Is there more to say about transformative experiences than L.A. Paul’s decision-theoretic perspective captures? Here’s a post of mine on Medium on the subject: Beyond L.A. Paul’s theory of transformative experiences. And the CogZest webpage on the upcoming (Sept. 24) Beacon Humanist meeting on the subject: Transformative Experiences.
Tag: humanist meetings
On The Status Game by Will Storr
I recently presented at a humanist meeting on The Status Game by Will Storr. Before the meeting, I shared some notes with the group. Now, I’m sharing them with you: What’s Right and What’s Missing in The Status Game by Will Storr?
Psychological Hedonism Meets Value Pluralism: An Integrative Design-oriented Perspective
This week-end, I will present at a humanist meeting on “Psychological Hedonism vs. (integrative design-oriented) value pluralism: architecture-based motivation”. Psychological hedonism claims that “only pleasure or pain motivates us.” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Psychological hedonism is a form of value monism (meaning one ultimate or intrinsic good). Value pluralism is the view that we have multiple, top-level, possibly incommensurable sources of motivation. Integrative design-oriented psychology is a way of understanding whole mind with methods drawn from AI (including artificial general intelligence) and philosophy. Architecture-based motivation is the idea that the mind produces many top level (intrinsic) motivators; it has motive generators.
We won’t deal much with ethical hedonism here.
I argue against psychological hedonism and in favour of value pluralism.
We(e) Sense-makers
We, humans, are designed to try to make sense of our experience. Coherence is deemed to be necessary for rationality. Rationality is a fundamental principle of humanism. However, it is impossible to ensure that the various models of the world, which we construct and carry with us, are coherent with each other and the world.
Humanist Meeting On Self-directed Learning with Fiction
Tonight, I will moderate a humanist meeting on “Self-directed Learning with Fiction”. Here’s the blurb:
Continue reading Humanist Meeting On Self-directed Learning with Fiction
Some Myths and Productive Ideas About Consciousness
This is the third and probably final installment in a series of posts in preparation for the 2015–02–22 Beacon Humanist Group’s meeting on “consciousness”. (It was due to occur at the end of January but I couldn’t make that date in the end.)
There is more material here than I can get through in my brief presentation. Make a note of what you’d like to discuss during the meeting. If I skip a statement of interest to you, we can hopefully return to it in the discussion.
I won’t be lecturing on what consciousness is or how it works. Instead I will briefly present common myths about consciousness and propose some helpful ideas to better understand conscious and nearly conscious experience. Then as usual we will have a moderated discussion.
Myths about Consciousness
Continue reading Some Myths and Productive Ideas About Consciousness
Readings for a Humanist Meeting on Consciousness
In a previous post I mentioned that I will moderate a humanist meeting on consciousness. This post contains some further information on that for participants, and whoever else might find it relevant.
Here are some of the questions I will raise:
Continue reading Readings for a Humanist Meeting on Consciousness
“Consciousness”: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Questions About the Human Mind
The January 25, 2015 meeting on this topic has been postponed. Watch this space, or send me an email in February, to get the new date.
On [Date TBD], I will moderate a humanist discussion on so called “consciousness”. Given that the content will be of broad interest, I will post a few articles for the participants and other interested readers.
For many years, for several reasons, I argued against using the term “consciousness”. “Conscious”, an adjective, is a helpful term that can trigger meaningful psychological inquiry; but the term “consciousness” all too often interferes with the pursuit of understanding the human mind. It tends to induce a reification fallacy, i.e., to assume that because we have a noun (here consciousness) it must actually refer to something particular. Contrast dog, which has referents, and energy which does not. Energy, like gravity, is a helpful problem-centered concept, i.e., a concept that is used to frame and solve problems. Dog is helpful, but it is not problem-centered. It was not developed to solve a theoretical challenge of understanding the world. Treating consciousness as stuff-like can cause problems.
Here’s a little fact that might help you cautiously approach questions using the term “consciousness”: Continue reading “Consciousness”: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Questions About the Human Mind