THE POSSIBILIAN

[psychoanaleesis]

From "The New Yorker"

The Possibilian

What a brush with death taught David Eagleman about the mysteries of time and the brain.

by Burkhard Bilger

David Eagleman is one of my new persons of interest along with the likes of Dr. Paul Ekman. This man studies consciousness - which for Ayn Rand, the very "soul" she refers to at times. So it seems that he is scientifically studying what we've always been seeing as special effects or experiencing when adrenaline kicks in i.e. Slow-Motion.

From the article: “Time is this rubbery thing,” Eagleman said. “It stretches out when you really turn your brain resources on, and when you say, ‘Oh, I got this, everything is as expected,’ it shrinks up.”

Furthermore, it seems that he's discovered a philosophy "Possibilianism" by the way, I think the contributor's definition is slightly off.

This one's good: "Before Francis Crick died, in 2004, he gave Eagleman some advice. “Look,” he said. “The dangerous man is the one who has only one idea, because then he’ll fight and die for it. The way real science goes is that you come up with lots of ideas, and most of them will be wrong."

Here too: "Eagleman was brought up as a secular Jew and became an atheist in his teens. Lately, though, he’d taken to calling himself a Possibilian—a denomination of his own invention. Science had taught him to be skeptical of cosmic certainties, he told me. From the unfathomed complexity of brain tissue—“essentially an alien computational material”—to the mystery of dark matter, we know too little about our own minds and the universe around us to insist on strict atheism, he said. “And we know far too much to commit to a particular religious story.” Why not revel in the alternatives? Why not imagine ourselves, as he did in “Sum,” as bits of networked hardware in a cosmic program, or as particles of some celestial organism, or any of a thousand other possibilities, and then test those ideas against the available evidence? “Part of the scientific temperament is this tolerance for holding multiple hypotheses in mind at the same time,” he said. “As Voltaire said, uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one.”

A garden-variety agnostic might have left it at that. But Eagleman, as usual, took things a step further. Two years ago, in an interview on a radio show, he declared himself the founder of a new movement. Possibilianism had a membership of one, he said, but he hoped to attract more. “I’m not saying here is the answer,” he told me. “I’m just celebrating the vastness of our ignorance.” The announcement was only half serious, so Eagleman was shocked to find, when he came home from his lab later that night, that his e-mail in-box was filled, once again, with messages from listeners. “You know what?” most of them said. “I’m a Possibilian, too!” The movement has since drawn press from as far away as India and Uganda. At last count, close to a thousand Facebook members had switched their religious affiliation to Possibilianism.

Francis Crick, the patron saint of intellectual long shots, might have approved."

Now, I find something a bit disturbing with his choice of words but in full context, I've got to say he's a kindred spirit.

[Peter]

Welcome back David.

Consider the possibilities, Possibilian. I would rather celebrate what we do know, FOR SURE.

This new club sounds a bit tongue in cheek, like The Liar's Club, or the Procrastinator's Club. Well, hopefully it won't take a catastrophe to teach us what we don't know, or what we do know, is inadequate.

I worry that someday Quantum Paradoxical Possibilists will prove that our version of reality is an illusion . . . invisible plants from the ninth dimension are sprouting from our ears - that's a joke. But Quantum Computing is non-sensical, and it works, and may be the wave of the future..

What's been happening in Tropical Paradise?

Peter Taylor

[psychoanaleesis]

If you meant by Tropical Paradise is here, well, you said it, "invisible plants from the ninth dimension are sprouting from our ears..." Kidding asides, the heat just turned up along with prices of basic commodities. The mainstream media shows that pressure groups are whining and clamoring for an increase in wages and seems that the meek voices pleading the government to repeal the Value Added Tax has been quashed.

Regarding Eagleman's philosophy, you're right, the things we should celebrate are the ones we know, grasped, accomplished and attained. At the same time, one knows that he ought to know more and I think Rand herself said something about achievements/joy/happiness serving as fuel to go farther. If Eagleman was like any other bloke, I'd be worried since one cannot possibly test all the hypotheses one comes across. However, I have great hopes for him and more so if he can focus all that mind - that would be awesome.

Problem is, Possibilianism would sound like a rehash of Agnosticism but if you let reality be the "final arbiter" in each case you pursue, then I do not see any problem with that except that one must start with good premises and tenets.

You said,"I worry that someday Quantum Paradoxical Possibilists will prove that our version of reality is an illusion..." I do not Peter. If, somehow these people can prove that their theories are of significant impact man's life (because, hey, that's the true measure ain't it?) AND can be controlled to his benefit then it will serve only to catapult him further to reach his ideal. Nine dimension to multi-universes or not, it will still be part of our known reality. If they can show me that by pushing one particle or pulling the theorized "super-string", I can travel to far-off distances or periods then why not? In this case, by finding more about the workings of human consciousness we may be able to make the more difficult mental tasks be grasped more intuitively. However, the very nature of consciousness does not change. Man's soul would still be governed by reason and exhibited by logic if such things ever happen. I believe the principle behind human knowledge was covered and affirmed by Rand in ITOE.

Behold, a new horizon for man yet unfolds!

[Peter]

David wrote:

However, the very nature of consciousness does not change.

end quote

I think you are correct but I envision aumentation and genetic engineering in our future. Someone, Somewhere. Sometime, will tinker with homo sapiens sapiens basic being for knowledge and profit.. We will still be sapient, sentient beings, but different. I imagine someone will try to enhance what we now consider desirable traits, but they may stumble upon, a new form of consciuosness beyond, say, being able to see in the infared or some similar physical enhancement.

You should check out Bal's posts (YUP, a different Bal from the original Ba'al) on the "Does an Epistemology . . ." thread.

I saw news of a minor "Ding dong, Osama's dead" protest and march in the Phillappines. A lot of muslim clerics were saying a mass murderer of muslims as Osama was could not be a true muslim but I guess that formulation was BS.

Peter

[psychoanaleesis]

I think you are correct but I envision aumentation and genetic engineering in our future. Someone, Somewhere. Sometime, will tinker with homo sapiens sapiens basic being for knowledge and profit.. We will still be sapient, sentient beings, but different. I imagine someone will try to enhance what we now consider desirable traits, but they may stumble upon, a new form of consciuosness beyond, say, being able to see in the infared or some similar physical enhancement.

You should check out Bal's posts (YUP, a different Bal from the original Ba'al) on the "Does an Epistemology . . ." thread.

Peter:

Quick question, What are those scientists going to use to discover the method to do what you envision?

Answer: Reason - because it is impossible to do something that was set forth by logic, to be completed by accident (except in absurd movies) and in even cases such as these would disprove that since reasoning still finishes the discoveries through accidents and makes it science.

Moreover, I do not see anything wrong with biological hardware upgrades, do you? If you have a software might as well have the stuff that can unleash its potentials. You are not the first one to propose these things Peter. "For knowledge and profit"? Huzzah!