Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Abstract Thought's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
10:01 pm [mos_jkh]	The duplication of cube (new solution) The solution has no possibility of practical application, and that adds the pleasure to it. Since the days of ancient Greece known three geometric problems - trisection of the angle, squaring the circle and the doubling cube, which are considered intractable using ruler and compass (the main instruments of the ancient geometers). For the doubling cube invented already: mezolyabiya Eratosthenes, cylinders Archytas, the triad Menehma and others (see, for example, http://hijos.ru/2011/04/10/udvoenie-kuba/), this solution is different. ( . ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, April 6th, 2012
3:59 am [geolines]	JIM ALISON'S LINES Alfred Watkins, who discovered the ley lines in England, laid the beginning for the new direction of research related to the geographical location of historic objects. He noted that the various historic structures, megaliths, burial mounds, temples and other holy places lie on the straight lines and form a complex system, like a spider's web. For Watkins, the concept of a system of straight lines connecting the points of the ancient, landscape was something much more than just a game of imagination. The hard work of compiling maps for the Military Surveyor, and field observations convinced him that "special place" of ancient Britain were actually located along straight lines. The work of Watkins about leis , as he called these lines, caused small sensation when it appeared in book form, entitled "An old straight path," in 1925. Contemporary research of lees in Britain led Paul Devereux, who became editor in chief of the English periodical, "Ley Hunter" in 1976. ( Read more... ) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 19th, 2012
12:12 pm [grayvoge21]	The sun was sinking as Ellen and I sat on the beach. “God made the world very vivid today” I said.      Ellen smiled “Yes” she said.      I picked up a sea shell and held it up to the sky “Isn’t it beautiful”?      “You should know” said Ellen “you made it beautiful when you picked it up”.      "Am I dreaming then"? I asked.      "Yes" she said "this is a dream, but you are not dreaming. The dream is you. the beach, the sea, the sky, me, you. All of this is one thing, a single moment". (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
12:01 pm [jonamo_cat]	common ground I would like to hear peoples' opinion of a view of the Socratic formula for knowledge. I know I know nothing. I am sure some people see this as a contradiction, or even as a negative proof, prooving that knowledge does not exist at all. I say it is possible to see it the other way around. That the assertion of knowledge is more solid than our concept of "nothing" (as being negative). It is especialy appropriate for Socrates, given his method, that "nothing" not be something negative at all, but that it is actually something neutral. That it is the state of ignorance within which the meeting of minds can actualy take place, and then generate the form of co-investigation for which Socrates is known. (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, October 9th, 2011
2:27 am [turboswami]	State of Consciousness As A Form of Communication Neurons use specific compounds, neurotransmitters, to transfer specific messages to one another. But, in fact, the neurotransmitter, itself, is not a message, per se, but a specialized substance used to induce a specific internal state upon uptake by the postsynaptic cell. Generally, this reception, regardless of the neurotransmitter received, changes the oscillatory nature of a given circuit of neurons (there's a good review of this literature by Basar, 2008). That is to say, based on the receptor site activated, the neuron is either more or less likely to fire an action potential. It makes sense to think of this as a gas or brake on the frequency of a given cell, with some substances making the cell "awake" and others putting the cell "to sleep." This balance of chemicals governing the internal state of the neuron cells is the basis of their communication and, thus, our state of consciousness. Much like perception and memory, certain forms of human communication are dependent on the communicators' state of consciousness. For instance, even the most proficient mathematician will have trouble understanding a complex mathematical statement spoken to him when he is in a groggy half-asleep, or low theta, state of consciousness. Likewise, someone in a hyperattentive high beta state would most likely be annoyed trying to listen to someone speaking from a slow theta state of consciousness, no doubt gritting their teeth thinking "Jesus! Hurry up and just say it already! You're wasting my time!!" and miss that "slow wave" message completely. In this way, effective communication is an empathic process, whereby communicators "hone in" on each other's subjective state, and gradually naturally come to match it, within reason. State of consciousness extremely different from our own can be alienating, based on the nature of the relationship, and no attempt is made to match. For instance, a stranger crying on a subway train is experiencing a state of consciousness far and away from what is typical for that given social situation, and others will resist being "pulled in" to the unpleasantness of that state. The jump in this understanding of brainwave frequency, state of consciousness, and communication is made via the state-dependent nature of cognition, perception, and memory. A change in state of consciousness can dramatically change the nature of one's thoughts; their speed, character, intensity, or mood being subject to that given state. That being said, thought associations created in a certain state of consciousness are best received by a person in that same state -- in that way the state of consciousness is, in some cases, necessary to facilitate the communication of some types of messages. Certain messages are bound to discrete "bandwidths" of consciousness, and cannot be received unless that oscillatory state is achieved. In that way, it makes sense that individuals who induce non-ordinary states often describe, all at once, suddenly "getting it," or seeing and understanding things which they previously had not been able to. It is not that their stimulus stream has changed, but rather that, say in the case of LSD, their state of consciousness is heightened and, in that induced hyper-sensitive state, aspects of their surroundings or of messages they receive are suddenly meaningful in new ways, or rather they are able to, all at once, perceive subtle aspects of those phenomenon which, in their normal state of consciousness, were ignored or "filtered" from awareness.  As I hinted at, this phenomenon of state-dependent perceptions can be thought of in terms of bandwidths or, much like radio frequencies, there is a vast range of possible perceptions we may "tune into" at any given point in time. Changes in an individual's consciousness, either upwards or downwards in frequency, allow them to become aware of new "stations," or non-ordinary ranges of communication; different aspects of the same spectrum of consciousness which we may traverse subjectively.  http://braindynamics.iku.edu.tr/Pdf/A%20review%20of%20brain%20oscillations%20in%20cognitive%20disorders%20and%20the%20role%20of%20neurotransmitters.pdf (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
4:15 pm [agent139]	Fundraising for art/lit/philo group: Modern Mythology Our Story Modern Mythology is seeking to crowdsource funding through IndieGoGo in order to keep publishing thought-provoking pieces on pop culture philosophy and social commentary, and to keep expanding our audience. There are tons of old, dead philosophers with books enshrined in the academic sphere. Modern Mythology takes a hammer and chisel to the "ivory tower" idea of academic research--the pantheon of philosophers of the past--and carves the voices of the new generation, sublime and ridiculous, into the side of that shrine, half graffiti, half sculpture, half literature, half philosophy, but in all cases necessary in order to truly explore the worlds we live in.  Help us keep this literary and mental machine going by contributing and get some perks as a thank you! Every little bit (including a share) helps.  http://igg.me/p/43250?a=36903&i=shlk (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
1:30 am [turboswami]	Breath and Attention The literal power of the breath is in the combustion of expiration, itself – a process which creates energy and can be focused. The attentional “dive” of a focused exhale can be overwhelmingly powerful; the slower and of greater capacity the breath, the more fueled the combustion, flaring bright and intensely through attention.  In this way, I experience the magnitude of attention as  directly-proportional to the depth and frequency of the breath that stokes it – as if breath fuled the attention, its radiance and it’s potential proximity. An aid in the focusing of attention is, of course, the directing of one’s gaze. The majority of our attention is directed through the lenses of the eyes, a flood of awareness coursing in primarily through the optic nerve.  It makes sense, then, that Vedant Hindu meditators would direct their inward close-eyed gaze in an upwards direction. Looking up allows the meditator to project their attention in that direction, a long exhale often seeming to actually carry me upwards, an inward ascension maintained on the purity of a slow breathy tone.  That pure tone being the universal human sound of relaxation: “Ahhh… m(en).” This ascension can be felt by others in the room, according to Yogananda and other’s who have written about being in the presence of a saint or high guru. Meditation becomes somehow more profound as if the darkness of the inner vision is dispelled by their radiance, the pupil’s way illuminated by his enlightenment.   It is said that  the light of this heightened state of consciousness appears visibly,  an inward brilliance shining outwards around the eyes and face: a halo. I have measured the influence of minor instances of this ascension on others. Recorded was a sudden burst in Alpha bandwidth energy, a sudden curvature graphed coinciding perfectly with the long, focused exhalation. Further research in the direction of this serendipitous finding would surely yield fruitful and robust data, perhaps allowing us to “map” the subtle energetic medium of our surroundings and nature of its subjection by consciousness.  Like any other energy, the subtle frequency of consciousness oscillates, literally seen in the physiology of our neural networks whose activation cycles in a range of frequencies related directly to the depth of our state of consciousness: -Delta=>deepest state, sleep, unconscious vision. -Theta=>deep relaxation, hypnagogia, subconscious.  -Alpha=>relaxation; -Beta=>high strung tension/anxiety; -Gamma=>Inspiration and Transcendent meditation. The influence of psychedelics on the brain is felt subjectively, but in those early studies of LSD, for instance, that change in the state or nature of consciousness seemingly could not be measured by objectively means. Yet, the results of those studies should not prompt us to doubt the existence of that subjectively-felt sense, or dissuade us from continuing our attempt to measure that perceived influence on consciousness! Instead, it can be viewed as a sign that we are measuring the wrong thing; the wrong attribute or cognitive ability.  If those early psychedelic researchers had studied the influence of LSD on meditation, for instance, they may have found a task which has a measurable EEG correlate. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, July 16th, 2010
11:37 am [turboswami]	Hyper-Sensitive States and Indirect Semantic Priming: Inferring The Mechanics of Psilocybin The Doors of Perception: A Cognitive Model   The latent inhibition (LI) paradigm was originally developed over 40 years ago (Lubow & Moore, 1959) to describe the capacity to filter out extraneous stimuli from conscious awareness. More simply, LI describes that common tendency to pay less attention to something the more we are exposed and become familiar to it. A review of the empirical studies of human subjects concluded the use of masking tasks is generally needed to produce positive results in adults. First adopted by Schnur and Ksir (1969), the masking task engages participants in activities which require the majority of their attention while, concurrently, presenting the to-be-associated stimuli in a subtle or indirect manner.   This inhibitory mechanism which controls the breadth of our awareness of the environment can be conceptualized as a sort of perceptual gate, barring the “irrelevant” stimuli from conscious attention while allowing the most immediate and novel of sensory data through, to be perceived.   A “Failure” To Ignore One’s Surroundings?   While the reduction of LI capacity had previously been linked to dysfunction in attentional processes, manifesting as symptoms of schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, and psychosis, more recent research has suggested the hypersensitive state of lowered LI may, in fact, be associated with higher creative achievement and novel thought associations (Eysenck, 1995). It has been proposed that the cognitive processes employed by individuals with this heightened creative capacity are both quantitatively and qualitiatively different from those of the typical person (Simonton, 1999).   In the meta-analysis of her two studies of youthful subjects with high IQ, Carson (2003) found a highly significant relationship between reduced LI and creative achievement – with a nearly universal reduction of LI in the eminent creative achievers group.   HYPERSENSITIVITY + HIGH IQ = EMINENT CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT   “The highly creative individual may be privileged to access a greater inventory of unfiltered stimuli during early processing, thereby increasing the odds of original recombinant ideation. Thus, a deficit that is generally associated with pathology may well impart a creative advantage in the presence of other cognitive strengths, such as high IQ” (Carson, 2003, pg. 505).   Attention: Where Latent Inhibition and Semantic Activation Meet   A connectionist model bridging latent inhibition to semantic priming could be conceptually mediated by the attentional processes utilized by both paradigms. Changes in attentional processes have played a central role in understanding the cognitive underpinnings of schizophrenia since the time of Kraepelin and Bleuler. Attention has been used as an explanatory aid by Lubow (1995), who described it as an area ripe for LI research. Likewise, in his discussion of the hyper-priming state, Wentura (2008) suggests a link between disinhibited spreading of semantic activation and lowered LI. I propose this link may lie in the measure of covert attention. This may be framed as the hypothesis that a lowered LI score will result from the hypersensitive perceptual state of psilocybin, whose cognitive correlate has been shown as increased activation of indirect semantic associations by Spitzer (1996).   The word “priming” itself suggests fluid being carried via some channel or pipe, a fitting metaphor for semantic activation spreading from one node to another. Yet, in many ways, this metaphor serving to conceptualize semantic priming remains underdeveloped in that it gives no indication of what that “fluid” being primed is, its variations in pressure, or where it is being primed from. Once attention is introduced as an explanatory aid in an understanding of latent inhibition and semantic activation, the common ground shared by both models becomes highlighted and possible relationships can be drawn between them.   The Semantic Network: Consciousness Expansion as Spreading Activation   The semantic network model, in its varied forms, serves as a metaphorical framework by which all we know of the world can be represented as a net, or a branched hierarchy of interrelated semantic concepts, each shown as a node. These conceptual nodes are activated into associative strands during the formation of a thought, and this activation leads to the semantic priming of those associated nodes. Primed nodes are, then, recognized and accessed more readily in subsequent semantic tasks.   The administration of psilocybin, an agent known to affect the 5-HT system, induces a state of semantic hyper-priming in human subjects (Spitzer, 1996). This increased availability to typically-unavailable conceptual associations may help explain the reported subjective effects of “consciousness expansion” and “enhanced creativity” classically described by psilocybin users.   One conceptualization which may serve as an explanatory aid for the indirect priming effect of psilocybin on the semantic network is a fluent model of nodal branching. In other words, much like rivers which branch and divide, the spreading of activation can also be represented in terms of fluid flow through channels. In this view, psilocybin “floods” our semantic network, spreading outwards across “dry” conceptual branches, priming them with attention. Therein, the limits of expression of these expanded semantic associations may be defined by the limited capacity of an individual’s attention span.   States of hyper-sensitivity and hyper-priming can be seen resulting from both thought disordered (TD) schizophrenia and from psilocybin use. For this reason, theoretical models utilized in the investigation of perceptual or semantic processing abnormalities in schizotypy are also valuable tools to understand the influence of psychedelics, like psilocybin, on those same processes. The latent inhibition (LI) and semantic priming paradigms may be interrelated by the faculty of attention, thereby creating a framework for the cognitive processes underlying non-ordinary states of consciousness.     References   Carson, S. H., Peterson, J. B., & Higgins, D. M. (2003) Decreased latent inhibition is associated with increased creative achievement in high-functioning individuals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 85, 499-506.   Eysenck, H.J. (1995). Creativity as a product of intelligence and personality. In D. Saklofske & M. Zeidner (Eds.), International Handbook of Personality and Intelligence: Perspectives on Individual Differences (pp. 231-247). New York: Plenum Press.   Lubow, R. E., & Moore, A. U. (1959). Latent inhibition: The effect of nonreinforced pre-exposure to the conditional stimulus. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology. 52, 415-419.   Lubow, R. E. (1989). Latent Inhibition and Conditioned Attention Theory. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.   Lubow, R. E., & Gewirtz, J. C. (1995). Latent inhibition in humans: Data, theory, and implications for schizophrenia. Psychological Bulletin. 117, 87-103.   Schnur, P., & Ksir, C. (1969). Latent inhibition in human eyelid conditioning. Journal of Experimental Psychology. 80, 388-389.   Spitzer, M., Thimm, M., Hermle, L., Holzmann, P., Kovar, K., Heimann, H., Gouzoulis-Mayfrank, E., Kischa, U., Schneider, F. (1996). Increased activation of indirect semantic associations under psilocybin. Biological Psychiatry. 39, 1055-1057.   Wentura, D., Moritz, S., & Frings, C. (2008). Further evidence for “hyper-priming” in thought-disordered schizophrenic patients using repeated masked category priming. Schizophrenia Research. 102, 69-75. (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
1:03 am [indigoinsight]	Blue Lips (Intro) I am very passionate for nature, for I am part of it too. In the past year I have accepted my beauty and my mind. At this point in my life, I am on a journey that I may always see clearly. I find power in beauty and power in growing; beauty in progression. Listening to the voice whispering inside my head, and being patient with the silence inbetween. Though I am comfortable, I feel so powerful now. Energies from my surroundings hit my like a wave in the ocean. I see and feel so deeply that it sometimes hangs me like a puppet. Sometimes life just drowns me in the water that I drink. Drowning indecision, beautiful occurrences. The pictures in her mind arose, and began to breathe. (Poem) My eyes choose colors sent by the sun swirling together to shadow sleep for the moon existing in nature beautiful fiery hell infinite theory's endless destruction falling buildings screams fearing death tall power progression of the mind fear ticking time Insanity starring at the clock small eyes.. (closing) Just thinking a lot tonight. I'm hanging on a star surrounding the moon, Looking over ever detail. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, May 29th, 2010
10:57 pm [shimjjangie]	life. treasure it. I am writing this story in hope of opening some people’s hearts. I will delete this story and only publish it on this website. I hope that no plagiarism will be committed, and I hope that you will see beyond the words in this short story.   We are all waiting. For something, or for someone perhaps. Or waiting for forgiveness, or something that cannot be counted or even seen, or maybe, even something that humans cannot comprehend.  I am a human being, and my life has been a roller coaster ride. From torture to a blessing in disguise. Why do we envy other people? When we should be treasuring our lives, for our hearts are still beating. For the blood that is still alive with oxygen. We should be celebrating every moment of it, and cherish everyone who is around you. Not because for what they have done, but for the affinity that you share with them, to be able to know them, talk to them and be part of the beautiful memories that stay with a person for life. Hate is a painful thing. It takes away the freedom of life, it pollutes the air that you breathe. Why do people fail? Why are there losers? Simply because we created the words. We created the very rules that determine a person’s fate When we have no right to do that at all. The world we now live in reflects to us, the words we have created that have destroyed so many lives. Why? Simply because we created it, the world where paper is power and king. Life is too short. And we live every moment in hurt of some sort. There is a Chinese saying that says, “A fool has a fool’s good luck” Sometimes, not knowing is the best way to happiness. But being oblivious will not solve any problems. I would like to use this story or passage, to tell everyone. We are all human beings. Handicapped or sick, we are still human beings with hearts. Just because the world that we live in states rules like discrimination against handicapped and the skin colour; but we have the power to think. Some rules are meant to be broken. Why wait, when life is so short. Why waste time, living in pain? We humans have created more evil than good. It is time to change for the better. Show kindness to people. Because we are all valuable. We are alive. We can do things that will make the world a better place. So you may live with no regrets and happiness. Start by helping the deaf, blind and all handicapped or sick. They are all valuable lives created by God. Be considerate to them, and accept them as your own. Because you all have one thing in common. YOU ARE ALIVE! Current Mood: confused (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
1:07 am [i_just_float]	How to Save Yourself Thousands of Lives Most people today either don’t like to think or have succumbed to the harmful cycle of thinking about the “wrong” things.  There really is no such thing as right and wrong or good and bad.    I place the word “wrong” in quotations because we live in a universe of duality and relativity.  An example of duality is good and evil, black and white, yin and yang, etc.  One cannot exist without the other in terms of experience.  How can we know what feeling good feels like if we have never felt bad before?  How can our taste buds experience sweet flavors unless we have tasted something bitter?  How can we know what our purpose is in life unless we have already experienced what our purpose is not?   So before you even think of humoring your own ego by having thoughts like:   Why can’t I ever be happy? Why is there never enough money? Why don’t my relationships ever last? Why is life such a struggle?   Change your thought.  Every thought we have, every word we utter, every action we perform are creative behaviors.  We were born to create because God (Allah, Buddha, Yahweh, Cher, Michael Jackson, Whoever Your Higher Power Is, etc) made us in His image, and He/She/It is the Ultimate Creator.   Why is it so hard for you to believe that you are as perfect as a snowflake, as unique as a fingerprint, as innocent as a child?  Because you have forgotten where you came from.   The purpose of life is not to learn, but to remember Who You Are.  You are the extension of the Ultimate Creator, who gave you the breath of life so that He could experience His Own Godliness.  God is the Absolute, and there is no polarity, duality, or opposite of Him.  In order to experience God’s Own Godliness, He had to separate Himself into other beings and come to know us as the infinite facets of His Own Perfection.   Our souls are parts of Him, and they know this deep down.  Anything that derives from love is an example of this, and you can remember if you only believe that you are a soul made of Pure Love.  In order to remember, we must first experience the opposite, and that is what we have created or imagine to be “hell”.    Hell is nothing more that what is derived from fear, which is the opposite of Love.  Our souls know deep down that whatever we fear, we attract.  Nothing that comes from fear is “good”.    God doesn’t “do”, “wish”, or “will” anything in our lives.  He would never have given us free will if He was going to just control it all anyway.  He gave us free will so that we can make the choices that will help us remember Who We Are.  God observes patiently as we destroy our own planet and negatively affect every life within it.  He is not saddened by our destruction, because He gave us the creative power that He Himself possesses.  He knows the Ultimate Outcome of our Universe, and no matter what His children do, this Outcome will never change.  All souls must walk their own path, but we will all end up back at home with God where we belong. Current Mood: awake (36 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, April 30th, 2010
8:29 am [harehare]	"I can't even imagine it" for a long time I believe that the one thing human has which totally free and limitless is imagination. But yesterday i realized I was wrong. I googled around about the dead of our sun, and i found out it takes 5 billion years from now for sun to die. And I realized that I cannot imagine what will human be in 5 billion years from now if we could avoid whatever doom waiting for us before then. I can imagine humanity in hundreds, in thousands years from now. but i can't go further than that. Does it mean that even our imagination needs some believable fact for it to create something (i.e our history)? or is it just me? can you imagine it? Is there any other thing that you realized you can't even imagine? (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
2:49 pm [root_fu]	The Jesus Effect ( The Jesus Effect. A post about Buddha, Jesus, and other sillier things. ) (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, April 25th, 2010
6:50 pm [poisongirlxv]	The pursuit of intelligence For a species that embraces our intelligence and our altered consciousness, we have used it for a good while with little concern for human happiness, for a world of balance. Intelligence has become a gateway instead for distancing ourselves through ideologies, creating economic systems prizing material above human welfare, advancing technology that though it has its benefits in sufficiency, we use it  to physically estrange ourselves from one another and nature. Technology, of course, has no will of its own. It is how we decide to use it that matters. Thus, we are the ones responsible, not technology itself. I see technology as a positive thing only if its use is put to benefit and progress the entire human race, not just certain groups over others. This whole endeavor towards intelligence and our concern for trying to become intellectuals on our own is meaningless to me if we search, investigate, and experiment only to be neutral about it in practice, without any regards to what it might contribute to our well being. See, I thought the point of us becoming a more intelligent race was so that we could figure how better to organize ourselves so that no one starves, is oppressed, and receives the respect as all citizens of earth should. What good is it to sit around and discuss Aristotle, quantum-mechanics, or the literary geniuses if in the end, it just makes you think of yourself as some kind of philosopher, without never once applying that thought into a good deed to help your counterparts? We're intelligent enough to recognize our own problems. As I get older, I know for sure that people have always been generally conscious that there are problems with the world. This awareness exists everywhere in some shape or form. Usually the euphemism that occupies it is "That's just the way things are". But I've come to an interesting conclusion. Our altered consciousness, our so-called human intelligence, makes us, in fact, a very dumb species. All these little philosophical, ontological, scientific, etc problems we go around discussing day by day are born out of the social fiction we play and negotiate in as our subjective minds allow. We have discussions that give us some kind of inner-pride of  being a genius, but doesn't get us any closer to understanding or caring for each other.Science has gone more into 'how can we make doing this easier for us' rather than 'how can this benefit everybody to sustain themselves, coexist peacefully, and live comfortably without it being at the expense of another'. Our perception and intelligence is so high, so wonderful that we come up with things like racism, sexism, evil monetary systems that disguises slave and slave lifestyle under 'workers' and 'careers', torture methods for animals to be used in our industries, and biochemicals used in the middle east to burn people's faces off. Yeah, we're really intelligent. Though a lot of people take a huge interest in Greek and Roman thought, and its philosophy is highly praised in the scholarly world, anyone who looks into the actual system the Greeks and Romans lived in, will see that all of those thoughts were just bullshit pastimes. Which is what most of intellectual discourse today is: bullshit pastimes. None of it developed to actually manifest in our actions. I remember what a friend once said to me as I tried to explain the sheer idea I had of Einstein's photoelectric effect. Her reply to me was: "Is physics going to help me eat, going to get me a room and bed to sleep in, gonna provide me clothing?"  It comes down to questions that I have: Why pursue intelligence if we're not going to use it to help ourselves , one another, as well as other beings on this planet? Why desire understanding if that understanding achieves nothing but titles, credentials and fame? What is the role of intelligence today? Why probe into theories of consciousness if we act  with an almost unconscious attitude towards the world that exists today? I'm not saying intellectual activity need have a beneficial end to it. I certainly understand the joys that come with intellectual curiosity. But I feel it's become less about actual curiosity, and more about our obsession with the image of the intellectual. And this image comes with an almost contradictory or indifferent attitude to the moral sentiment that exists in humans. Science fears emotional association, while religion stays in its own little world, securing salvation and hope for individuals but none for humans as a community in this world. I do acknowledge that there has been some progression towards helping humanity and that much intelligence has indeed contributed to making life somewhat better as we know it. But we are at a point now (and have been for quite a while now), where we could do a lot more. As much as we specialize in politics, literature, religion, science, philosophy, economics, music..very few of us specialize in knowing about the troubles of others, how best we can help them, and the world we live in. Suffice it to say that I'm disgusted by a species that watches its own die, starve, degrade itself and struggle while relishing in our 'intellect' and watching what the engineering geniuses will come up for us next. (33 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
10:39 pm [igferatu]	Does order exist? A stupid question perhaps, but only because the term can be applied to literally any pattern we can recognize, subjectively or objectively. Even chaos is a but a kind of order. Order itself however, can be seen as a category in need of no larger context context. In consideration of it's universality, it's curious that we can discuss it at all. How can we tell whether something is more or less orderly? I submit that order transcends physical reality and originates not in matter or static principles but as a cosmic substrate of intelligibility whose character can only be glimpsed through the veil of the receiving agent. What we experience as our Universe are the bits of the universe which can be simulated captured in a subjective human cognitive-neurological experience. The full richness of Order, therefore, will always elude our attempts to comprehend. The evolution of subjectivity is perhaps as important and mysterious as biological evolution. At the moment, our popular science focuses on mapping features of consciousness to brain physiology and genetic transmission while even the most elemental structures of subjectivity are explained away without revealing anything of value. While heredity can trace back complex optical systems of mammals to primitive light sensitive tissues, it does not explain the mechanics of say, the particular experience of the color red versus blue.  What underlying order gives rise to particular hues but not to others? What sequential nature of light causes blueness to follow greenness in a spectrum? These kinds of questions point out the gaping holes in our understanding of ourselves. If we don't know how the green frequencies of the spectrum were selected to be green and what the qualia of greenness actually is, how can we expect to understand how consciousness, life, and the universe really works? If order really does exist as a thing, as a category, rather than a descriptive artifact then it seems like discovering it's nature would rank among the highest priorities we should have as a culture. It seems to me that a good place to start is with opposites, symmetries, and cycles. basic geometries. symbols. phonemes, alphabets, numbers, gestures, senses and perception. How to reverse engineer intuition? What orders order? (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
3:11 pm [dierdrae]	Consciousness and its permanence or lack thereof Just another something I've been thinking about lately. I went about most of my life believing in the continuing of consciousness after physical death.  But I find myself now wondering, why?  Merely because it is comforting?  It's fearsome, the thought of not continuing on. Neuroscientists think they have consciousness all figured out- neatly explained by the brain, or at the very least, they expect that in the future it will all be explained neatly by the brain.  That consciousness is merely all of the brain's processes becoming melded together to the point that they become aware of each other, that the sense of self and subjective reality is just a byproduct of that.  Near death experiences are hallucinations, as are ghosts and other paranormal experiences, and even the feeling of a religious experience can be stimulated by electrodes.  I used to think that scientists were just patently wrong, mixing up correlation and causation or somesuch, but that's become more difficult for me to do with a straight face.  After all, how do I know that they're wrong, really?  Suddenly their words actually make sense, instead of sounding like cop-outs. And suddenly I have nothing to say that doesn't sound feeble.  "Oh, when I was young, I had this experience..." well that's not very strong against scientific consensus and logic, is it? Why do I argue so strenuously?  Why do any, who believe in an afterlife of some kind?  Do we have actual evidence for our belief, or are we just too scared of the alternative to let our superstitions go?  If you believe, why do you?  What cause have you to believe that the science is wrong? (14 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 14th, 2010
4:16 pm [owiz22]	interesting monolog I find this monologue offensively beautiful ... The level of political incorrectness is somewhat astonishing to say the least ... What do you think ? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
5:12 am [turboswami]	The Oscillatory Nature of Attention Before describing the perceptual, or latent inhibitionary paradigm, it is important to preface with a view of attention somewhat different from the typically-used and somewhat broad definition cognitive psychology currently gives us. That is, I believe the capacity of attention is not fixed, but dynamic and fluid in nature – a subtle capacity, much like intelligence, which differs from person to person. Moreover, I think its important to consider the bi-directional nature of the it’s flow. That is, a directly proportional relationship between attention and stimulation, the inlet of one being so tied to the outlet of the other that it is reasonable to refer to them as one singular function. Much like the crashing of waves against a beach, attention is very much an oscillating cycle; a volume of outward flow which breaks against the shore of physicality, and recedes back in gathered force, stimuli. This magnetic “pulling in” force is tied to the magnitude of one’s attentional focus. In the experience of psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds, the capacity of attention is felt to increase and the influx of stimulation can be overwhelming, in its bliss or torment dependent on the nature and object of its focus. Huxley saw a rose, and in that rose he saw all the subtle world-within-world he had never been able to perceive. The doors of his perception flung open, the dam which restrained the inflow of attention bust open. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, March 5th, 2010
12:30 pm [autisticbliss]	Adam and Eve: A Literary Approach So here in abstractthought, there have been plenty of discussions about the cosmos, conceptions of God, reason, paradoxes, etc. While many [of you] might regard the Adam and Eve narrative as a story that is totally incompatible with logic and reason, I beg to differ! That is not to say the story operates on logical principles; much of it deals with abstractions, but one can use reason to extract their own meaning and relevance from it. This is my opinion, anyway. I'm well aware of how much contempt there is for organized religion in this community, and I am no exception. TRUST me. I made these videos to combat Creationists as well as attempt to show the eloquence and true brilliance of this story to more rational folks such as yourselves. In all, the running time is a bit on the lengthy side (37:42), but I think it'll be worth your time. I'd love to hear your thoughts. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
3:36 pm [mos_jkh]	The Meaning of Life It seems that now I'm doing one of the final things that I was destined to do - this text will begin to live its lives and may outlive me. I told this text very different people - it can cure imperfections and diseases of the soul (IMHO, of course). Several years ago I came upon a curious book - "Calm Mind" Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani (Grand Sheikh Ismailis). It was written about 1200 years ago, and up to 70 years of the last century, was kept in the Ismaili communities (heretical currents in Islam). And suddenly was published in the Middle East in Arabic, then - in Russian. Ismailis - closed and persecuted for Islam, they seized power at different times. Morocco, Yemen, Syria and other places, came up and actively used for political purposes Assassins - ideological killers, who were afraid of everything around. If they were able to send people to death (and this people were happy) - they understand something of the meaning of life. <div text="Read more" class="ljcut">Sheikh expounds his views with abundant quotations from the Koran (including - nonclassical Ismailitic interpretations - I dropped it all). Read expounding how I understood (well, and some is added, of course).  1. Abstract presentation God created this world to solve some of problems, understand and comprehend that could not be a single person, or mankind in general - by virtue of its (planned by God) imperfections. The world was not created all at once, he has more or less perfect parts. The highest of the available for man - Plan of the world - that part where there is knowledge of everything that was, is and will be in this world. Plan is no point and no region in three-dimensional space or in time - it contains the sources of all the space-time and is located in higher dimensions. The relationship between God and the Plan of this world - can not be fully understood and even more are described on any human language - they are above all the concepts in any language, and even - above all accessible to us thinking. The whole Plan of man is not available, but sometimes, a little can see something - in moments of high elation, when praying or meditating. Tell other people about what they see people as a rule, can not. To be able to tell it to the imperfect human language - a special gift, they are given a few (the prophets, to a lesser extent - seers, etc.). Measure distance from the Plan = the degree of imperfection. If smbd requires only God and only thinks about it - proximity to large, and if there is a strong need for clothing, food, drink, money, rank, etc. - High degree of imperfection. If someone needs something, it is less perfect than what he needs (for example, we all need God and his Plan, and they in us - no). This method of measuring imperfections - not a micrometer, whatever, it can not be exactly measured, but the idea of an imperfection or a specific concept - it gives. Scholastic improvement (attempts to introduce a scale, a comparison of one with another, etc.), this method can only worsen. The scale and the possibility of measurement here, of course, there are, but hidden from us, and it looks like people are acquainted with them only at the Last Court. This is - look at the structure of the world in general, of little assistance to a person. 2. Specific description A man comes into this world weak, vulnerable and not knowing how to live in it (but - mindful of the device of the other world). Then, here he is taught to survive in this world, but he forgets about the real world, where he came from. Passage in this world is through the Plan and it was there, passing and catching on some details, the soul determines his destiny in this life. If everything is right to remember, much of his life can change. It may be some strange habits and behavior, dating back to childhood - but more specifically describe the meaning of life a particular person, it seems, can not. Looking for the efforts and thoughts of this particular person. 3. Supplement Looking from another part of the Planet on the same issue - the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum". Go to the pond and look at the lotus. Its roots - at the bottom of the pond, there - mud, shit and dead animals, living in the pond. When the lotus seed begins its life around him - only this. And he has the ability to choose. And lotus chooses - taking only what he needs, at the right time. And after a while, gives us a flower - a miracle of purity and perfection. There, at the bottom - all the same shit, but the lotus make the right decisions - and it reached its perfection. The secret - the ability to choose (and it is called "the treasure of the lotus"). And all we also have a chance. Need only time to make the right decisions.  Take it and use who are interested.</lj-cut>   (3 Comments |Comment on this)