I don’t think it’s necessary for a sophisticated system (or even being) to interact with and manipulate its environment to be self-aware or possess what we know as consciousness.

Perhaps it’s just an accident. Lucky or otherwise.

When you study Wittgenstein, you have consider some seemingly crazy ideas. Okay, you are conscious, but can you know…[Read more]

I agree with y’all. Funny how this only seems important to me now, at 65 years old. Answers to whys can be so cloaked in mystery, wonder, and feelings, and the hows are just textbook, pedantic, and require work. Mysteries and dramas are more fun, at least in a group setting like an audience or congregation. Just add fairy dust for the shared…[Read more]

In studying morality, the questions are all about “what” do we do and “why” do we do it?

Perhaps how is not as inspirational as why. As an engineer my schooling and career where consumed by the how. When I started managing a team of engineers in developing  a doppler weather RADAR, I found that I really had to drive in on the “WHY” we were doing this to inspire the team to figure out “HOW” we were actually going to do this.

@asianne – you might be interested in this book that’s just come out:

“Good Reasons for Bad Feelings: Insights from the Frontier of Evolutionary Psychiatry” by Randolph Nesse

Thanks, Reg!

I’ve become very interested in understanding the differences and information we could learn from understanding our genetic codes particularly when it comes to mental health. I wonder what it will take to break through all the childish nonsense that surrounds it all and just get to the facts.