Philosophy
Bringing his fascinating lecture series Growing Up in the Universe to a close, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins discusses the way in which our brains represent the transcendence of the world. Our perception of the world is not a pure and accurate representation of what's out there; instead, our brains actively create mental simulations and virtual reality models that help us to anticipate and navigate the world around us, and good thing too!
After using various useful and interesting examples, Dawkins speculates on some of the ways the process of evolution through natural selection may have given rise to the evolution of the human brain, showing in the process the very important lesson that the same powers of the human brain (pattern recognition, statistical outcome anticipation, agency attribution, three-dimensional representation of two-dimensional objects, etc.) have a double edge: these very powers also create the possibility (and perhaps the inevitability) of developing self-deluding beliefs.
The promise of enlightenment can only come from the systematic subjection of our experience and beliefs to the tools of critical thinking and proper assessment of evidence. If we take our subjective experience as the only ground for justifying our attitudes about the external world, we're going to be in a lot of trouble...
I'm all about growing up intellectually (not necessarily otherwise), but why the hate against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? :(
- Jonathan Haidt - Religion, Evolution And The Ecstasy Of Self-transcendence
Among my favorite books of all time, Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene" and "The Extended Phenotype" must be way up there. When it comes to massive and repeated assaults of intellectual stimulation, these books will give you a mindgasm. Hamilton's...
- Daniel Wolpert - The Real Reason For Brains
I know what you're thinking, but no, it's not for feeding zombies... but it's also not "for" thinking either because brains evolved long before any organism developed the ability to think and reason. So, while thinking is a great adaptation...
- Richard Dawkins: Growing Up In The Universe - The Ultraviolet Garden
Continuing his Michael Faraday Christmas Lectures, Growing Up in the Universe, Richard Dawkins begins by asking a seemingly simple question: what are living organisms (bees, for instance) for? The question seems so innocent that there is a very long tradition...
- Why Something Rather Than Nothing...lawrenece Krauss Vs Richard Dawkins
YouTube description... Join critically-acclaimed author and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and world-renowned theoretical physicist and author Lawrence Krauss as they discuss biology, cosmology, religion, and a host of other topics. The authors...
- Alien Persona--human Arrogance?
I have often been amused that many alien representations are humanoid. Watch a few episodes of the Star Trek series and you will discover that aliens can be rocks and pure energy. Is it human arrogance to believe they resemble humans? "Will E.T. Look...
Philosophy
Richard Dawkins: Growing Up in the Universe - The Genesis of Purpose
Bringing his fascinating lecture series Growing Up in the Universe to a close, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins discusses the way in which our brains represent the transcendence of the world. Our perception of the world is not a pure and accurate representation of what's out there; instead, our brains actively create mental simulations and virtual reality models that help us to anticipate and navigate the world around us, and good thing too!After using various useful and interesting examples, Dawkins speculates on some of the ways the process of evolution through natural selection may have given rise to the evolution of the human brain, showing in the process the very important lesson that the same powers of the human brain (pattern recognition, statistical outcome anticipation, agency attribution, three-dimensional representation of two-dimensional objects, etc.) have a double edge: these very powers also create the possibility (and perhaps the inevitability) of developing self-deluding beliefs.
The promise of enlightenment can only come from the systematic subjection of our experience and beliefs to the tools of critical thinking and proper assessment of evidence. If we take our subjective experience as the only ground for justifying our attitudes about the external world, we're going to be in a lot of trouble...
I'm all about growing up intellectually (not necessarily otherwise), but why the hate against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? :(
On another note, taken seriously, these insights from evolutionary biology could help explain many important facts about the human mind, like why we believe in gods, for instance.
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- Jonathan Haidt - Religion, Evolution And The Ecstasy Of Self-transcendence
Among my favorite books of all time, Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene" and "The Extended Phenotype" must be way up there. When it comes to massive and repeated assaults of intellectual stimulation, these books will give you a mindgasm. Hamilton's...
- Daniel Wolpert - The Real Reason For Brains
I know what you're thinking, but no, it's not for feeding zombies... but it's also not "for" thinking either because brains evolved long before any organism developed the ability to think and reason. So, while thinking is a great adaptation...
- Richard Dawkins: Growing Up In The Universe - The Ultraviolet Garden
Continuing his Michael Faraday Christmas Lectures, Growing Up in the Universe, Richard Dawkins begins by asking a seemingly simple question: what are living organisms (bees, for instance) for? The question seems so innocent that there is a very long tradition...
- Why Something Rather Than Nothing...lawrenece Krauss Vs Richard Dawkins
YouTube description... Join critically-acclaimed author and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and world-renowned theoretical physicist and author Lawrence Krauss as they discuss biology, cosmology, religion, and a host of other topics. The authors...
- Alien Persona--human Arrogance?
I have often been amused that many alien representations are humanoid. Watch a few episodes of the Star Trek series and you will discover that aliens can be rocks and pure energy. Is it human arrogance to believe they resemble humans? "Will E.T. Look...