Post by jekkjekktarr on Apr 2, 2016 7:49:06 GMT
Christian Cerda
PHIL 5-15 (40846)
1. Explain the "virtual simulator" hypothesis to consciousness. How does such a concept help explain why you behave the way you do? Be sure to draw from your day to day habits and how your mind projects into the future and reflects about the past.
The ability to virtually simulate how situations or reactions will play out in your head is something I do constantly. I used to be the kind of person who would talk to people a lot and make jokes without thinking too much about what I was saying and this usually got me into trouble. At some point I decided that I would just listen to people and not say anything unless I believed it had some value. I ended up how I am now where I just don’t talk to anyone, and instead just take in everything everyone says and build up a version of them in my head based on what they say. I then imagine how I might interject or respond to what they’re saying and how they’d react back or what would happen if I did, even if it gets extremely fantastical. I even imagine situations that could happen while I’m just sitting and waiting for something. Like I’ll imagine what I’d do if a random person walked in with a gun and I imagine how I’d try to get away from the room I’m in or if I could talk them out of doing what they might do. This tends to stress me out because I can make ordinary situations seem like these big events that will change me when I might just be thinking of how I’m going to say what I want to order from a restaurant. I imagine how I could have done things even immediately after I do them. “Should I have said that” or “I should have had a different tone” are things I think about a lot. Even simple questions will leave me thinking about a super long and intelligent sounding response that I’ll come up with way after the interaction has happened and that person is long gone.
2. How does M.E. theory apply to your own belief system?
What I believe isn’t something that I use to give myself meaning or purpose. I believe what I do because it just makes sense to me. If I had no meaning for why I exist I might just be okay with it. I remember when I was in elementary school I used to wonder what the universe would be like if we didn’t exist or if we were different beings on some other kind of planet. This used to bug me until I realized that thinking about stuff like that is pointless. I’m here and that’s that. I have a belief for how everything came to be but it’s not like that’s a topic that I ruminate on. I just have something to believe and that’s it. I’m just not the type to seek answers to those kinds of questions because I feel no need to, and if I did I’d just end up choosing another explanation whether it’s an explosion from nothing or aliens from outer space.
3. Where do you find purpose in your own life? How does it relate to the "evolutionary" imperative?
I find purpose by creating things that I like. I make things to entertain other people or just for my own amusement like videos or art. I’m not really intent on leaving behind a legacy or anything like that, but if I can make someone laugh or feel emotional or inspire them through anything I make then I feel like I’ve done something of worth. I think having that feeling and seeing people want more of what I do gives me a sense of purpose and obligation to do what I do and keep going. I don’t have a significant drive to just go through life and do what is traditionally expected like have a family and support them until I die so they can do the same. I think that maybe just the little influence I can have on someone is enough for me to be satisfied with what I’m doing until I can do it on a larger scale, and if I am successful at that then I’d want to just be able to help people through that work if I could. I don't really want much more than that.
PHIL 5-15 (40846)
1. Explain the "virtual simulator" hypothesis to consciousness. How does such a concept help explain why you behave the way you do? Be sure to draw from your day to day habits and how your mind projects into the future and reflects about the past.
The ability to virtually simulate how situations or reactions will play out in your head is something I do constantly. I used to be the kind of person who would talk to people a lot and make jokes without thinking too much about what I was saying and this usually got me into trouble. At some point I decided that I would just listen to people and not say anything unless I believed it had some value. I ended up how I am now where I just don’t talk to anyone, and instead just take in everything everyone says and build up a version of them in my head based on what they say. I then imagine how I might interject or respond to what they’re saying and how they’d react back or what would happen if I did, even if it gets extremely fantastical. I even imagine situations that could happen while I’m just sitting and waiting for something. Like I’ll imagine what I’d do if a random person walked in with a gun and I imagine how I’d try to get away from the room I’m in or if I could talk them out of doing what they might do. This tends to stress me out because I can make ordinary situations seem like these big events that will change me when I might just be thinking of how I’m going to say what I want to order from a restaurant. I imagine how I could have done things even immediately after I do them. “Should I have said that” or “I should have had a different tone” are things I think about a lot. Even simple questions will leave me thinking about a super long and intelligent sounding response that I’ll come up with way after the interaction has happened and that person is long gone.
2. How does M.E. theory apply to your own belief system?
What I believe isn’t something that I use to give myself meaning or purpose. I believe what I do because it just makes sense to me. If I had no meaning for why I exist I might just be okay with it. I remember when I was in elementary school I used to wonder what the universe would be like if we didn’t exist or if we were different beings on some other kind of planet. This used to bug me until I realized that thinking about stuff like that is pointless. I’m here and that’s that. I have a belief for how everything came to be but it’s not like that’s a topic that I ruminate on. I just have something to believe and that’s it. I’m just not the type to seek answers to those kinds of questions because I feel no need to, and if I did I’d just end up choosing another explanation whether it’s an explosion from nothing or aliens from outer space.
3. Where do you find purpose in your own life? How does it relate to the "evolutionary" imperative?
I find purpose by creating things that I like. I make things to entertain other people or just for my own amusement like videos or art. I’m not really intent on leaving behind a legacy or anything like that, but if I can make someone laugh or feel emotional or inspire them through anything I make then I feel like I’ve done something of worth. I think having that feeling and seeing people want more of what I do gives me a sense of purpose and obligation to do what I do and keep going. I don’t have a significant drive to just go through life and do what is traditionally expected like have a family and support them until I die so they can do the same. I think that maybe just the little influence I can have on someone is enough for me to be satisfied with what I’m doing until I can do it on a larger scale, and if I am successful at that then I’d want to just be able to help people through that work if I could. I don't really want much more than that.