Philosophical Questions of Theories - Coursework Example

Neural Theory Neural theory proposes a unified theory as neural processes that integrate representation of s of affairs, actions, and emotional evaluation (Beers, 12). It show how this theory provides answers to philosophical questions about the concept of intention, psychological questions about human behavior, computational questions about the relations between belief and action, and neuro scientific questions about how the brain produces actions. Intention theory tries to tie together biologically plausible mechanisms for belief, planning, and motor control (Beers, 17). Neural theory of intention is proposed as a brain process that binds together information about situations, emotional evaluations, actions and sometimes about self. It is argued that intentions are semantic pointers, powerful kind of neural process, where patterns of neural firing activity is as consequence of information impression operations implemented in neural actions. Soul theory This theory argues that with a distinctions of kinds of existence that is: existence in the sense of matter, existence in the sense of shape or form and existence in the sense of that which is compounded of both form and matter (Beers 27). Now matter is the potentiality for some actuality. Of natural bodies some have life in them, others not; by life it means self-nutrition and growth. It follows that every natural body which has life in it is an existence in the sense of a composite of matter and form (Beers 35). But since the body is made of certain stuff, the body cannot be soul; the soul must be an existence in the sense of the form of a natural body having life. A living body that has a soul is a body which is organized. For instance parts of plants in spite of their extreme simplicity are organs e.g. Leaves serves to shelter the pericarp, the pericarp to shelter the fruit, while the roots of plants are analogous to the mouth of animals, both serving for the absorption of food. In essence soul is the existence in the sense which corresponds to the definitive formula of a thing. The power of a soul corresponds to the general kinds of biological functions performed by organisms. Sam Harris’ Dilemma Sam argues that although science may ultimately show us how to truly maximize human well being, it may still fail to dispel the fundamental mystery of our mental life (LANE, 24). That doesn’t leave much scope for conventional religious doctrines, but it does offer a deep foundation for introspection. Many truths about ourselves will be discovered in consciousness directly. He goes on to point out that the problem, is however no evidence for consciousness exists in the physical world (LANE 35). Physical events are simply mute as to whether it is like something to be what they are. The only thing in the universe that attests to the existence of consciousness is consciousness itself; the only clue to subjectivity, as such, is subjectivity. Absolutely nothing about a brain, when surveyed as physical system, suggests that it is a locus of experience. Were we not already brimming with consciousness ourselves, we would find no evidence of it in the physical universe- nor would we have any notion of the many experimental states that it gives s rise to (LANE, 56). The painfulness of pain, for instance, puts in an appearance only in consciousness. And no description of c-fibers or pain-avoiding behavior will bring the subjective reality into view. The mystery of consciousness in Harris’ purview is very simply, even if ultimately profoundly, obvious to those with this all-perasive feeling of awareness. We are inside looking outside and we flip the proceeding to understand the former with the latter we find something elemental missing in the equation (LANE 67). And so we should, since the very dualism of speaking of in/out by necessity brings an impassable confusion to the proceedings. To understand consciousness, Harris’ reasons , necessitates be conscious and therein lie the difficulty of trying to get an outside handle of what in terms of lived through experience has no separable exterior as such. In the study of consciousness it appear we may have to confront an espistemological complementary where any objective study of qualia must by necessity lose in translation a fundamental feature of the very phenomenon under inspection (LANE, 70). Conversely, any purely subjective endeavor to explore consciousness must by its very act forego any attempt to maximally objectify what is experienced, lest the experience itself be lost in attempting to exteriorize that which is de facto interior. Nature of religious visions Faqir realize that all manifestation, visions, and forms that are seen within are mental creations. After his realization ,Faqir began preaching his belief that all saints, from Buddha, Christ, kabir, to even his own master shiv brat Lal are ignorant about miracles or inner experiences attributed t them(Sarah, 50). Though Faqir Probably the most outspoken, other great religious leaders, saints and mystic have expounded on this. However, it is not seen by most as an explanation of their subservience to the Great Mystery, but rather as a statement designed to exhibit a saint’s humility, or, as a tacit attempt for concealing his real mission and purpose. Jesus, for instance, is reported in the gospel of mark as asking the crowd that was following him “Who touched me?” After this, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up to Jesus and told him about her plan for Divine cure. By brief touch a miracle happened, and she was cured from hemorrhaging (Sarah, 66). At this Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well”. The famed sage, Ramama Maharishi, when asked about Jesus’ power to perform miracles, substantiates what Faqir Chand had taught long time ago. Such manifestations are as real as our own reality. In other words, when you identify yourself with the body as in jagtat, you see gross objects; when in subtle body, you see object equally subtle; In absence of identification as in sushupiti, you see nothing. The objects seen bear relation to the state of the seer. This implies the same to vision of God. Many so-called religious visions, for instance, may be nothing more than vivid images which manifest quite normally while one is dreaming (Sarah, 78). Simply because an image is of a holy or revered personage does not qualify it automatically as a transpersonal manifestation. As Faqir asserted, a saint does not consciously project his form; rather, it is the intense faith and concentration of the devotee who creates the image within. Cold Reading This is a method of extracting personal information. Skeptics claim that all psychics are cold readers and do not have paranormal abilities (Anderson 34). Cold readers encourage the person receiving the reading to provide all the details. The resulting reading can be very convincing. For instance cold reader for pet psychic would probably have good knowledge of human psychology and animal behavior. Keeping in mind, she would: state the obvious, use vague language, make statements that are likely to be true and ask questions. By successfully applying the principles of cold reading a person can appear to be genuinely psychic (Anderson 45). But cold reading does not explain pet psychics’ apparent success stories. Many pet psychic claims that they have found missing pets, curbed behavior problems or helped heal sick animals. Skeptics often claim that these successes are really skills by telling pet owners what they want to hear that lost pet will come home and deceased pets are in better place. According to pet psychics, animals are conscious self-aware and able to think and experience emotions the way humans do (Anderson 60). Many people have seen their pets behave in a way that suggest that they experience emotions. For example, some dogs whimper when their owners leave the house, and some cats seem jealous of other animals. But scientist haven’t come to a consensus about whether these are indicators of emotion (Anderson 55). The influence, upon our thinking, of a comprehensive scientific theory, or some other general point of view, goes much deeper than is admitted by those who would regard it as a convenient scheme for the ordering of facts only. Scientific theories are ways of looking at the world; and adoption affects our general beliefs and expectations, and thereby also our experiences and our conception of reality. We may even say that what is regarded as nature at a particular time is our own product in the sense that features ascribed to it have first been invented by us and then used for bringing order into our surroundings. Cargo cult Cargo cult contrarian is a new incarnation of the psychotropic girl, would-blog that never was. It is name for Richard Feynman’s classic speech, Cargo cult Science, which warns against the dangers of pseudoscience, and of letting the attractions of theory overrun careful experimentation (Tallis 24). In an age when science is increasingly being called upon to furnish explanations it is ill fit to provide, Feynman’s message seems more pressing than ever (Tallis 30). One of the great attractions of studying the mind is the promise we might one day unravel how the reality we each experience is manufactured, what it captures, and how it errs. In this pursuit, the questions one might pursue are boundless. For instance narratives; how we blend meaning and coherence to our existence and our practices through language. Words as tools for sense making can be dangerous, slippery thing. With them, one might weave false memories; derail judgment; guide what is seen as or noticed, or understood; carve up the world. Because our narratives help structure our expectation about how word work, they can also deeply influence and profoundly distort our perceptions of it. Yet there is little escaping such influence. As humans, we must decide what to attend to and what to take meaning from, against a backdrop in which we cannot possibly attend to everything. Cultures establish norms for how we should do this, and languages, in part, encode them. Still there is nothing concrete or static to the convention within or across cultures; nothing definitve. Rather, there are loose edges, clusters, and distributions (Tallis 44). There are ways of seeing. Ancient Astrology Bhrigu Samhita is the art of preparing the birth chart. Janma Kundii which is scientific chart drawn with mathematical precision based on the exact time we were born is very popular in India (Kriyananda 34). It takes into accounts all planetary positions and their astrological influence at different stages in our lives. Hence, the people who predict our past, present and future. Janma Kundii also describes the unique character traits, the milestones and the happenings in the life of individual. It is a mathematical science based on the movements of the celestial bodies. Astrologers study the movements and explain them in the horoscope, based on the date, time and place of birth of an individual (Kriyananda 45). Maharishi Bhrigu explained in this Samhita, the art of birth chart making and also how to study the movement of planets while making the birth chart. To create birth chart or Janma Kundii according to the Indian Vedic Astrology one has to master in Bhrigu Samhita. Bhrigu, as he is popular known in Hindu Mythology, was Vedic saint and created this Samhita, meaning congregation of several independent units. It is named after the Bhrigu Rishi. And since it is the congregation of several units related to astrology it is known as Samhita. Saint Bhrigu was the first compiler of the prophetic astrology (Kriyananda 59). The Bhrigu Samhita is an astrological classic, a form of predictive astrology in the beginning of the Hindu culture and ancient age. The singularity is not near Despite the accomplishments that Kurzweil have achieved, he is best known for his science fiction-sounding predictions about the future, as described in his book the Singularity is near. He posits that near future technology will advance so profoundly that collective human biology and artificial intelligence will emerge into a super- intelligent reality he calls the singularity (Richard, 12). He estimates that the singularity will happen in the year 2045. But that not all. The singularity, which is to say a humanity which has emerged with technology, will turn its own intelligence into pure energy and saturate the universe at, or beyond, the speed of light. According to Kurzweil, in the aftermath of singularity, intelligence, and derived from its biological origins in human brains and its technological origins in human ingenuity, will begin to saturate the matter and energy in its midst. Kurzweil claims have garnered much media attention, as well as criticism. After all, it’s hard to say the earth will transform into a pulsating orb of pure intelligence radiating outward at the speed of light and not turn a few heads (Richard, 19). The biggest problem with concept of singularity to me is the conceptual, one which he doesn’t address in the book: his constant conflation of biological evolution with his versions of social and tech evolution(Richard,22) .Kurzweil has set up a narrative in which biological evolution, cultural development, and the advancements of computing technology are part of the same immutable force, never mind that the will of human beings factors into the creation of both culture and technology(Richard,34). For him, the advance of technology is as inevitable as biological evolution and can be plotted on the same graph Works Cited Anderson .T, Must Be Mindreading: Ireland Magic 1949.Print Beers, J. Capturing hearts and minds. In Oxfordshire Governor. 2006. Print Kriyananda, Swami. The Book of Bhrigu. San Francisco: Hansa Publications, 1967.Print LANE, D.C. The making of a spiritual movement. Del Mar, CA: Del Mar Press, 1983.Print Richard Dawkins, "Why Dont Animals Have Wheels?" Sunday Times, November 24, 1996.Print  Sarah Iles Johnston, Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide, Harvard University Press, 2004.print Tallis, Raymond "The Shrink from Hell", in the Times Higher Education Supplement, 1997.Print Read More