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Five questions from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
digitalraven:
1. Intelligence: emergent phenomenon or not? On what do you base your answer?
Yes, I definitely see intelligence as emerging from simple interactions. I am a philosophical materialist — I don't believe in the soul, and I believe the mind to simply be patterns of activity in the brain. My justification for this is simply Occam's Razor — I can't think of anything that can't be explained by simple interactions of matter, so I feel no need to invent any substances beyond matter.
More interesting is the following question: what's so special about the matter in our brains that allows it to express conscious intelligence? The materialist must either find some special property of the matter or structure of our brains, or must allow the possibility that all patterns of intelligence are, to some extent, conscious. I prefer the latter explanation.
2. Talk about some (non-fictional) people you actually admire.
Hmm... never been my favourite question to answer. I feel uncomfortable naming anybody as admirable because I know that everybody has some not-so-admirable traits. On top of this, I don't buy into the great man theory of history — I believe all people have the potential for greatness, and many of the great and good of history were simply in the right place at the right time.
So, at the risk of sounding a bit pat, I reply that I admire everyone who makes the choice to act selflessly rather than selfishly; to improve themselves rather than remain complacent; to do what is right rather than what is easy.
3. If you could tell your ten-year-old self one thing, what would that be and why?
"Treat yourself as you would wish to treat others"
I've always grasped the idea that you should treat others nicely. What seems to have escaped me for many many years is the idea that I should treat myself just as nicely. I am no less deserving of my kindness than anybody else.
4. Your hypothetical child is four years old. E looks up at you with those big, wide, trusting eyes, and with ir reedy young voice pipes "Daddy... where did I come from?" What do you tell em?
"The Argos catalogue"
I can see traumatising the hypotheticals as a big hobby of mine in the future. But in all seriousness, I would imagine that "you grew inside your mummy" is enough detail for that age — although all children are different, of course. Basically, I'll give them as much information as I think they're able to understand, as and when they ask for it.
5. Which pie is the best?
Is it... beeeef pie?
Leave a comment and I'll ask you five questions, on the understanding that you do the same when you answer.
digitalraven:1. Intelligence: emergent phenomenon or not? On what do you base your answer?
Yes, I definitely see intelligence as emerging from simple interactions. I am a philosophical materialist — I don't believe in the soul, and I believe the mind to simply be patterns of activity in the brain. My justification for this is simply Occam's Razor — I can't think of anything that can't be explained by simple interactions of matter, so I feel no need to invent any substances beyond matter.
More interesting is the following question: what's so special about the matter in our brains that allows it to express conscious intelligence? The materialist must either find some special property of the matter or structure of our brains, or must allow the possibility that all patterns of intelligence are, to some extent, conscious. I prefer the latter explanation.
2. Talk about some (non-fictional) people you actually admire.
Hmm... never been my favourite question to answer. I feel uncomfortable naming anybody as admirable because I know that everybody has some not-so-admirable traits. On top of this, I don't buy into the great man theory of history — I believe all people have the potential for greatness, and many of the great and good of history were simply in the right place at the right time.
So, at the risk of sounding a bit pat, I reply that I admire everyone who makes the choice to act selflessly rather than selfishly; to improve themselves rather than remain complacent; to do what is right rather than what is easy.
3. If you could tell your ten-year-old self one thing, what would that be and why?
"Treat yourself as you would wish to treat others"
I've always grasped the idea that you should treat others nicely. What seems to have escaped me for many many years is the idea that I should treat myself just as nicely. I am no less deserving of my kindness than anybody else.
4. Your hypothetical child is four years old. E looks up at you with those big, wide, trusting eyes, and with ir reedy young voice pipes "Daddy... where did I come from?" What do you tell em?
"The Argos catalogue"
I can see traumatising the hypotheticals as a big hobby of mine in the future. But in all seriousness, I would imagine that "you grew inside your mummy" is enough detail for that age — although all children are different, of course. Basically, I'll give them as much information as I think they're able to understand, as and when they ask for it.
5. Which pie is the best?
Is it... beeeef pie?
Leave a comment and I'll ask you five questions, on the understanding that you do the same when you answer.
From:
no subject
From:
no subject
1. Cooked anything nice recently?
2. Growing up, what fictional character would you consider most influential on your own character?
3. If you were guaranteed success and fame in acting, but only if you moved to the U.S., would you do so?
4. Is the concept of magic(k) useful and meaningful?
5. New Reggie Perrin: intruiging, or heresy?