Tag: rules

  • Conscious choices

    I found this video shared by K (part of a series by Professor Russell Stannard) offering me a very interesting perspective on the free will vs determinism debate. (earlier post)

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8EI4obG5zM

    He starts with talking about the brain as a physical object which is governed by the physical/chemical/biological rules of nature – like a computer works within a  set of mechanical/electronic laws – and therefore predictable. So it should be possible to predict our choices. But it doesn’t work that way. Consciousness is different.

    He then talks about how some are trying to apply quantum theory to the free will – determinism debate. Apparently, at sub atomic level, the ‘future’ is not predictable with absolute certainty. It has a built-in uncertainty in it. What we can do, however, is predict the odds of various possible outcomes – the average behaviour of various items. So if this is applied to individual cells whose behaviour is unpredictable, it would be free will, say the proponents of this theory. But the prof refutes this, and says that this is one of the debates that can’t be solved to everyone’s satisfaction.

    [This prediction of group behaviour reminded me of Asimov’s Foundation series and specifically Hari Seldon‘s psychohistory, through which he predicts the future in probabilistic terms.]

    But more importantly, it made me think that if indeed, there is a creator, maybe he built the automaton inside our head to make us predictable. The automaton grows with us, making most of our decisions unconscious ones, based on baggage accumulated over time – conditioning. That could explain why those few who break out of it are able to attain a higher level of thinking in which they can bend the rules, predict the future and so on and the only advice they can give others is to be aware of every second.

    And when I think of predicting the odds of outcomes, I wonder if the results of all our free will choices are written, like a tree with infinite branches. And as we continue our journey of choices that is life, one by one the branches disappear, until on hindsight, they look like one straight line that was always meant to be that way.

     until next time, a predictable end

  • One on One with The One – Part One

    One day on chat, a window popped up …….
    G: Hi there, did u call me?
    M: who r u? dont remember calling anyone..
    G: heard you praying to me, thought i’d come over and chat…
    M: nice line, but how do i know who u r ?
    G: ha! just about sums up the state of humanity… they see me all around and still question my existence!! but just to prove a point, you saw that image of keira knightley and wished…(lost connection)
    connection resumes
    G: and wished that
    M: ok ok i am a believer!!
    G: men are so easy ;), hey, nowadays, you rarely think about me
    M: are you a woman?
    G: does it matter? but why do you ask?
    M: oh, just the general tone of the conversation. but yeah, you are right, the personal rapport with you has kinda lessened..
    G: dont worry, its only human..
    M: i see a faint trace of ego there…..
    G: not at all, ego is your own creation, your perception, i am what i am….
    M: and i am what you made me
    G: of course not, i gave you options, you chose
    M: but werent they already made for me?
    G: thats your justification. amazing how you guys always blame me for the bad things and never are happy for the good things…
    M: so how do you manage all of us, our lives, our deaths
    G: ah, trade secret, boy, if i told you, u might actually convince me to outsource it
    M: are you american?
    G: i am heavenly, why do you ask?
    M: just a thought
    G: i think things might be a lot clearer if i told you that you are not an extension of me, rules that u made dont apply to me, think beyond your perceptions
    M: is that possible?
    G: of course, how do you think great marketing ideas come about?
    M: hey , do you have any?
    G: yup, but wont tell you, that would be unfair to others
    M: they wouldnt know
    G: those are your rules and justifications, not mine
    M: what about rights and wrongs that hold true forever
    G: there is only one eternal truth
    M: and that would be you?
    G: think about it
    …………to be continued……….
    and in
    manuscrypts trivia
    a guy joke and a girl joke
    DON’T TEMPT A WOMAN
    A woman goes to England to attend a 2-week, company training session. Her husband drives her to the airport and wishes her to have a good trip.
    The wife answers : “Thank you honey, what would you like me to bring for you?”
    The husband laughs and says: “An English girl !!!”
    The woman kept quiet and left.
    Two weeks later he picks her up in the airport and asks: “So, honey, how was the trip?”
    “Very good, thank you.”
    “And, what happened to my present?”
    ‘Which present?” She asked?
    “The one I asked for — the English girl!!”
    “Oh, that” she said, “Well, I did what I could, now we have to wait a few months to see if it’s a girl”

    BAD NEWS ABOUT BEER
    Yesterday, University scientists released the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer.
    Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption. The theory is that beer contains female hormones (hops contain phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women. To test the theory, 100 men were fed 8 pints of beer each within a 1-hour period. It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects:
    1) Gained weight.
    2) Talked excessively without making sense.
    3) Became overly emotional.
    4) Couldn’t drive.
    5) Failed to think rationally.
    6) Argued over nothing.
    7) Had to sit down while urinating.
    8) Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.
    No further testing was considered necessary……….

    till next time, keep the faith