Category Archives: Q & QA
Being Optimistic
A reader: “I tend to be a little optimistic and hold on to the belief that a little goodness exists in the hearts of the average, ordinary person in spite of all the prejudiced and pernicious propaganda and brainwashing they are subjected to.” Â Thank you for re-affirming what I used to feel very strongly in …
On the Concept of Self
Do you think the concept of “self” is an emergent phenomenon of our neural complexity and if so is it continuously emerging throughout our lifetime? I am inclined to consider the self as an emergent property of the neural complexity through the following analogy: Paper is the end product (through several complex processes) of wood …
On West and Non-West
1. Do you envisage or foresee a fight in this century not between West and non-West but between Enlightenment and “archaic” traditionalism within various societies? I suspect the conflict between the West and non-West will arise on two fronts: (a) Economic disparities and disproportionate consumption of materials and energy by the West. (b) Conviction (right …
On Population Growth
Would it not be really dysfunctional for cultures to compete by producing more babies than their opponents? I am not so sure. For one thing it depends on whether the culture is living in a closed system, independently of others, or is a minority in a larger culture. There are regions in the world where …
The Why is Existence
Here’s a question, why does the Spiritual side of reality exist? Why does the Physical side of reality exist? There must be a reason, agreed? Dear friend, you started by saying: Here’s a question, and gave three questions. The answer to the last is: NOT agreed to by everybody. Indeed, the fundamental difference between the …
God or No-God?
Suppose we allow that the US has a god/no god population belief ratio of 90% – survey suggests somewhere in the 85-95% range depending on whatever. Suppose over say a year, for reasons internal to the belief systems of the population, this ratio is smoothly and completely reversed . Is it your prediction that the …
Questons on Randomness
What are the best examples of randomness out there? The notion of randomness began to be explored from a scientific (quantitative) perspective from the latter half of the 19th century as a result of the development of the kinetic theory of gases (thanks largely to the work of Boltzmann and Maxwell). The three major instances …
On the Best of All Possible Worlds
1. This may well be only one of several equally good, but very different universes that God created. Many great artists, writers, composers, have produced numerous outstanding works from which it is difficult to single out one as the BEST. Or this may be the only universe that God chose to make, like some single-book …
