blackhorse

Consciousness, to me, is the self aware vehicle by which an individual understands who he is, what he is, and what his relationship is to the world around him. In essence, it is self awareness.

Belieiving in a spiritual Deity or a supranatural organizing intelligence does equate to believing in an all powerful old white man with a beard and a white toga sitting on a throne in the clouds with lots and lots of bright white light.

This topic can be answered if one understands the nature of a)property and b)what constitutes privacy.

In my limited life experience I have found Objectivism more in line with what is "real", "true", and "factual" than any other philosophy. Granted, I am not a pure Randite, but I still think she has gotten closer to the laws of nature than any philosopher.

If one were to zoom in to the brain at the subatomic level one would see mostly "empty" space, and yet when one zooms out to normal human vision and scale we see an intelligent operating human with values, goals, and emotions. Teh question is; Why (or how)? I believe intelligence gathers iteslf together on micro and macro scales via communication that we have not been able to discover or understand yet, even though this idea has been posited by some scientists. In other words, consciousness is not the brain, the brain is the reciever. This is one of the main reasons why I am a Deist and not an atheist.-I don't think that consciousness can be reduced to mere physical reductionism, even though definite physical laws of nature are at play.

You can't have your cake and eat it, too, not in the sense the saying was meant. You CAN have a cake, and you CAN eat it, but once it is eaten it is no longer a cake in its true form, but rather it is a mush of chewed up food being digested in the stomach.

@daunce, are you speaking in relation to the add and article? If so, I disagree.

Excellent article by Pam Geller http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/09/ny-posts-jennifer-fermino-abandons-any-attachment-to-truth-fairness-and-journalistic-integrity-.html

As far as CG is concerned I think 'The Incredibles' is their best.

@Michael, agreed. Unf, it seems as though the great visionary work and quality established by Disney, since he has died, has waned. Sure they make some really good films here and there (more there than here) but the imagintive, pro-American drive isn't there, at least not as it used to be. The Disney of of today is a fading shadow of its former self. The Disney dream as envisioned by Walt died with Roy Disney. Beauty and the Beast, I thought, was their last GREAT animated flick, though some good ones came after.

What's everyone's all time favorite animated Disney movie? Mine is Cinderella.

Which study comes first in terms of a foundational base for man to understand his world; psychology or philosophy?

Has anyone here tried psychedelics before (other than Cannabis)? Is the experience all an illusion in ones head or are there other real things going on like communication with different dimensions or non-local reality? Aldous Huxley made a remarkable statement which I think has merit to it, in essence he said that the brain acts as a kind of filter for our consienceness otherwise we would all be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sensory data and input all around us both on a micro and macro level. Which brings me to think that the workings of the brain qua the mind on the chemical and atomic levels are very fascinating. These two books were fascinating reads, edgy stuff; http://www.amazon.com/Morphic-Resonance-Nature-Formative-Causation/dp/1594773173/ref=pd_sim_b_69 http://www.amazon.com/Inner-Paths-Outer-Space-Psychedelics/dp/159477224X/ref=pd_sim_b_5 I believe in Ojective reality, but the more I read into "fringe" science the more I realize the sheer mystery and unknown there is. Psychedelics seem to expose inidividuals to amazing spaces unaccessable in "normal" states of mind.

I am cynical about the middle east embracing reason or a value system that ackowledges indivdiual liberty sans islam. The only meager hope I see is for the youth of these islamic nations to be exposed to pop culture (ironically the same western/pop culture wich has contributed to the disintegration of American self reliance). Libya and Egypt are twins, regardless of a handful of people who carry signs saying different. One only needs to look at their histories respectively to get an accurate portrayel of how, why, and where they are going. These nations were relatively safe and civil when the old English empire controlled them. I don't see how a major conflict can be avoided in the mideast.-the large majority of these muslims simply cannot divorce themesleves from islam in-toto. At the end of the day they will choose Allah over reason.

The Office! (Ameican version)

Really, Mr. Scherk???

I am looking forward to this book. Will it further add to understanding Objectivism?

@Jonathan, I hear you. I asked Stephen ,"so given the cholice between a candidate who is pro liberty in every rational respect but he is anti-abortion, and a candidate who is an avowed statist (or an islamic cleric) but 100% pro abortion, you would pick the latter?" ----He never answered the question. His arguments have been countered quite well here both from a scientific as well as moral POV. Not voting for Romney / Ryan because of this matter, to me, doesn't speak to reason at all, but irrational purtinism.

At a minimum, abortion ought to be outlawed at the point in the baby's development when they can experience pain.

@Peter Taylor - I am in complete agreement.

@Stephen, so given the cholice between a candidate who is pro liberty in every rational respect but he is anti-abortion, and a candidate who is an avowed statist (or an islamic cleric) but 100% pro abortion, you would pick the latter? Do the unborn repel you that much?

Thank you very much for the recommendations, Reidy!

I am looking for books on Landscaping and gardening from an Objectivist friendly POV, ie the same aesthetics that Roark, as well as real architects, applied to their architecture except applied to landscaping and gardens. Anyh recommendations? I have read "Gardens are for People" by Church, but am looking for the "Roark" or "Wright" of landscape design. Thanks! ( I ought to write a book on landscape and garden architecture created and explained with Objectivist values!)

OO is a sad, pathetic joke for Diana Hsieh-bots.

Michael, I have tried to find info about it online, but it all is very scant. From what I could gather it seems to be anti-capitalist flick. Or at best, altruistic mixed market capitalism.