing partly prompted by the observations from Sam and Ant about the Ram-Prasad “Great Divide” article decrying the dearth of links between Eastern and Western philosophy – lets’ not overlook Pirsig and Northrop.) A Hubert Dreyfus paper … Continue reading “Wow, it’s full of holes.”
Browsing Ray Girvan’s Apothecary’s Drawer – Wave Related – fairly slow blog rate due to his “estivation” (summer equivalent of hibernation mainly in cold blooded creatures) – attracted by the Mexican philosopher Manuel DeLanda. [Quote] DeLanda is a contemporary Mexican philosopher with a strong interest in the scientific and cultural crossover: “topics as diverse as … Continue reading “It’s All Connected”
Having finished Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, it was a toss-up between more Dennett or David Chalmers (or something completely different like Barbara Tuchman, still unread). Chalmers name-drops an impressive list of acknowledgments, but is brave enough to point out that Hofstadter (his original mentor) and Dennett largely disagree with him. I think he overhypes the exciting … Continue reading “David Chalmers Consciousness”
Completed Hofstadter and Dennett’s “The Mind’s I” on the way back to Perth, Oz. Although it peters out a bit, with Hofstadter’s “Conversation with Einstein’s Brain” there are still more gems in there. After Lem’s excellent “Non Serviam” mentioned previously, we still have Ray Smullyan’s “Is God a Taoist”, John Searle’s “Minds, Brains and Programs”, … Continue reading “Mind’s I – Round-up”
One important thread in the development of Pirsig’s ideas, starting with Northrop and the aboriginals of “Latin” America (and all points “East” of western thinking), continued in the North American Indian anthropological forays with Verne Dusenberry. A descendent of said anthropologist points out that Dusenberry’s book is back in print with Oklahoma University Press. Some … Continue reading “Cree Anthropology”
A BBC report on blogging, mainly on the freedom of speech angle and East vs West differences. However, as it says, if a problem shared is a problem halved, what is happening when millions share with millions ? Wonder what Northrop would have made of blogging ?
Is that “sound” theory tends to destroy the state of affairs it aims to achieve, said Northrop in 1946. Always suspicious of “our time” claims about timeless issues, paricularly post 9/11, post blogging etc, next big thing claims generally, but I guess that was a period where global political organisation was truly in the spotlight. … Continue reading “Paradox Of Our Time”