Epiphenomenalism[I] is a brand of dualism in which mind and matter are two different manifestations of existence, but holding mind to be ontologically inferior to matter, and there is some form of logical flow – not necessarily causality per se – from matter to mind. The term as used in the late 19th century provides another analogy through its definition: a secondary symptom of a...
The following is inspired by my notes beginning in chapter 2 of Scaruffi’s book. In the tradition of philosophy, there have been different attitudes and relations to the issue of consciousness. For the most part, consciousness was something incorporated into the architectonic of a particular philosopher; this allows for an impressive array of contexts and perspectives. For instance, there...
The first question is, “What is the mind”. I agree with Socrates that to begin we need to understand the question. “Mind” is a loose term that includes different phenomenon that are (seemingly) associated. I am not discarding this paltry scrapheap of words because at least it includes a reasonable philosophical strategy, and that is in itself worthy of further application...
A pseudo-essay informed and inspired by Condillac’s philosophy, that aims to describe a monadology of experience as a paradigm underlining autodidacticity and an autodidactic method: I’ve been active and interested in creating what I’ve tongue-in-cheek been referring to as the monadology of experience, which I’ve used to mean, “the independent units from which we...
TheMeaningOfLife.org is an essay made up of 44 points that describe the human experience from birth to death. This is a subset of a category that can be described as, “A number of lessons,” that often include advice on living (amongst the various modes of living) and explanations that make it easier to understand and thus coexist with life’s experiences. MeaningOfLife.tv can be...
Things I’ve done today include reading Scaruffi, I made a little progress in chapter 2 but soon became bogged down in details and paradigms that I must admit were a challenge. Not beyond comprehension, but requiring a slow studious read that inevitably results in a loss of perspective as regards the bigger picture, even if it does strongly assist an understanding of the content on a smaller...
An important principle I have absorbed is that while the edifice of philosophy have their values, unless one is viewing them as an historian then they are also merely tools and words; useful but not to be confused with philo-sophia: love of knowledge. Let’s raise the question, “Why read philosophical treatises?” First, it can inspire. But it can be valuable even when approached...
Meta: Idea: Have a list of contents at the top of each date. Each listing to be the text of a heading, or if not then at least some form of anchoring as repeated in the body. I follow now with an exemplar instance of this idea: NOTES on my reading of KANT’s Prolegomena. Dear DIARY. SCIENCE or JOURNAL CLUB on studying NEURONAL COMPLEXITY. Meta: The (mere) fact that I have more to write about...
Editorial notes: The article begins with a comparison between the ‘self’ and the ‘soul’. The ‘self’ is a term usually used in psychological dissertations and is the subject of several developmental theories. The ‘soul’, however, is a theological/philosophical term that is not subjected to the same pattern of developmental changes. As far as the ‘positivist identifier” and ‘legalistic in its...
…you only fall from the point you allow yourself to sink. (Despite the phantom essay that had been unfolding in the back shadows of my mind, now that I’ve written that down, it seems like enough. Now I feel wrong for mocking god. Maybe it (seemed like it) was enough?) Let me add just the slightest of content, by adding some of the obvious: I’ve reason to believe this true. I...
