Post by oshefeldman on Jul 18, 2016 4:39:27 GMT
1. Explain the virtual simulation theory of consciousness
In a strong dream, so many characters come alive and we interact as if each of them is real. Only when we wake up do we acknowledge that everything that occurred in the dream was simulated by us. We are, in sum, dreaming ourselves in various guises, even if we may be deceptively tricked to believe otherwise. Such is the confusing nature of our own self-awareness that we even objectify our own personas in various garbs and believe them to be ontologically apart from our own neural projections (pg. 74).
From this passage, we can see that our brain is capable of recreating life like simulations that are dependent on our imaginations. While we are asleep, we are able to virtually live out scenarios as if it was happening in real life. Compare that to our own consciousness and one could question whether or not “real” life is truly what it seems or if it is indeed, too, a simulation.
Arguably, consciousness is a virtual simulator, apparently evolved over eons of time to enable mammals with higher brain functions to “in source” varying options of how to respond to a disparate array of problems before “out sourcing” them (hence the Darwinian advantage) (pg. 107).
This is perhaps best illustrated in the world’s religions where one’s person’s version of transcendental truth is oftentimes viewed by others as a manufactured delusion or worse as a product of a nefarious demiurge (pg. 107).
While it is said that often times people have religious visions, such as the case of the Prophet Mohammed seeing God reveal himself to him, in reality someone’s own brain is likely responsible for such hallucinations. Someone that has deeply rooted values and beliefs may inadvertently cause themselves to have visions that act as self-fulfilling prophecies that further their goals of pursuing ideas that prove their beliefs to be true.
Works Cited: Lane, Andrea D., and David C. Lane. Is The Universe An App? Walnut: MSAC Philosophy Group, 2014. Print.
2. How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it for our genetic survival?
In Is the Universe an App, we learn that consciousness is a virtual simulator, apparently evolved over eons of time to enable mammals with higher brain functions to “in source” varying options of how to respond to a disparate array of problems before “out sourcing” them (hence the Darwinian advantage) (pg. 107).
Near-Death Experiences are a good case in point here. The luminous out of body experiences with their accompanying visions can be so intense that it is nearly impossible to question the veridicality of any religious vision that may arise within one's purview. Yet apparitions of Jesus only appear to Christians, and Buddha only to Buddhists, and Guru Nanak only to Sikhs, and Krishna only to Hindus, which should give anyone pause about the objectivity of all such manifestations. Moreover, the one undeniable factoid about NDE's is that the person didn't die but rather lived long enough to retell his or her tale. From an evolutionary perspective, this seems to indicate that NDE's are not about a purported afterlife but rather about the brain's amazing ability to create a reason or purpose to continue living, drawing as it does from the person's own unique biographical circumstances. Simply put, NDE's are projections of a person's ultimate concern and those concerns (for better or worse) invariably motivate one to live another day. But such a mechanism isn't very effective if one doubts its numinous origins while undergoing the transformative encounter. In other words, the brain tricks us into believing its own machinations as something that is not sui generis. All this trickery does serve one underlying purpose: keeping our organism intact long enough to recapitulate itself (pg. 102).
From this passage, we can see that when it comes to genetic survival, our brain plays a key role in keeping us alive. While we may not actually be in fatal danger, during a Near-Death Experience, our brain tricks us and causes us to hallucinate in order to give a person a reason to live. It motivates us to live another day, in order to cause us to stay alive long enough in order to reproduce ourselves and fulfill our evolutionary role of creating offspring that will live our life for us when we die, ultimately securing our species in this world.
Works Cited: Lane, Andrea D., and David C. Lane. Is The Universe An App? Walnut: MSAC Philosophy Group, 2014. Print.
In a strong dream, so many characters come alive and we interact as if each of them is real. Only when we wake up do we acknowledge that everything that occurred in the dream was simulated by us. We are, in sum, dreaming ourselves in various guises, even if we may be deceptively tricked to believe otherwise. Such is the confusing nature of our own self-awareness that we even objectify our own personas in various garbs and believe them to be ontologically apart from our own neural projections (pg. 74).
From this passage, we can see that our brain is capable of recreating life like simulations that are dependent on our imaginations. While we are asleep, we are able to virtually live out scenarios as if it was happening in real life. Compare that to our own consciousness and one could question whether or not “real” life is truly what it seems or if it is indeed, too, a simulation.
Arguably, consciousness is a virtual simulator, apparently evolved over eons of time to enable mammals with higher brain functions to “in source” varying options of how to respond to a disparate array of problems before “out sourcing” them (hence the Darwinian advantage) (pg. 107).
This is perhaps best illustrated in the world’s religions where one’s person’s version of transcendental truth is oftentimes viewed by others as a manufactured delusion or worse as a product of a nefarious demiurge (pg. 107).
While it is said that often times people have religious visions, such as the case of the Prophet Mohammed seeing God reveal himself to him, in reality someone’s own brain is likely responsible for such hallucinations. Someone that has deeply rooted values and beliefs may inadvertently cause themselves to have visions that act as self-fulfilling prophecies that further their goals of pursuing ideas that prove their beliefs to be true.
Works Cited: Lane, Andrea D., and David C. Lane. Is The Universe An App? Walnut: MSAC Philosophy Group, 2014. Print.
2. How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it for our genetic survival?
In Is the Universe an App, we learn that consciousness is a virtual simulator, apparently evolved over eons of time to enable mammals with higher brain functions to “in source” varying options of how to respond to a disparate array of problems before “out sourcing” them (hence the Darwinian advantage) (pg. 107).
Near-Death Experiences are a good case in point here. The luminous out of body experiences with their accompanying visions can be so intense that it is nearly impossible to question the veridicality of any religious vision that may arise within one's purview. Yet apparitions of Jesus only appear to Christians, and Buddha only to Buddhists, and Guru Nanak only to Sikhs, and Krishna only to Hindus, which should give anyone pause about the objectivity of all such manifestations. Moreover, the one undeniable factoid about NDE's is that the person didn't die but rather lived long enough to retell his or her tale. From an evolutionary perspective, this seems to indicate that NDE's are not about a purported afterlife but rather about the brain's amazing ability to create a reason or purpose to continue living, drawing as it does from the person's own unique biographical circumstances. Simply put, NDE's are projections of a person's ultimate concern and those concerns (for better or worse) invariably motivate one to live another day. But such a mechanism isn't very effective if one doubts its numinous origins while undergoing the transformative encounter. In other words, the brain tricks us into believing its own machinations as something that is not sui generis. All this trickery does serve one underlying purpose: keeping our organism intact long enough to recapitulate itself (pg. 102).
From this passage, we can see that when it comes to genetic survival, our brain plays a key role in keeping us alive. While we may not actually be in fatal danger, during a Near-Death Experience, our brain tricks us and causes us to hallucinate in order to give a person a reason to live. It motivates us to live another day, in order to cause us to stay alive long enough in order to reproduce ourselves and fulfill our evolutionary role of creating offspring that will live our life for us when we die, ultimately securing our species in this world.
Works Cited: Lane, Andrea D., and David C. Lane. Is The Universe An App? Walnut: MSAC Philosophy Group, 2014. Print.
