Qualia

[Sediba]

In my opinion, all philosophy is bunk! A total failure to grasp reality. (this is an absolute literal statement)

What is Qualia? It's a question that can never be answered, because the compononents that make up the composite 'Qualia' are themselves components and are not stable


Wiki: Qualia

If you read this article, or attempt to read it, you'll soon see that Philosophers have a great deal in common with those people in the Tower of Babel. (The bullshit that we sell ourselves in our firm belief we're getting a reality at bargain-based prices ... sigh.) Why are we so easily deluded?

[Sediba]

Here is where it all started going wrong, though it was on the right track.

Greek philosophers were edging towards the radical idea that there were no gods who controlled the destiny of life on earth from some detached mountaintop. Rather, it was man himself who, thanks to his own brainpower, could decipher the laws of the universe to become master of all nature.

Supreme among such thinkers was Aristotle (384BCE-322BCE). The scope of his works was truly immense, covering everything from speculations on the nature of the human soul to the physics of the universe; from city politics and personal ethics to the history of plants and animals; and from public speaking and poetry to music, memory and logic.

Aristotle combined what he considered the best of what he had learnt from his teacher, Plato, and other Greek philosophers such as Thales, with everything he observed in the natural world. It led him to a single, profound conclusion: underneath all reality there was indeed a fundamental set of universal natural laws that explained everything to do with life, the universe and everything from human politics to the weather. To understand these rules of nature was to understand reality. The key was careful observation of the universe and its systems by good use of the human senses and then, by using human reason and intellect, to uncover the truth.

The question that Aristotle's scientific, rational view of the world provoked was this: in a mechanistic universe governed by rules, what place was there for old-fashioned, whimsical gods? His answer was simple. It was the rules of nature themselves that were the very essence of all that is divine in the universe: "For God is to us a law, impartial, admitting not to correction or change, and better I think and surer than those which are engraved upon tablets," he said.

Aristotle gave mankind the confidence to explore, discover and learn. But such insights would be useless hidden in the mind of one brilliant man, or stored in a rich patron's library. To fulfil their potential, these ideas needed a force to scatter them far and wide, giving as many human cultures as possible the chance to exert the power of human brains over nature's brawn.

As luck would have it, Aristotle's pupil, the young Prince Alexander of Macedon, was just the right man at just the right time. Quite possibly it was his great teacher's passion for the natural world that fired Alexander, impregnating him with a feverish determination to see everything in the world for himself, conquering whatever empires lay en route.

Alexander ascended to the throne of Macedonia in North Greece at the age of just 20, in 336BCE. For the next 13 years Alexander led an army of 42,000 Greek soldiers on an extraordinary military adventure across Persia, Egypt and even into India. On his way, he famously "undid" the impossible-to-untie Gordian knot by slashing it with his sword, and he routed the Persian Emperor Darius III at the Battle of Issus in 333BCE. He then marched down the Mediterranean coast, laying siege to the city of Tyre, which he eventually took after seven months, clearing the way towards Egypt, where, thanks to the decline of Persian power, he was welcomed as a liberator and pronounced Pharaoh in 332BCE. Here, Alexander founded the most famous of all the cities named after him, Alexandria, establishing it as the main sea port linking Egypt with Greece, the maritime axis of a new and increasingly powerful Hellenic empire.

No one really knows what drove him to try to conquer the world. Whatever his motivation, the result of his conquests caused the Greek language to become the lingua franca across the entire Middle East and Egypt. Thousands of Greek people, some soldiers, others merchants, artisans, scientists and philosophers, moved abroad, taking with them their experimental world views. Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, five were Greek constructions – each one an awesome monument to these people's confidence in mankind's power over the natural world.

Roman love for all things Greek was particularly focused around the personality and career of Alexander, who after his death became antiquity's greatest role model. Roman emperors came to regard Alexander as the epitome of leadership, strength and courage.

Aristotle has a lot to answer for.

[epictetus]

Jul 29, 2018 11:01:42 GMT 10 Sediba said:

Here is where it all started going wrong, though it was on the right track.

Greek philosophers were edging towards the radical idea that there were no gods who controlled the destiny of life on earth from some detached mountaintop. Rather, it was man himself who, thanks to his own brainpower, could decipher the laws of the universe to become master of all nature.

Supreme among such thinkers was Aristotle (384BCE-322BCE). The scope of his works was truly immense, covering everything from speculations on the nature of the human soul to the physics of the universe; from city politics and personal ethics to the history of plants and animals; and from public speaking and poetry to music, memory and logic.

Aristotle combined what he considered the best of what he had learnt from his teacher, Plato, and other Greek philosophers such as Thales, with everything he observed in the natural world. It led him to a single, profound conclusion: underneath all reality there was indeed a fundamental set of universal natural laws that explained everything to do with life, the universe and everything from human politics to the weather. To understand these rules of nature was to understand reality. The key was careful observation of the universe and its systems by good use of the human senses and then, by using human reason and intellect, to uncover the truth.

The question that Aristotle's scientific, rational view of the world provoked was this: in a mechanistic universe governed by rules, what place was there for old-fashioned, whimsical gods? His answer was simple. It was the rules of nature themselves that were the very essence of all that is divine in the universe: "For God is to us a law, impartial, admitting not to correction or change, and better I think and surer than those which are engraved upon tablets," he said.

Aristotle gave mankind the confidence to explore, discover and learn. But such insights would be useless hidden in the mind of one brilliant man, or stored in a rich patron's library. To fulfil their potential, these ideas needed a force to scatter them far and wide, giving as many human cultures as possible the chance to exert the power of human brains over nature's brawn.

As luck would have it, Aristotle's pupil, the young Prince Alexander of Macedon, was just the right man at just the right time. Quite possibly it was his great teacher's passion for the natural world that fired Alexander, impregnating him with a feverish determination to see everything in the world for himself, conquering whatever empires lay en route.

Alexander ascended to the throne of Macedonia in North Greece at the age of just 20, in 336BCE. For the next 13 years Alexander led an army of 42,000 Greek soldiers on an extraordinary military adventure across Persia, Egypt and even into India. On his way, he famously "undid" the impossible-to-untie Gordian knot by slashing it with his sword, and he routed the Persian Emperor Darius III at the Battle of Issus in 333BCE. He then marched down the Mediterranean coast, laying siege to the city of Tyre, which he eventually took after seven months, clearing the way towards Egypt, where, thanks to the decline of Persian power, he was welcomed as a liberator and pronounced Pharaoh in 332BCE. Here, Alexander founded the most famous of all the cities named after him, Alexandria, establishing it as the main sea port linking Egypt with Greece, the maritime axis of a new and increasingly powerful Hellenic empire.

No one really knows what drove him to try to conquer the world. Whatever his motivation, the result of his conquests caused the Greek language to become the lingua franca across the entire Middle East and Egypt. Thousands of Greek people, some soldiers, others merchants, artisans, scientists and philosophers, moved abroad, taking with them their experimental world views. Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, five were Greek constructions – each one an awesome monument to these people's confidence in mankind's power over the natural world.

Roman love for all things Greek was particularly focused around the personality and career of Alexander, who after his death became antiquity's greatest role model. Roman emperors came to regard Alexander as the epitome of leadership, strength and courage.

Aristotle has a lot to answer for.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/aristotle-and-alexander-the-man-who-codified-greek-ideas-about-nature-and-the-man-who-spread-them-1608033.html

[cster]

I tried to read that article on Qualia but found that the authors cant quite get it right. They cant define a quale and work from there to define qualia. When they learn to then they may write an article that makes sense.

Aristotle had the goods but mans arrogance led those goods to be used wrongly. Once again we failed to master the knowledge of the laws of nature. What we continue to do is try to conquer the laws rather than master our knowledge of them. Still today we fail.

[forge]

According to the teaching of the Ancient Roman Philosopher (and black Olive Gatherer!!) Erectus Pater Pedrus (AD 974) : Vox Populi, Vox Dei! Abandon the Qualia and roast the barbarian birds QUAILS...marinated in Aceto Toscano!!

[qjumper]

Oct 3, 2018 18:06:16 GMT 10 cster said:

I tried to read that article on Qualia but found that the authors cant quite get it right. They cant define a quale and work from there to define qualia. When they learn to then they may write an article that makes sense.

Aristotle had the goods but mans arrogance led those goods to be used wrongly. Once again we failed to master the knowledge of the laws of nature. What we continue to do is try to conquer the laws rather than master our knowledge of them. Still today we fail.

Not fair old son, it was only yesterday I saw Prof Fraser on TV with his latest breakthrough in the fight against cancer.
What we continue to do is try to conquer the laws rather than master our knowledge of them. Still today we fail.

[Pedro]

The fact that Philosophical/Spiritual Matters have been discussed for 3987 years and...still unresolved ...as THEY have written/argued for 3987 years...they COULD be solved BEFORE next Monday....down at Thirroul Senior Confused Citizen Caffe' Ristorante...before today Croissant time!! WE have Re-solved the Qualia Predicament by frying QUAILS and dumped the Qualia!!

[cster]

Yes Pedro each quale or facet should be marinated first.
Quail or Pheasant perhaps I too am hungry

[Pedro]

Pedro is reluctant to participate in the production & electronic scattering & posting of posts to/near/by/for Senior Deeply Meaningful Forums....UNLESS I do not NEED to interact with the Sober Seniors of the Thirroul Coffee & Croissant Club. Reading the Spiritually Over-Loaded Senior Posts could be dangerous and could cause Brain Srinkage....Highly Spirited posts OOZING Dated Spirits which have passed ( by over 3000 years!!) the USE BY DATE....DATE!!