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Brian Earley

Rene Descartes perceptions of philosophy - 0 views

cnx.org/latest

digiciv science

shared by Brian Earley on 24 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • As Descartes said, “Those who set about giving precepts must esteem themselves more skilful than those to whom they advance them”
  • In other words, someone might alter the truth solely so they could come up with something to say, while the real truth might not be capable of being expressed so easily, it can only be observed. Some things in life are too complicated to express, but however there are going to be people who believe they can express those things, even though they cannot accurately do so.
    • Brian Earley
      Brian Earley on 24 Sep 10
       
      I have read scientific journals wherein the author reports on complex interactions or relationships on the molecular level. Often I believe that they really cannot accurately do so. Perhaps scientific journals would be better if they were accompanied by videos. That would make them more like blog posts.
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • are the emotions which are based off of your opinions even real, since they are based off of opinions?
  • Your perception is going to determine what it is that you feel, that is, your conscious and unconscious perception of what is going on is
  • For it seemed to me that I might meet with much more truth in the reasonings that each man makes on the matters that specially concern him, and the issue of which would very soon punish him if he made a wrong judgment, than in the case of those made by a man of letters in his study touching speculations that lead to no result, and that bring about no other consequences to himself excepting that he will be all the more vain the more they are removed from common sense, since in this case proves to him to have employed so much more ingenuity and skill trying to make them seem probable.
  • More especially did I reflect in each matter that came before me as to anything that could make it subject to suspicion of doubt, and give occasion for mistake, and I rooted out of my mind all the errors that might have formerly crept in. Not that indeed I imitated the skeptics, who only doubt for the sake of doubting, and pretend to by always uncertain; for, on the contrary, my design was only to provide myself with good ground for assurance, and to reject the quicksand and mud in order to find the rock or clay.”
  • since emotional intelligence is not completely concrete, it can be subject to skeptics
  • “how do I know that anything is even real”
  • Accordingly I shall now suppose, not that a true God, who as such must be supremely good and the fountain of truth, but that some malignant genius exceedingly powerful and cunning has devoted all his powers in the deceiving of me; I shall suppose that the sky, the earth, colors, shapes, sounds and all external things are illusions and impostures of which this evil genius has availed himself for the abuse of my credulity…”
  • I am, I exist. This is certain. How often? As often as I think. For it might indeed be that if I entirely ceased to think, I should thereupon altogether cease to exist. I am not at present admitting anything which is not necessarily true; and, accurately speaking, I am therefore [taking myself to be] only a thinking thing, that is to say, a mind, an understanding or reason-terms the significance of which has hitherto been unknown to me. I am, then a real thing, and really existent. What thing? I have said it, a thinking thing
  • So it really is thought that makes him who he is, since he is thinking about himself all of the time, in addition to thinking about and in regular life.
  • Thought determines who someone is because your thoughts are controlled, and all your thoughts over your lifetime caused your emotional development, which causes you to be who you are.
  • So it is easy to say that your thoughts understand and/or control who you are, but it is much harder to say that your emotions understand and/or control who you are.
  • I recognize it is impossible that He should ever deceive me, since in all fraud and deception there is some element of imperfection. The power of deception may indeed seem to be evidence of subtlety or power; yet unquestionably the will to deceive testifies to malice and feebleness, and accordingly cannot be found in God.
    • Brian Earley
      Brian Earley on 24 Sep 10
       
      I think people in "The Matrix" would love Descartes
  • “To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded”
  • conclusive as to whether or not pleasing other people infinitely is going to be self-beneficial, it could be considered a perfect thing to do since it is positively contributing to life.
    • Brian Earley
      Brian Earley on 24 Sep 10
       
      The conclusion for me from this commentary is that thoughts are what make us who we are. Therefore, we must put a lot of our energy into controlling our thoughts so we can become what we want to be.
    • Brian Earley
      Brian Earley on 24 Sep 10
       
      On my mission, I taught a lady that was offended to the point of tears when a member called the Prophet, the 'mouthpiece' of the Lord. She thought it as a very degrading term to call such a respectable man. Perceptions determine feelings.
  • Brian Earley on 24 Sep 10
     
    This commentary explains the unique observations that Rene Descartes made of observations. I feel like I have had similar thoughts at times. I feel comforted knowing a dead French guy thought the same way that I think.
Megan Stern

God is dead - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/God_is_dead

digiciv Modernism Nietzsche

shared by Megan Stern on 27 Oct 10 - Cached
  • Megan Stern on 27 Oct 10
     
    See the "God is dead" quote in more context.
Sean Watson

John Locke - 0 views

oregonstate.edu/...locke.html

shared by Sean Watson on 18 Sep 10 - Cached
  • E arli er writers such as Chillingworth had argued that human understanding was limited, Locke tries to determine what those limits are
  • "Though the familiar use of the Things about us, takes off our Wonder; yet it cures not our Ignorance."
  • arli
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • We can, he thinks, know with certainty that God exists. We can also know about morality with the same precision we know about mathematics, because we are the creators of moral and political ideas
  • Locke gives us a theory of natural law and natural rights which he uses to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate civil governments, and to argue for the legitimacy of revolt against tyrannical governments.
Andrew DeWitt

Descartes, René (1596-1650) -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Scientific Biog... - 0 views

scienceworld.wolfram.com/...Descartes.html

shared by Andrew DeWitt on 23 Sep 10 - No Cached
  • Descartes believed that God created the universe as a perfect clockwork mechanism of vortical motion that functioned deterministically thereafter without intervention.
    • Andrew DeWitt
      Andrew DeWitt on 23 Sep 10
       
      You should read "The Allegory of the Cave" from Plato's The Republic.  http://youtu.be/69F7GhASOdM
Madeline Rupard

"All the trees of the field shall clap their hands": My new photography blog/ visual essay - 3 views

treesclaptheirhands.tumblr.com

digiciv blog art photography tumblr visual truth mormon communication

shared by Madeline Rupard on 25 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Madeline Rupard on 25 Oct 10
     
    A visual essay of some of my own photography that I feel/hope conveys spiritual truth AND artistic truth. See my blog post at http://tamesequels.blogspot.com for my discussion about these two kinds of truths. All of these pieces are taken with a low resolution camera phone to try and convey that artistic beauty can be found in this world with the humblest means and mediums. This is one of my new art projects. I have always had an interest in photography, so this has been a good chance for me to experiment. I will try to post a photo on this site every day.
  • Mike Lemon on 25 Oct 10
     
    I like what you are doing, especially the wires photograph. I believe it ties in nicely to the sublime we talked about during Romanticism, that there is a glimpse of God in nature.
Katherine Chipman

LDS.org - The Family:A Proclamation to the World - 0 views

lds.org/...index.jsp

family

shared by Katherine Chipman on 05 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Katherine Chipman on 05 Oct 10
     
    In a world where the definitions, functions, and structure of families seems to be constantly changing, we can find hope and direction in the inspired words of the Prophets and Apostles of God.
Jeffrey Chen

Genetic engineering of banana - 0 views

www.gmo-compass.org/...ng_against_fungal_disease.html

shared by Jeffrey Chen on 19 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Jeffrey Chen on 19 Oct 10
     
    Look at what we can do. if we can do it, so can God
Megan Stern

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Project Gutenberg - 0 views

www.gutenberg.org/2554

digiciv Modernism Dostoyevsky

shared by Megan Stern on 27 Oct 10 - No Cached
  • Megan Stern on 27 Oct 10
     
    One of my favorite books ever. Raskolnikov kills two women to prove that he is one of the "supermen" Nietzche talks about as being able to rise above the moral structure of God, which, according to Nietzsche, is now dead. "Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us?"
Katherine Chipman

An introduction to the John Scopes (Monkey) Trial - 0 views

www.law.umkc.edu/...evolut.htm

evolution

shared by Katherine Chipman on 09 Nov 10 - Cached
  • By 1925, Bryan and his followers had succeeded in getting legislation introduced in fifteen states to ban the teaching of evolution. In February, Tennessee enacted a bill introduced by John Butler making it unlawful "to teach any theory that denies the story of divine creation as taught by the Bible and to teach instead that man was descended from a lower order of animals."  
  •     Opening statements pictured the trial as a titanic struggle between good and evil or truth and ignorance. Bryan claimed that "if evolution wins, Christianity goes." Darrow argued, "Scopes isn't on trial; civilization is on trial." The prosecution, Darrow contended, was "opening the doors for a reign of bigotry equal to anything in the Middle Ages." To the gasps of spectators, Darrow said Bryan was responsible for the "foolish, mischievous and wicked act." Darrow said that the anti-evolution law made the Bible "the yardstick to measure every man's intellect, to measure every man's intelligence, to measure every man's learning." It was classic Darrow, and the press--mostly sympathetic to the defense--loved it.
  •     On the seventh day of trial, Raulston asked the defense if it had any more evidence. What followed was what the New York Times described as "the most amazing court scene on Anglo-Saxon history." Hays asked that William Jennings Bryan be called to the stand as an expert on the Bible. Bryan assented, stipulating only that he should have a chance to interrogate the defense lawyers. Bryan, dismissing the concerns of his prosecution colleagues, took a seat on the witness stand, and began fanning himself.     Darrow began his interrogation of Bryan with a quiet question: "You have given considerable study to the Bible, haven't you, Mr. Bryan?" Bryan replied, "Yes, I have. I have studied the Bible for about fifty years." Thus began a series of questions designed to undermine a literalist interpretation of the Bible. Bryan was asked about a whale swallowing Jonah, Joshua making the sun stand still, Noah and the great flood, the temptation of Adam in the garden of Eden, and the creation according to Genesis. After initially contending that "everything in the Bible should be accepted as it is given there," Bryan finally conceded that the words of the Bible should not always be taken literally. In response to Darrow's relentless questions as to whether the six days of creation, as described in Genesis, were twenty-four hour days, Bryan said "My impression is that they were periods."     Bryan, who began his testimony calmly, stumbled badly under Darrow's persistent prodding. At one point the exasperated Bryan said, "I do not think about things I don't think about." Darrow asked, "Do you think about the things you do think about?" Bryan responded, to the derisive laughter of spectators, "Well, sometimes." Both old warriors grew testy as the examination continued. Bryan accused Darrow of attempting to "slur at the Bible." He said that he would continue to answer Darrow's impertinent questions because "I want the world to know that this man, who does not believe in God, is trying to use a court in Tennessee--." Darrow interrupted his witness by saying, "I object to your statement" and to "your fool ideas that no intelligent Christian on earth believes." After that outburst, Raulston ordered the court adjourned. The next day, Raulston ruled that Bryan could not return to the stand and that his testimony the previous day should be stricken from evidence.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • A year later, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Dayton court on a technicality--not the constitutional grounds as Darrow had hoped. According to the court, the fine should have been set by the jury, not Raulston. Rather than send the case back for further action, however, the Tennessee Supreme Court dismissed the case. The court commented, "Nothing is to be gained by prolonging the life of this bizarre case."
  • The Scopes trial by no means ended the debate over the teaching of evolution, but it did represent a significant setback for the anti-evolution forces. Of the fifteen states with anti- evolution legislation pending in 1925, only two states (Arkansas and Mississippi) enacted laws restricting teaching of Darwin's theory.
  • Katherine Chipman on 09 Nov 10
     
    Overview of the John Scopes (Monkey) Trial
Megan Stern

LDS.org - Ensign Article - Little Children - 0 views

lds.org/...index.jsp

digiciv psychology

shared by Megan Stern on 04 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel. The laws of God on marriage, birth, and nurturing of little children may seem rigid, but they are very practical.
  • Megan Stern on 04 Nov 10
     
    A little late, but I wanted to highlight President Packer's quote about the study of behavior in relation to the gospel.
Madeline Rupard

God in the Age of Adz - 1 views

thequietus.com/...f-adz-sufjan-stevens-interview

shared by Madeline Rupard on 12 Nov 10 - No Cached
  • Madeline Rupard on 12 Nov 10
     
    I know that this is a pretty indulgent post, but I was thinking about self-directed learning and it hit me that we shouldn't discount the things that are fun to read as non self-directed learning. This is one of my favorite artists' Sufjan Stevens. He's kind of like a modern day David Byrne, but he also happens to be a devout christian. I like the way he mixes religion with music in subtle forms and so I appreciated his comments on religious worship here.
Jeffrey Whitlock

Cellphones - Third World and Developing Nations - Poverty - Technology - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...13anthropology-t.html

shared by Jeffrey Whitlock on 17 Nov 10 - No Cached
    • Jeffrey Whitlock
      Jeffrey Whitlock on 17 Nov 10
       
      This is a great article
  • From an unseen distance, Chipchase used his phone to pilot me through the unfamiliar chaos, allowing us to have what he calls a “just in time” moment. “Just in time” is a manufacturing concept that was popularized by the Japanese carmaker Toyota when, beginning in the late 1930s, it radically revamped its production system, virtually eliminating warehouses stocked with big loads of car parts and instead encouraging its assembly plants to order parts directly from the factory only as they were needed. The process became less centralized, more incremental. Car parts were manufactured swiftly and in small batches, which helped to cut waste, improve efficiency and more easily correct manufacturing defects. As Toyota became, in essence, lighter on its feet, the company’s productivity rose, and so did its profits. There are a growing number of economists who maintain that cellphones can restructure developing countries in a similar way. Cellphones, after all, have an economizing effect. My “just in time” meeting with Chipchase required little in the way of advance planning and was more efficient than the oft-imperfect practice of designating a specific time and a place to rendezvous. He didn’t have to leave his work until he knew I was in the vicinity. Knowing that he wasn’t waiting for me, I didn’t fret about the extra 15 minutes my taxi driver sat blaring his horn in Accra’s unpredictable traffic. And now, on foot, if I moved in the wrong direction, it could be quickly corrected. Using mobile phones, we were able to coordinate incrementally. “Do you see the footbridge?” Chipchase was saying over the phone. “No? O.K., do you see the giant green sign that says ‘Believe in God’? Yes? I’m down to the left of that.”
  • To get a sense of how rapidly cellphones are penetrating the global marketplace, you need only to look at the sales figures. According to statistics from the market database Wireless Intelligence, it took about 20 years for the first billion mobile phones to sell worldwide. The second billion sold in four years, and the third billion sold in two. Eighty percent of the world’s population now lives within range of a cellular network, which is double the level in 2000. And figures from the International Telecommunications Union show that by the end of 2006, 68 percent of the world’s mobile subscriptions were in developing countries. As more and more countries abandon government-run telecom systems, offering cellular network licenses to the highest-bidding private investors and without the burden of navigating pre-established bureaucratic chains, new towers are going up at a furious pace. Unlike fixed-line phone networks, which are expensive to build and maintain and require customers to have both a permanent address and the ability to pay a monthly bill, or personal computers, which are not just costly but demand literacy as well, the cellphone is more egalitarian, at least to a point.
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