I don't think the mind can ever understand itself so long as the mind uses itself to try to understand. Remember when I asked, "How can the eye see itself?" The eye can't see itself. Likewise, the mind perhaps will never fully see or comprehend itself.
Maybe we're just like hamsters in plastic balls, being observed, rolling around trying to get somewhere but really getting nowhere. Maybe we should give-up on the pursuit of mind-knowledge and just enjoy having minds. I think the hamster enjoys running around in his ball.
Inspired by a post on Alex's blog.
8 comments:
Penrose made it his mission to mathemtically describe consciousness. He's been involved in this study for his entire professional career and is no closer now than he was ca 1960.
What are the chances of a breakthrough? Perhaps about the same as nature providing us another Einstein. We seem to have a few in every millenia. The last before Einstein, IMO, was Newton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophiae_Naturalis_Principia_Mathematica
Like the 100 year rainfall, can happen twice the same year, we can hope the next one comes sooner than later.
Happily_anonymous
Thanks for the link; I will have to study it tomorrow evening.
Is this a good description of the 100-year rainfall?
http://climate.umn.edu/doc/misc/100year.htm
You've already taught me lots, and I don't think I've taught you anything!
Yes, the definition of 100 year storm is adequate. One could look at it in terms of averages, or as this author did, a statistical probability. Of course the coin has no memory, and neither does the weather. I don't know if they've gotten into defining the 100 year solar storm, or 100 year sunspot activity, or other such extraterrestrial events.
I've not taught you anything. Your own interest has taken you to discover a few things I've pointed to!
Acquiring information that provides one with relavant places to point is one of the wonderful aspects of life.
That my little hobby occasionally benefits others brings joy to me as well as, sometimes, the others.
Happily_anonymous
Nice post. You're going in a direction with this that may be of benefit to you, in my opinion/experience.
Some good stuff in those two paragraphs:
"don't think . . . can ever understand" "give up" "enjoy"
"I think the hamster enjoys running around in his ball."
Oh, please, Please, write a story!!!
~ Alex
If they were to define other 100-year events, they'd probably continue to use the 1% probability on any given day that the event is likely to occur. Had I not went to look the definition up, I'd have thought it was just a type of rainfall that happens once in a blue moon.
I'm still holding off on that link until tonight, although I did skim through it last night. Today my blog commenting is rather fragmentary as I've been in training sessions all morning long.
On busy days, I always look forward to going home so I can have uninterrupted Internet use. Nobody understands why I'd want to use a computer at home after having used one all day at work. It's a love affair I don't quite understand either, but it makes me happy and I think that is really all that matters. If you called it an Internet addiction I wouldn't tell you you were wrong. But I've been addicted to the Internet since I first started using Prodigy in the early 90s, so it's not just a phase.
I don't know how I got on that subject. I must be in a talkative mood today.
Thank you, Night Sky. I guess that means I've made a little bit of progress, then!
Something tells me, however, that out of habit I'll someday soon be wondering about the mind again. At least next time I can be aware of the fact that doing so is probably going to be fruitless. But at least I can enjoy doing so, like the hamster enjoying his ball.
It's good to see you again. I hope you had a lovely weekend, and that your friend Aware's arm is healing quickly.
Alex,
Hehee... I'm no storyteller! I don't know how some people develop the ability to create stories and parables but I am envious of their ability. On this blog somewhere is a silly little story I wrote called "The Predicament of Lady Isabel", but if you read it you'll recognize that any ability for writing that I have at all is quite childish in nature.
If we were camping, though, I'd not be opposed to reading a story around the campfire, given that no gross gigantic bugs flew into my hair while trying to get to the light.
Post a Comment