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Jack Cummins

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I do think that it matters what credentials Dispenza has and it is unclear, because I do not know what the faculty of Life Sciences in Atlanta is. Nev...
September 09, 2024 at 06:10
Relative and subjective are different. The example of the Catholic idea of abortion shows this because to Catholics it is absolute. Nevertheless, ther...
September 09, 2024 at 06:00
I had never heard of Dispenza until I came across the book, 'Evolve Your Brain' in my local library. I have just looked him up on Google and it does a...
September 09, 2024 at 01:14
It may be problematic to see relativism or objectivitism as an ultimate 'truth'. That is because they are both perspectives. Saying that may amount to...
September 08, 2024 at 15:09
The idea of 'soul' is useful here, not as a disembodied spirit but as a way of describing the inner world. It is the interface of the inner and outer ...
September 08, 2024 at 13:07
Yes, determinism as a perspective is limited by reductionism to brain states, which denies the existential nature of choices in human awareness. The d...
September 08, 2024 at 10:56
You speak of 'multiple personality disorder', which is a rare diagnosis. It is the extreme end of splits in personality and will, but it is likely tha...
September 08, 2024 at 09:43
I can see the weaknesses you mention in my line of argument. I guess that I am coming from the angle of seeing determinism as fatalistic. Also, a few ...
September 08, 2024 at 09:30
The coexistence of determinism and free will makes sense. I subscribe to a biopsychocial model of influence in life. Factors from genetics, socialisat...
September 06, 2024 at 10:31
The gap between what a person seeks in their intent and finding the means to reach that end is central to human agency. It is where human choice makes...
September 06, 2024 at 10:21
I do believe in the existence of free will. It is not absolute because we are affected by so many variables outside of oneself. I may even go a stage ...
September 05, 2024 at 22:23
The balance between reading others' ideas and usage of language alongside a unique personal or independent opinion is tricky, but important. It is pos...
September 05, 2024 at 21:55
Doubts may be experienced so often by an individual. I certainly feel in a maze, or even a fog of confusion of possibilities on a frequent basis. That...
September 05, 2024 at 17:39
The question of what 'I' is a big one in thinking, especially in relation to free will. In her volume on consciousness, Susan Blackmore thought that a...
September 05, 2024 at 17:30
The strategy which Dispenza suggests for coping with conflicts of will is mental rehearsal. Personally, I do find that visualisation and imagining a s...
September 05, 2024 at 16:51
The link which you provided on compatabilism is useful. That is because the idea has a history and I have found when reading about it that various aut...
September 05, 2024 at 16:31
With the idea of a strong will to eat chocolate there may be conflict between the conscious and subconscious aspects of will. A person may enjoy choco...
September 05, 2024 at 16:21
Strangely, or by synchronicity, we are both interested in the prefrontal cortex because I was writing about that in a thread on free will as yours app...
September 05, 2024 at 16:14
Compatanilism makes sense because it involves both the physical and mental aspects of agency. Dispenza looks at the way the neurochemistry involves th...
September 05, 2024 at 12:16
There is probably a continuum of strong and weak wills. This is likely based on the degree of strength which a person has learned. Also, it is possibl...
September 05, 2024 at 12:11
Our thoughts are us, although there is more than just than that' is worth thinking about in relation to the idea of free will. It is possible to ident...
September 05, 2024 at 10:42
Yes, a person can steer thoughts to some degree. Of course, thoughts can be intrusive, especially negative ones in conjunction with mood. It is compli...
September 03, 2024 at 20:20
Yes, I would agree that the will.is a central aspect of change in the process. It may be viewed as the depths of motivation. Perhaps; that is why choi...
September 03, 2024 at 20:16
There is probably an interplay of determined aspects of thought and behaviour, as well as reflective choices. Complete free will would be impossible b...
September 03, 2024 at 19:58
The idea of 'self' as 'pre-exists' may be problematic because it would mean that no change or modification is possible. This would be contrary. Wlll i...
September 03, 2024 at 19:53
There is the agency of 'self' in the editing of thought. I am not speaking of self' as an entity but as a central organising process. If this was not ...
September 03, 2024 at 19:35
This is an interesting shift to the issue of what free will means. The concept may have begun in relation to religious thinking, with connotations of ...
September 03, 2024 at 18:51
It is likely that animals have some kind of underlying grasp of concepts although it may be different from human beings, especially as it does not inv...
September 03, 2024 at 15:05
I wouldn't wish to start a thread on Murdoch's ideas at this stage due to repetition, but even though this thread has turned into a surreal mix of ide...
September 02, 2024 at 15:49
I am reading the volume of essays by Murdoch, 'Existentialists and Mystics: Writings on Philosophy and Literature', which I was fortunate to find in m...
September 02, 2024 at 09:12
I am glad to be engaged with someone who has studied Greek literature. My own reading of Plato and other ancient Greek thinkers is not as informed as ...
September 01, 2024 at 01:27
Iris Murdock looks at Plato mainly in regard to art, and how he sees art as often being about 'lies', as opposed to the difference between 'appearance...
August 30, 2024 at 08:42
The idea of 'compositionality' does seem useful because human beings to grasp and capture ideas by a sense of meaning. It is likely that this involves...
August 29, 2024 at 09:15
Philosophy itself may be about making a mountain out of a mole hill. On this site, if may be more about what is seen and what is forgotten. The lounge...
August 27, 2024 at 19:06
I hope that you cope with the virus and rules. Part of the problem which I see is a lack of compassion for those who become unwell. It can come down t...
August 27, 2024 at 18:52
I often get stuck in thinking how to put discussions of ideas into categories. Part of the problem may be that there are complex interplays between th...
August 27, 2024 at 15:55
I am reading ' Existentialism and Mysticism' by Iris Murdoch. This includes plenty of discussion on art as 'truth' or 'lies'. Some of this comes down ...
August 27, 2024 at 15:33
The story of the allegory of Plato's Cave is important and I shall try to read further. There is the possibility that some of the story may have got l...
August 27, 2024 at 03:43
There may be varying pictures of idealism and the principle of matter as an idea. Some of this may have emerged from mainstream Christianity. However,...
August 26, 2024 at 23:33
When I read your outpost I missed seeing the bit about you having Covid, so hope that you get well soon. Sometimes, after all the rules and regulation...
August 25, 2024 at 21:38
One of the reasons why I enjoy reading and writing on the forum is interacting throughout the world, with people from very different backgrounds. Some...
August 25, 2024 at 18:40
As I was writing my post, I was actually thinking how Kant did see epistemology as limited, with the transcendent being beyond it. However, it is comp...
August 25, 2024 at 17:32
Metaphysics make a difference for daily living and ethics. For example, the idealism of Plato can lead to moral authoritarianism. Similarly, the appli...
August 25, 2024 at 14:55
A lot of the images in surrealist art are statements about absurdity and with a certain amount of humour. Many works of surrealism, including some by ...
August 24, 2024 at 15:09
I have done some experiments with blank paper (not canvas), while on art therapy course. Some people get very abstract to the point of incoherency. I ...
August 24, 2024 at 13:11
As a result of this thread I have been reading about the surrealist movement as it encompasses a whole approach to the arts. It also has an important ...
August 24, 2024 at 11:09
The surrealistic paintings, such as those of Dali, show the way in which the imagination interprets facts. It is a source for ideas and creativity. Th...
August 22, 2024 at 06:31
Sorry for the late reply, as I took a couple of days break from the site. I found your reply to be one which I could relate to. That is because the di...
August 22, 2024 at 06:15
I have had the 'Accepted Answer' come up in several threads at some points. I have wondered if I had jolted my phone while balancing it in my hand. If...
August 19, 2024 at 10:52
The 'Accepted Answer' was not of my own doing. It is an automated part of the digital software of the forum. I am not sure how it works and why it was...
August 19, 2024 at 09:34