Art, Science + Technology
DMA9 Fall 2007, Section BArchive for November 26, 2007
Week 9: Extraterrestrial, where are they?
From thousands of years ago to today, there have been many sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) across the world. Almost everyone believes that these UFOs are associated with the extraterrestrial intelligence that may exist in the vast universe. In addition, there are many explanations for these sightings, including weather effect, government conspiracy, and religious miracles. Based on our current evidence it is impossible to conclude indisputably that aliens from outer space exist or have visited earth before. However, we can understand the attempts human have made in trying to contact species from another planet.
The SETI projects have created many giant radio disks that send signals toward outer space. These devices are aid to have the ability to send the radio signals to thousands of light years away. If the aliens from outer space can pick up this signal, then they can respond to us. The SETI projects also have receiving option to receive any signals sent by the aliens. Some famous SETI projects include SERENDIP, SETI@HOME, and SETI Net. Richard Char’s space dolphin is also an example of SETI project. The dolphin shaped satellite send signal out toward the empty space and hoping that the aliens would respond.
After all of these expensive SETI projects, have the aliens respond? Have these aliens received our message and respond to us? In 1977, a project volunteer Jerry R. Ehman witnessed an exceptionally strong signal while helping at OSU SETI program. This signal was later known as the “Wow” signal. Many speculate that this signal is indeed a response from an intelligent life form. No other strong signal is picked up again. Most people are still unconvinced of the alien theory.
As stated in the introduction, there have been many alien sightings throughout history. These sightings created many controversies with the SETI projects. The UFO sightings are not all fabricated. Hundred of thousands of people have seen these flying objects flying. Among these people, there are aerial professionals who have seen all kinds of aircrafts and meteorologist who have seen all kinds of weather. If these people have seen something that is still unknown to human, then it is very likely that this something must have come from outer space. If these aliens have even visited earth, then why are there projects that cost millions of dollars that attempt to contact intelligence that is already here? The advocates of the SETI projects argue that these UFO sightings are not hard evidence that aliens are here.
Despite the UFO debates, there have been many popular culture products that come from the sightings of UFO. It is generally believed from movies and science fiction novel that UFOs are disk shaped objects, and those who drive in them are aliens who have big eyes and head. Other examples of UFOs and aliens can be seen in movies such as Aliens, Predator, and ET. Despite the UFO controversy, the subject has created a new topic for people to discuss.
Truth
Truth
I’d like to think that truth is an absolute thing. That is not to say that we cannot explore things we find untrue, but I merely believe that the truth is truth, regardless of whether or not we’ve found it yet. There are examples throughout history of ‘truths’ being completely and horrible wrong. Gravity sort of threw everyone for a loop, as did evolution. Truly we have been wrong so many times that it is hard to believe that everything we clutch so dearly as absolute truth is indeed absolute truth. Yet, at the same time, I dont believe in truth being something relative due to our interpretation. I dont think humanity is the end-all of the universe. If humans are blind, it does not mean that the rest of the universe doesn’t exist. If we only were to look at humanity, certainly some ‘truths’ might be a bit different for us than for the rest of the universe. If humanity was, say, colorblind, then to us, the universe would have no color. But the universe does have color (or so we think, anyway) and thus our opinion really doesnt matter. This isn’t to say that humanity doesn’t matter and it certainly is nice to cling to what we believe to be the truth but we should never let our opinions of the truth constrain us. Science is about discovery and we should do just that. Working solely within pre-fabricated frameworks can only get us so far.
Coincidences and Fate.
During class last Monday, we had a very very interesting discussion on coincidences. I heard someone say something about the 9/11 attack coincidences. I found this site : http://www.glennbeck.com/news/05172002.shtml. It shows how each US bill of currency depicts a different stage of the twin tower’s collapse. It shows from the five dollar bill to the 100 dollar bill, and it shows the destruction of the towers in order. Is that a coincidence, or did the US government know that even before the twin towers were constructed, they printed how the towers were going to fall onto our currency? Of course it is a coincidence. I feel that it is the paranoid people that believe in conspiracies. Some things in the world just happen, not because there was something that orchestrated the event. That brings me to the topic of fate. Fate is “something that unavoidably befalls a person.” This means that the person can’t do anything to change their destiny. That is ridiculous. A person control’s their own destiny. If you dropped out of high school and work at a fast food place, you can go to community college with federal assistance. If you are unhappy with your situation, it is your fault, and you are the only one responsible for improving your life. Then people can argue that fate already had that path written out for you, so you think you are controlling your actions, yet you aren’t. But if you think that way, what is the point in life? You can’t control your life, then there isn’t a reason for living.
Coincidence and Randomness
Are things random or does everything happen for a reason? Although I do not believe that everything is directly related, I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I think that I believe this partly because of my Christian background. Everything happens for a reason and the events that take place are based on our own choices. The choices that we make in our lifes will determine future events. For example, if all my life I wanted to be a lawyer, but then I somehow was charged with a felony, the decision to do the illegal activity would shape the rest of my life.(One cannot become a lawyer with a felony.) I believe that major and minor events in our lives happen for a reason. A few years back when I was visiting Rome I saw the golf coach from my high school. Before this point I had never really played golf. After talking with the coach I started golfing, and although I never went out for the team, I enjoy golf to this day. The minor event of me running into a person in Rome caused me to pick up golf as a hobby. Everything happens for a reason; I do not have an answer to why this or that happened, but one day when I meet God, I am sure that all of my questions will be answered. Why we do not always recognize the suttle choices that we make, they all have effects on our future. Our choices and experiences have shaped us in to the people that we are today.
Truth and Tolerance
(That is not the title of another Jane Austen novel)
If you were to tell me that all truths are relative, would not that truth be absolute? And then, if you had previously believed that there are no absolute truths, until my paradoxical question changed your mind, would that not also destroy the previously established truth? To restate the problem, one would say: It is a TRUTH that all truths are relative. If it were not a truth, it would by definition no longer hold true; yet if it were, it would be absolute, and thus equally untrue.
It’s a ridiculous scenario, a Schrodinger’s Cat of semantics. And strange as the idea may be, the parallel here is uncanny; what we face is not a problem of different opinions or world views, but instead, the impossibility of quantum linguistics. Unfortunately, a google search reveals that this not-so-clever term has already been coined, and is used to mean things which I’m not quite sure I understand (see: http://nats-www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~joseph/dis/dis/node35.html). I simply intended it to be a phrasal portmanteau of quantum mechanics and linguistics, and I shall use it as such.
We’ll begin with mechanics, returning again to the dead-and-alive cat. Nobody in their right minds (or so thought Schrodinger) would interpret the scenario as a plausible argument for the existence of a cat who is both living and dead; instead, it was a scientific reductio ad absurdum which sought to disprove a common conception of quantum physics through expounding upon its absurd conclusions. Little did anyone expect for it–along with a menagerie of related questions involving trees falling in forests–to be seriously considered as a pseudo-ontological issue. But as it turned out, people still ignore years of complex mathematics and theoretical physics to entertain the notion of quasi-dead animals. In the words of Stephen Hawking, “when I hear of Schrödinger’s cat, I reach for my gun.”
However, as violence is frowned upon, we will forgo the firearm and continue the misapplication of quantum theory to linguistics. If we use a simplified version of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics (the interpretation that inspired the killing of cats in the name of science), we could posit that language, or more specifically, the meaning of words, has multiple possible meanings that could be true, until its actual meaning is determined by an observer. Meaning that, in an abstract discussion, truth can be at the same time both relative and absolute, neatly solving our conundrum.
Except not. As with theoretical physics, it only seems to work in the abstract; when it’s brought to a medium we can perceive, be that a cat or a conversation, the quantum principles that allow for multiple existences seemingly crumble. Thus, a new solution is called for, and I’ve got a radical new idea. I realize it’s nearly an extremist view, but sometimes that’s what it takes. Here goes.
We need to expand our vocabularies.
Language is fluid, dynamic, adaptive. Words are made and used and wasted liberally; just look at Shakespeare. Yet despite the infinite capability of language to give us just the right word to say what we mean, we revert to using slang, or catch-phrases, or try to imitate the words of others–in short, our speech has been morphed for the purpose of manipulation. Why is the abortion debate between pro-life and pro-choice? Because pro-death and anti-choice don’t sound too appealing in a political advertisement. Why do people disagree over what constitutes truth? Because why would you say “opinion” when you could sound so much more authoritative saying “fact”? It’s a degradation of rhetoric and a perversion of communication, but it’s what presses the right buttons for those in the audience.
It’s pretty absurd to say “a false opinion, held by enough people, is factually correct”. Yet it doesn’t seem so absurd to say “truth is determined by what people believe”. It makes me wonder if those who spouted the latter would defend the former.
Now as for tolerance, I’ve only one request: tolerate the intolerant. Trying to change their beliefs does not qualify.
———–
Here’s some links to things I’d have talked about had I the time and energy and patience and etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Derrida
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structuralism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-structuralism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_de_Saussure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebniz
Free Will and Truth
Does free will exist?
The discussion of free will instigates a series of thought provoking questions. Regardless of your viewpoint, the whole discussion revolves around extremes. Either you feel that we are in complete control of our actions, implying that we are responsible for all of them, or we have no control, which leads to the ultimate conclusion that our lives are planned out to begin with. Personally, I do not like the idea of having no control over my own actions. To say that someone or something has set forth a plan by which my life is determined makes every decision I make completely irrelevant. If it is indeed already planned out, then the decision I make is the decision I was going to make all along. This removes any aspect of personal choice that could possibly exist in our lives.
Truth vs. Fact
Is there an actual truth, or is it simply based upon what is believed or said to be true in the past? Our ideas and principles are based on and developed by occurrences of the past. Take for instance the number three. The statement that three is one more than two is obviously factual, based on the system of mathematics that governs our society, but how do we know it is true? That is to say that when the number three was applied to the value of three, that was simply the choice of the assigner. This conundrum defines, although may not clearly, the difference between truth and fact. One is knowledgeable, one is undefined.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/freewill1.html
http://www.optimal.org/peter/freewill.htm
http://knowledgeispower.typepad.com/knowledge_is_power/2006/01/truth_vs_facts.html
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977171545
Coincidence: Physics vs. Supernatural
This week’s lecture eventually led to a discussion concerning coincidence. Throughout the discussion, individuals brought up several interesting and contradicting points about the idea of coincidence, brought up primarily because of the situation with the Columbia Space Mission tragedy in relation to 9/11. Coincidence, in my opinion, caused this situation, rather than some sort of paranormal activity. During the lecture, I was particularly intrigued by a point that a student alleged, stating that incidents like this are just a coincidence, and are all based upon the idea of physics. The supernatural is really just physics, somewhat of a butterfly effect.
Butterfly Effect refers to the concept that a butterfly’s wings might generate tiny changes in the atmosphere that in due course cause a tornado to emerge. “The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale phenomena” – Wikipedia. If the butterfly did not flap its wings, the outcome could have been a great deal different.
I was reminded of our discussion, this weekend, when a couple of my family members and I were discussing some of our personal experiences with paranormal activity. Half of these individuals believed that this was caused by spirits and supernatural forces, while the other half did not believe in all of this. At first I sided with those that believed that spirits and ghosts existed. An individual then brought up the idea of physics interfering with our personal haunting experiences causing us to believe that spirits existed. This reminded me of the idea of the butterfly effect and physics from our discussion. The mind could easily play tricks on an individual causing a person to see things that are not really there. Other paranormal activity is also a cause of physics and coincidence, rather than spiritual commotion.
http://www.pitt.edu/~dwilley/Fire/FireTxt/fire.html
http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/home/index.html
http://www.c3.hu/scca/butterfly/theme.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect
memory
Memory
There are three different types of memory: sensory, short term, and long term. Sensory memory is the ability to retain information after looking at something for only a moment. If something is viewed for only 200-500 milliseconds, what you perceive is sensory memory. Short term memory is the next step up from sensory. Some sensory memories are transferred to short term memories. If something is viewed for a few seconds all the way up to a minute, then it falls under the category of short-term memory. The amount of information that can be stored in sensory and short term memory is extremely limited. Many memories are transferred to long term memory, which holds the memories of a person’s life span. The more a person sleeps, the better the memory becomes, because during sleep a part of the brain called the hippocampus replays events from the day.
For a memory to transfer from sensory to short term attention is required. The brain must determine whether a piece of information is necessary and useful. If it is then the memory goes from sensory to working. Short term memory is the bridge between sensory and long term memory. Memories are carried like items on a conveyor belt through short term memory to long term, but the amount of memories that get through is limited. Short term memory is said to hold 7 +/- 2 pieces of information. For example, if a person were to look at 9 letters for 30 sec to a minute, they would be able to remember about 7 of them. The letters that were retained in the short term memory will only last for about 15-30 seconds, when they will either be forgotten or encoded into the long term memory.
http://www.usu.edu/psycho101/lectures/chp9memory/memory.htm#3
LSD, Dr. Timothy Leary, and Consciousness
What impact have drugs had on the modern ideas of consciousness?
With the discussion of consciousness, and varying ideas regarding it, it is difficult to ignore the influence of illegal drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana. While these substances are frowned upon in modern society, they have actually made a huge impact in society, most notably the counter-culture movement in the 1960s, as well as the way that even non-drug users look at the world. Timothy Leary, who we touched on during lecture, was massively important in the way many look at consciousness. Dr. Leary was a Harvard professor who was kicked out for his used of LSD on human patients. His influence spread to many artists, such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Hence, the influence of drugs on a human beings, which is collectively a scientific entity, pushed its influence into art, and eventually pushed its way into society and the idea of consciousness in general.
What is unfortunate is the fact that drugs are illegal, and hence taboo. However, the unfortunate situation was brought on by the very people who wanted to promote drug use. By using irresponsibly, people created a disgusting image of drug use riddled with homelessness, stupidity, and insanity. Comedian Bill Hicks once said “See, I think drugs have done some good things for us. If you don’t think drugs have done good things for us then do me a favor. Go home tonight and take all of your records, tapes and all your CD’s and burn them. Because, you know all those musicians who made all that great music that’s enhanced your lives throughout the years? Real fucking high on drugs, man.” Hicks makes a good point when he recognizes that drugs have had a massive impact on many forms of art, notably (as Hicks fails to mention) painting and music. One could argue that the entire progression of the ‘60s and ’70s music was due to the influence of drugs such as LSD and cocaine. The problem is that people need to be more responsible with these drugs. More importantly, people need to be more responsible in general to both themselves and to others. It is messages like these that were meant to be promoted during the hippie era, along with many other basic messages put out by many responsible, intelligent drug users such as Dr. Timothy Leary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_%28drug%29
http://quotes.prolix.nu/Humor/Bill_Hicks/ (A very good collection of comic Bill Hicks’ quotes, which are not only very funny, but very insightful)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_on%2C_tune_in%2C_drop_out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-Circuit_Model_of_Consciousness
Rubic’s Cube
This is a part of the algorithm I use while solving the Rubik’s cube. (Took pictures by myself, and animated using Photoshop)
Solving the Rubik’s cube involves memorizing many algorithms. One of the “simpler” algorithm is T, R, Ti, Li, T, Ri, Ti, Li. T, R, L represent the side I’m turning clock-wise. (Clock wise as if there is a clock placed on that side.) Ti, Ri, Li represent turning indicated side counter clock-wise. This algorithm moves 3 of the top corners in a counter clock way. There are different algorithms that moves pieces to different places in many different way. The Rubik’s cube comes with a manual that includes a series of algorithms that will allow anyone who does put in time to decipher it to solve within minute. However, to solve the cube under a minute with manual’s algorithms mean that the cuber knows every algorithm from the manual by heart and can decide when to perform which algorithm without giving any thinking involved. It is “easy” way to solve the cube than to try to solve it faster.
Solving the cube faster involve more than memorizing the algorithms. Solving the cube at first just needs memorization of algorithms. But, by consciously learning which algorithms can be used at which situation, I can optimize the algorithms I use. For a while, I solved the cube by following algorithm 1, then 2, then 3, then 4 to finish solving. (The numbering here is arbitrary, there is no such thing as algorithm 1,2,3,4, I just couldn’t come up with better names) But one day, instead of doing algorithm 2 after 1, I accidentally did a different algorithm (5) after algorithm 1. The resulting pattern was different, but I noticed that this pattern can be solved through algorithm 6. So I went from 1,2,3,4 to finish, to 1,5,6 to finish solving the cube. It might have been coincidence that I did the wrong pattern, but it led me to try different algorithm from then on.
Currently, I’ve been trying to learn Fridrich Solution, which involves learning over 53 algorithms. I learned only a handful of those 53 algorithms, but by trying different algorithms to the algorithms I already knew, I’ve already improved my record by over 20 seconds at best timing. The first description I’ve heard of Fridrich Solution was this: ‘Make a Cross, Finish First 2 Layers at once (F2L), Orient Last Layer (OLL), Permute Last Layer (PLL)’ I had to ask the friend three times before I figured out that Fridrich Solution teaches many algorithms, and putting together these algorithms consciously is up to me. Since F2L leaves the cube in one of the certain patterns, only a set number of OLLs are available. And after performing OLL, I can figure out which PLL I should use to finish the cube.
My (simplified) definition of consciousness is ‘to know what is going on’. So in that sense, Rubiks cube did fit very well for the lecture involving memory and consciousness. However, I think that it was just a coincidence that I like to do Rubik’s cube and the course included this topic which is well related to Rubik’s cube.
fate and/or coincidence -> discuss
A hot topic for discussion is coincidence versus fate. Is the world run by coincidence or is it fate that causes things to happen. I thought about it too. It made me think about the saying there is that one right person for everyone. So people met their “soul mate” and get married. What about when marriages do not work out. Is that because they didn’t find the right person? I think there are hundreds of potential spouses for each person that would end in a happy marriage. So I don’t really think fate exists in that way. I think that it is not fate that we met a person that we can spend the rest of our lives with but a coincidence. The saying everything happens for a reason is also very interesting. It is really the same thing as fate. But I find myself thinking “yeah, maybe everything does happen for a reason.” It is an optimistic way to go through life. My cat died today, but who knows it might have been saved from a more painful death tomorrow. And of course we don’t really know if everything happens for a reason and one my must just have faith that it does.
I found that the idea of a meme was very interesting. I did not really understand it in class to I researched it more. Maybe that was part of the 90% of the lecture I did not absorb. But the idea that behavior is passed subconsciously throughout society and the most contagious or best memes are passed on. Maybe someone used music as example for a meme, but it struck me as a perfect meme behavior. The most popular songs are duplicated, taking the best parts from them and making new ones. As this happens the music evolves. Each artist influences each other. I also tried to think of a counter example to disprove the meme. There are those people who tried to be original, completely independent from everything popular. But of course they are just following the behavior of the non-conformists that came before them as well. I thought the idea of the meme was an interesting way to try to find reason the way society transforms.
http://thedailymeme.com/what-is-a-meme/
http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/vbz/archive/index.php/t-5600.html
Wk 8: False Memories
by Blair Georgakas
Can false memories be created? Some researchers suggest that false memories can actually be implanted in patients’ brains through therapy. Others believe that those patients have just recovered repressed memories of real traumatic experiences. However, there is a significant amount of evidence that supports the idea that false memories can in fact have a huge impact of people’s lives. There have been countless incidences where children were repeatedly told by family or loved ones the details of an event that occurred whether they were true or not. The children have been told so many times that eventually they truly believe that they remember it for themselves. Children have actually been tricked into believing they were responsible for some bad event that happened and accepted guilt and consequence because they believed they deserved it.
In 1992, a woman by the name of Beth Rutherford came to get help from a counselor. Her counselor helped her through therapy to recover memories of her father raping her from the ages of 7 to 14. She even remembered her mother helping hold her down while her father forced intercourse. Through more and more sessions, she remembered getting pregnant twice and was forced to kill the baby herself using a coat hanger. When she went into the doctor to get examined, results showed that she had never had sexual intercourse in her life and had never been pregnant. Beth ended up suing her therapist for a million dollars after her father was forced to resign his position as a clergyman due to the accusations. A similar case took place in 1997 in which Nadaen Cool sued her therapist for 2.4 million dollars. She started receiving psychiatric help in 1986. In the process she came to believe she had memories of eating babies, being raped, watching her 8 year-old friend be murdered, and of having sex with animals. The therapist even performed exorcisms on her body to call Satan from her body.
http://skepdic.com/repress.html
http://faculty.washington.edu/eloftus/Articles/sciam.htm
In Class Debate
In-class Debate
The debate over coincidence vs. fate is one that is based almost entirely on personal beliefs. And, as was evident in our in-class discussion of these issues in lecture last Wednesday, it is a sensitive topic that evokes strong emotions from people on both sides of the argument. What is also apparent is that any individual’s particular take on whether or not fate exists or whether or not coincidence is a human construct is very much a consequence of that person’s religious convictions, or lack thereof. Of course in such a debate, there are no real right or wrong answers, at least not that humans can prove to be true at this point in time. With that being said, here’s my take on the issue. (I apologize if my views offend anybody.)
My Take
I personally don’t believe in fate, which stems very much in part from my being agnostic. A lot of people, Christians in particular (but definitely not just them), often call it divine intervention when things end up working out in strange ways in their favor. They say that every single thing that happens is part of God’s master plan, that every minor circumstance in this world is just a piece of His plan. My problem with this argument lies in the circumstances where things don’t work out, and I’m not talking in terms of our own petty problems. What about the thousands of children in Africa born with AIDS, or the thousands of innocent people being massacred in Darfur? What about all the children here in the United States (and throughout the world) that die of disease or in accidents before they are even able to comprehend notions of free will or fate? Are all these things, too, part of God’s master plan? If so, it’s not a plan (or a religion) that I want to subscribe to.
Links
Our Class Discussion
Our discussion this week brought up a lot of interesting topics and gave people a chance to show a wide range of ideas. In regards to the notion of randomness, I feel that everything happens for a reason. I did not at all agree with the assumption that this point of view goes hand in hand with a religious meaning. I can appreciate that some people attribute faith to the reason behind everything, just as I can appreciate the point of view that everything is a random event. Not even every religion uphold s the idea of randomness, which can be seen in Buddhism, where the idea of karma is central to that belief system. Still, I don’t feel like I can be put in the same category as people who think everything happens for a reason and that reason is some sort of God. My position is a more scientific one; I believe that when randomness or coincidence is attributed to something, it is because we haven’t discovered the reasoning behind it or because we don’t understand why something has come to be. When religion is substituted as an alternative to randomness I don’t see that as a valid answer.
When I say this, I mean that it is not a valid answer for me, and that does not make it a completely wrong idea altogether. This brings up another topic that was discussed, which was whether or not truth is absolute. Some students felt that because we have “proved” things that were unknown before this means that there is only one truth, but we may not know it yet. I find it difficult to believe that any one person can state that truth is absolute. That is a powerful statement to make, because in reality, no one really knows if we are actually right about anything. I believe that this is the one and only absolute truth that exists.
My views can be summed up by The Simpson’s Treehouse of Horrors V episode called “Time and Punishment.”
To say that no truth is absolute and that nothing is random may seem like contradictory statements, but it does not mean that finding meaning behind seemingly random events means finding truth, it only means that we are finding understanding based on what we know. Then when I start to think too much about these subjects I come to the conclusion that nothing is certain and everybody is right… or wrong, I can’t decide.
Links:
Summary of the Simpson’s episode “Time and Punishment.”
Video of an interview with Nassim Taleb about randomness.
Wikipedia article on Karma.
Week #8: Space Race and God/Truth
Would there be a space race without the Cold War?
The Cold War was a powerful catalyst that brought about the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. At the time, it is a competition between two superpowers to determine who could conquer space first. It all started out when Russia launched the satellite Sputnik. It is interesting to note that the Russian commanders didn’t capitalized on such an achievement, but the US was certainly sparked. Because of the space race, new technologies were developed in order to make it possible, including the calculator and the computer. Once the Cold War ended, there wasn’t as much of an emphasis on space programs.
What if after World War II there is world peace and the Cold War never came about? If so, there probably wouldn’t be a space race till later on in time. If so, technological advances like the calculator and the computer would probably be developed later on. Or, it is possible that they be commercially developed rather then for military purposes. The competition that brought about by the Cold War is a key factor. Then there is also the tension and fear of possible space attacks. The same competition might arise in peace time between different developed countries, but it wouldn’t have the same life or death mind set as in the Cold War. So, as terrible as it was, the Cold War still had some positive effects.
Is there a God or not?
The discussion on Monday really reminded me about my Theory of Knowledge class, which is a high school IB course. In that class we have a lot of discussion about various philosophic questions… such as what is art, beauty, science, etc. In that class I learned each argument has logic and a premise portion to it. If either is flawed, then the whole argument may be questionable. Logic wise, using logically fallacies can be problematic like over generalization or straw man. It is also important to note the premises that the arguments are based on, as people may have different definitions of what a word or concept may mean.
Now what is some of my answers to the questions posed in class? I will admit that the class was way bigger than my ToK class, and I already had problems speaking up in my ToK class. Honest, I really don’t see much point to the questions other than to get a discussion going and to open up people’s minds. I think there is a god, but I don’t think that people can begin to imagine what it is like or what it has done. I think god transcend gender and all other humanly concepts and simply just watches over the world. In a way I believe more in random coincidences then in pre-destination. I am a passive person and don’t really care what other people believe in as it is in their rights to believe in that. But, I don’t want what other people believe in to affect me or for them to impose it on me. It is sort of a paradox. Then there is Truth. I spent a high school year learning and discussing about truth in ToK; let’s just say I am no closer to it after the course than I was before.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image/sputnik_asm.jpg
http://www.deepcold.com/deepcold/images/dc_poster_540.jpg
http://www.computer50.org/kgill/transistor/trans1.gif
http://home.planet.nl/~gkorthof/images/GOD.jpg
http://xmltwo.ibo.org/dp2006-03/oxf-theme/images/tokDiagram1En.png
Week 8: Memory and Consciousness
Thoughts on science, religion, and coincidence…
The topics of Monday’s lecture have probably been my favorite so far because they’re things most of us think about often but never discuss. It all started with the questions: Do you believe in coincidence? and Are things random? With open minds, we were all able to share our opinions and it was interesting. I started to question my beliefs about science and religion, which is good, because we should understand what we choose to follow.
I was raised in a Catholic family and I definitely believe in God, although I don’t agree with every aspect of my religion. The theory of evolution is valid, but it is a theory: a logical explanation. However, I am certain that however humans came to be, the first seedling of life on this Earth must have been created by God, because there is no possible way that this spontaneously occurred. The existence of God does not require evidence because it deals with the supernatural. Of course, this is a controversial issue and people will disagree with me, but I am simply stating what I believe, which is like a hybrid of science and religion.
Coincidence is defined as “the appearance of a meaningful connection when there is none” (by Wictionary). Was it a coincidence that my sister suddenly recognized one of her school friends while we were visiting the Eiffel Tower? I believe it is – the fact that she also decided to go there that same summer, day, and exact time as us is amazing. Our life is preordained by God, but only to a certain extent; he determines “the big things”. Like someone said in lecture, the fact that I just decided to put my pen down is probably not God’s work. I also discard this event as being reasonable through science.
Even as I am saying all this, I am still confused myself. Maybe we all just search for understanding in unique ways and none of us are correct. Maybe things don’t have to make sense to us for them to be true. What is certain is that we can never know the absolute truth: there is a limit to the certainty of what humans understand.
Links:
Relationship between religion and science
Comprehension, Truth, and Knowledge is it even Possible?
Know we’ve heard the saying “you’re only human” being applied to the situation when someone makes a mistake. This usually happens in response to a bad decision on someone’s behalf. But does it apply to other aspects of what makes us just that – Human?
What other limitations are put on us and our human minds? How much can we actually understand? Is there an absolute truth to understand? Or maybe a better question for the truth seekers is can we comprehend such an absolute truth?
Comprehension: the act or action of grasping with the intellect
Within our human minds, we have a desire to rationalize concepts in order to understand them. We relate what we don’t know to what we do. But what if the absolute truth does not have anything that we can relate it to. How then can we comprehend this absolute truth? We won’t be able to use the standard, classical methods of understanding, if we can even understand it at all.
Take for example the comprehension of the structure of the atom as we know it today. It started out as one big (or tiny rather) blob of everything all squished together. Then to understand how certain experimental results occurred, it was changed to a nucleus with electrons orbiting randomly outside. The to accommodate more experimental results, the electrons were given orbitals. Then now today we know that the electrons, which were once thought as particles (physical things) now act as energy in some cases. This phenomenon follows quantum mechanical rules that describe matter as acting as both matter and energy.
We have no way of predicting when this happens, and we most definitely do not know why. Many suggestions have been made, but there is no definite answer. Most importantly we cannot comprehend how this happens. This view of the atom is considered the most accurate, and yet we don’t know why or how. This is not even the absolute model of the atom.
Looking back on the previous models of the atom, those were once thought to be the accurate model and now they are seen as extremely inaccurate. So why should the current model be considered as accurate?
Knowledge (b): the fact or condition of being aware of something
This knowledge is the knowledge of learning something third hand; having it taught to you, reading it, or hearing it from some person who knows it. Of course there is a different type of knowledge. That is the knowledge that comes with experience. From experiencing first hand an idea, location, or anything else a certain knowledge can be gained that is unable to be communicated via third hand knowledge.
But what about those things that we consider to be true to life? Can we consider them as false? For all extensive purposes on earth they are as real as this writing. They are created by humans for humans to understand. Their purpose and their complete truth is created to be understood. These are subjects created by people such as of legal laws, rules, and even mathematics.
Now what about religions? They follow this same description except for one very important point: the true one is created by God. God is an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present being that we can not understand as humans. We can try to make analogies and assumptions about what He is like, but we can not understand Him. And taking the one true religion and seeing how it attempts to comprehend God, we can get only a small glimpse of Him. Looking into the Bible we can get the first hand accounts of many people who interacted with Him. Moses was allowed to see Him, but only from the back because of His almighty power and purity. David wrote many psalms proclaiming the greatness of God. These, however, claim themselves to not do God’s glory justice. So how then can followers of this God claim to know Him, in a personal relationship? Only through faith. There is a certain amount that is able to be rationalized and comprehended, but ultimately the belief comes down to taking a leap of faith. To go out where you don’t know why or how, but to accept it and act upon it.
Now can this idea be taken as absolute truth? Well not using standard methods of rationalization. But it can be accepted to the point that we might come to a better understanding of it later.
Consciousness…
While reading these blogs, I couldn’t help but realize that many of us have completely different interpretations about how things work, are, etc. I believe this is due to how we were raised, including environment, parents, religion, and whatnot. However, this is also based off of our own minds and our independent ways of thinking. Even if we were raised in the exact manners with the same morals, education, and whatnot, I believe since everybody is conscious of his or her own being people will still be different from each other. However, honestly I’m not very interested in our differences that divide and conquer. I find more pleasure is realizing what we have in common and thus tend to avoid these type of “what do you think” questions. Since I clearly have a certain idea about how things work and people will not always agree with me, these conversations often tend to lead to arguments.
We are defined as humans since we are “conscious” of ourself, because we do not only have a brain but we have a mind and know how to interpret, think, and go into advanced levels of thinking, such as analysis and whatnot. However, I believe this definition is actually quite degrading, seeing how humans although superior to all other animals, only differ by a simple cerebrum compared to other mammals on earth. I would like to believe that there is a greater purpose for us humans rather than to reproduce. If this were so, which many evolutionists believe, we would be having sex on the streets, and morals wouldn’t exist. Hey, survival of the fittest. After all, that’s what other animals do. And yet, our analyzing minds get into the place and we try to bend the rules, talking about relative truth vs. absolute truth, philosophies on how to live, and other things that we have no idea what we’re talking about…
Week 8- Coincidence vs. Synchronicity
Coincidence
A coincidence is an occurrence of two or more events that appear to have been planned out or connected, but in reality occur just by chance.
Synchronicity
Synchronicity is an occurrence of two or more events in a meaningful manner in which the chance that they would randomly occur would be extremely small.
Synchronicity vs. Coincidence
There has been a long ongoing debate on whether events can be viewed as synchronous or simply coincidence. The only difference between something being synchronous and it being a coincidence is whether or not there appears to be anything meaningful about the events. This is really an argument that can never be proven for there is always a way that people can piece something together to make a connection. The problem with this is that meaning is not universal. Two events may be really meaningful to one person and unnoticed by another. It is easy to point out something as being a coincidence, but I feel it is hard to say that something is synchronous.
I think this debate has a lot to do with faith. Many people strongly believe that everything is connected and happens for a reason. Even if they cannot see the reason, they still believe that there is one and that the event was important and part of the larger picture of life. There is really no way to prove or disprove meaning or a connection to an event. It all depends on individual perception and faith. I do not see anything wrong with this. If someone believes that everything occurs for a reason I am fine with that. I do not agree with that ideal, but who I am to say that it is an invalid way of thinking.
I think a great example is the one that was brought up in class with the Columbia space shuttle tragedy and the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Personally I see no meaningful connection between the two events. They both were horrible tragedies, but in my mind I cannot find the two to be significantly connected in any particular way. I accept that both things just happened. Nevertheless, I can understand how other people, possibly through their faith, may interpret the events differently. For example, if someone believes in that there is a supernatural power that has predestined everything it would be really easy to believe everything to be connected. Everything would have to be because it would have to be all part of the bigger picture. No one can say that there is a right way to view this dilemma. It is all a matter of belief. I believe that things happen just because, but that doesn’t make me or anyone else right or wrong.
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coincidence
Memory and Consciousness
What is the Truth?
Based on the last weeks discussion it was obvious that everyone has a different interpretation of what is the truth. In reality no one can really have a clear definition of what is true and what is fiction. One of the biggest conspiracies against a truth is the existence of a God. In my opinion I do not believe God exists but that is due to my beliefs in religion, which I believe is nonexistent. Everyone’s interpretation of the truth is altered by culture, religion, morals, customs, and ideals; in other words we are all biased. I do not believe a God exists because I see no reason to believe in God and if he does exists how can his existence be proved? It does not bother me that those who do believe in a god do so, the only thing I have a problem I have is that when those who do have a strong sense of their religion become too caught up and choose to ignore everyone else’s opinion and condemn the non believers as inferior.
Paintings such as the Last Supper and the Wedding at Cana, are interpretations of artists concept of the truth. The film Da Vinci Code, attempts to prove that a God does exists but not in the way he is portrayed to do so. All other artists who have also recreated the Last Supper portray a different sense of the truth. Artists such as Salvador Dali has created the Last Supper with African Americans and slaves, while others have included figures that demonstrate what they believe God looks like.
Random or Synchronized?
The discussion in class seemed particularly interested to me because I have much interest in the cause and effect of the September 11 terrorist attacks. I found it difficult to understand that the terrorist attack and the disaster of the Columbia space shuttle were in some way related, I see both as two distinct events with no relationship what so ever. I believe strongly that everything in life is synchronized and happens for a reason. For example days before the lecture I had asked my close friend if he believes in destiny or in randomness, which he said there was no such thing as a destiny and nothing in life happens for a reason. When I walked into the class and heard Professor Vesna say Random or Synchronization, I realized that that was an act of synchronization and not randomness. Although acts like the terrorist attacks may seem as brutal and inhumane they all occur for a reason. We are able to learn from what we did and did not do as a precautionary measure towards the acts. We learned to appreciate are nation and realize how vulnerable we are to other nations who appear to be weaker than us.
I personally believe that friendships even occur for a reason. Although they might not always last and might not be the strongest of friendships we are able recognize who we are by the relationships we establish. The process of defining destiny into our lives may at times be difficult and may not always be reasonable at the end we realize that every step in life is important and in some way affects who we are today or tomorrow.
http://www.members.tripod.com/tathagata2000/destiny.htm
http://www.gracecommunity.info/summaries/DoesTruthExist.html
Week 8: Free Will, Random Events, and Quantum Mechanics
Are there such things as free will and “random” events?
Determinism concludes that there is only one possible future. Everything is caused by a preceding event, and from each cause there can be only one necessary effect. As Pierre-Simon Laplace surmises, “If I knew all the laws of nature and had one complete description of the universe at any given moment, then I could predict all future events and retrodict all past events.” With a substantial knowledge of physics and the properties of a pool table, one can accurately predict the motion of the billiard balls once the pool cue strikes the cue ball. The balls do not move randomly or of their own free will. Rather, definitive physical laws govern their movements: gravity, Newtonian mechanics, conservation of energy, etc. The same model can be applied to a person’s brain, which, like a billiard ball, is a purely physical object. From the moment of conception, the combination of the mother and father’s genes begin to shape the human body. These genetic events obey the same physical laws of the billiard balls on the pool table. Once born, each individual becomes prey to his or her environment; as the body grows according to a genetic plan, environmental stresses trigger specific genes that shape a person’s mind. The choices that an individual makes throughout the rest of their lifetime are not free choices at all. Ultimately, free will is non-existent and there is only reaction by the brain, not action.
Does the determinist view hold on the quantum level?
Recent developments in physics point to an evidently random movement of subatomic particles. On the subatomic level, it is impossible to know both the position and momentum of an electron at the same moment in time (Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle). If scientists were able to tell the exact position and momentum of an electron at one instant, they would not be able to predict, with certainty, either the location or momentum of the electron the next instant. Instead, scientists must rely on a statistical model of where the electron is most likely to exist with a certain momentum. Thus, the movement of electrons is uncaused; we cannot wholly predict the motions of the tiny building blocks of our world (maybe the movement of electrons is random and there is still the possibility for free will). However, it may just be that we have not yet discovered the laws that guide subatomic particles. These particles still could obey physical laws, even if the human brain cannot comprehend such laws.
http://www.aip.org/history/heisenberg/
http://msc.phys.rug.nl/quantummechanics/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace
http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/determin.htm
Palmer, Donald. Does the Center Hold?: An Introduction to Western Philosophy.
Our view
I thought that the discussion we had about coincidences vs. destiny was very interesting. It is much easier for people to say that things happen coincidentally and randomly, meaning completely disconnected from other events. However, is this truly the case? Some people started talking about the existence of a superior being, controlling the world and planning these events as they go on. I think religion does play a really important role in how we all view the world and our lives.
But I thought about something that was no discussed during class. What about superstition? In our daily lives, we take into consideration different superstitious traditions. What about karma? Many of us believe in karma, which is stated “what goes around, comes around.” We also speak of jinx, where we call something bad to happen, and it happens. To reverse this, we knock on wood to prevent this from happening. We also commonly use omens. For example, we believe that if we see a black cat on Friday the 13th, something really bad is going to happen. Are all of these superstitious ideas just jokes? Or do some people firmly believe in them?
What about the popularity of horoscopes? On just about any popular magazine, there is a horoscope section, which identifies what kind of days, weeks, or months individuals will have according to their birthdays. Many people [including myself] have horoscopes on their facebooks. Does this mean these forshadowed events are to really happen? How do the people that write horoscopes come up with these ideas? Are they completely random thoughts that they have? Do they broadly and vaguely say what is bound to happen, to make it appropriate for everybody?
There are many explanations for why things happen the way they do. I believe we are coming up with all of these ideas to answer our questions, when in fact, we simply do not know. It is very reassuring and comforting to believe in all of these simple ideas that may answer our questions of why things happen the way they do. And it is impossible for all of these ideas to be true at the same time. These ideas do not overlap well, meaning some of these must be false, if not all. That is why we should respect peoples’ beliefs and religions because we all have our different perception on how things work in this world.
http://horoscope.com
http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/
http://www.spellsandmagic.com/omens.html
http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/
http://www.beliefnet.com/
