Comments for Joshua Fost's Blog

Comment on Wind and mind by Mike Lezak

Mike Lezak — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:09:52 +0000

Having attended that conference, I think that the psychiatrist was just too threatened to accept your message.

Comment on Wind and mind by Tobi Lehman

Tobi Lehman — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:22:39 +0000

So if the mind is not physical, but interacts with physical things, I would just say our previous use of the word “physical” needs to be expanded to include this new causal factor. But we’d need some conclusive demonstrations of superveiniance first.

It never ceases to amaze me how easily we can get unpredictability or structure from simple rules.

Comment on Wind and mind by jwfost

jwfost — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:27:03 +0000

It is like reification, except in that dualists like this gentleman would say, “no, no, the mind is NOT physical. But it is a real thing, and it can influence the brain.” Nonsense, for sure. As to the linearity thing, I think you’re right: most people have weak intuitions about how nonlinear systems act, and when they think of large systems, what they really think of is large LINEAR systems. And those don’t seem complex enough to produce the richly dynamic, self-modifying behaviors of, e.g. brain/minds. Another reason for stronger science and quantitative literacy.

Comment on Wind and mind by Tobi Lehman

Tobi Lehman — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:56:07 +0000

The psychiatrist’s argument about top-down causation sounds like reification, where abstractions are regarded as physical things.

Some systems don’t appear to be the sum of their parts, but just because we aren’t using linear combinations doesn’t mean the system is not reducible to it’s parts, addition is not the only combinatory operation.

Comment on Overbuilt by jwfost

jwfost — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:13:55 +0000

Hey Dustin!
The West Point curriculum was actually exactly what we used. Some people had seen it in HS, but it’s still appropriate for first-term college students — though most physics or engineering people will find it too easy.

Comment on Overbuilt by Dustin

Dustin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:01:58 +0000

You might find these interesting:

http://www.aisc.org/content.aspx?id=780

This second one is for HS students, but you might find some relevance in it:

http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/

Comment on Overbuilt by George Thomas

George Thomas — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:57:12 +0000

Joshua,

I was at a conference you talked at earlier this year, spoke to you and bought your book, If Not God, Then What. I’m reading Dawkins’ book, The God Delusion, currently and came across a line that resonates with your book.

Dawkins describes a childhood experience of transcendent feeling about the Universe and mentions a Church of England minister who entered the ministry as the result of similar feelings about God: “Why the same emotion should have led my chaplain in one direction and me in the other is not an easy question to answer,” writes Dawkins.

There you go, eh?

Comment on Overbuilt by Tobi Lehman

Tobi Lehman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:24:46 +0000

This resonated with me, I’m using the expression “Zombie Apocalypse” as a descriptor for the kinds of situations where groups of humans are dangerous for some reason, (riot, revolution, food shortage…etc).

I don’t think that the zombie itself is a real threat, since zombies don’t exist. But that doesn’t mean that scenarios less than or equivalent to a zombie apocalypse are not worth preparing for.

Comment on Overbuilt by wbt

wbt — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:13:37 +0000

Would make a good fable for a young skeptic . . .

Comment on Make an education by wbt

wbt — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:41:48 +0000

Or education as pay to earn.