I had the good luck to read 'Salt: A World History' by John Kurlansky recently and shook out plenty of historical facts of sustainable interest. There were actually far too many, interesting points in Mark Kurlansky's 2002 Penguin Publishing book to summarize here with any semblance of a taste of the diverse and historically important subject.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt:_A_World_History
One learns a diverse array of interesting American facts of course such as the strategic importance during the American civil war of destroying confederate salt production without which preserving food was difficult in the era before refrigeration. The Erie canal was built preponderantly for the purpose of making delivery of Onadega salt available cheaply to New York City.
In 17th century France prisoners that died before trial were sometimes preserved in salt and brought to trial and public display that they might not escape justice. Prisoners sentenced to death following execution were on occasion likewise salted and presented for public ridicule. Salt has amazing preservative properties. Many salt mine workers and their costumes have been discovered remarkably well preserved from times as early as the 5th century B.C.
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/winslowjohnrecords.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Meese
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_invented_ketchup
The first patent granted in America was given for a fellow named John Winslow about 1622 in Massachusetts for salt production techniques. Politics was not the bane of independent intellectual creativity of course, but instead on occasion supported the development of enterprise to produce salt even during the revolutionary war with cash incentives-the X prize bounties of the day.
Of most contemporary interest-more so than the 1200 feet below the surface of Detroit network of more than 50 miles of road built in a Morton Salt mine-was the curious history of perhaps the first or second American chronicler of tomato ketchup manufacture in America James Meese published the recipe in 1812. Is it possible that President Ronald Reagan's Chief of Staff Edwin Meese influenced the Presidential declaration that 'ketchup is a vegetable'?
Salt for thousands of years was a primary food preservative. Today most people have forgotten about salt cod, making sauerkraut or soy sauce. Kurlansky's excellent book 'Salt: A World History' provides a useful historical brief on that important element of human culture in enjoyable prose.
1/30/12
On the Non-Determinative Realm Prior to the Quantum/Solid-State-Determinative Realm
Its a context issue. The topical features of mass and energy perceived by physicists were long said to behave as waves and particle. The Chinese puzzle box of smaller particles and wave events were revealed in particle accelerators with additional energy input in the form of particles to decohere and seem as quarks or whatever-leptons, muons etc. Higher energy levels were required to reveal particle-wave forms bound up with the most strength or energy.
Decoherence-suppression of interference in quantum observations-can be included in 'the quantum realm' of which definition and location I will now identity with this universe's mass and energy at the quantum level. That is these are comparatively determiinistic contextually whereas the alternative primary non-deterministic realm before quantum determnation and solid states is not.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-decoherence/
The experiment I cited above actually observed quantum features in solid-state matter for the first time. The other theory I cited by a fellow working in Singapore was a blog post at Scientific American that postulated that the solid state mass in this universe at the smallest level would be comparable to a number to an uncertain power of entanglements by those particle-waves of uncertain character in a non-determined condition from what I refer to as the quantum realm for-itself. Because of some initial anisotropy there may be a cascade of quantum determination this universe state that in some way becomes entangled probabilities to allow energy to appear like standing waves epiphenomenalized as mass.
Staying in a tent in Alaska recently I experienced a heavy snowfall that let snow piled up on tall trees transition suddenly to fall with a thud making a loud noise with the capability of flattening the tent. Not only wind could make a line of trees drop loads of snow, but so it seems could a radio. That suggested to me that the Word spoken in the beginning from a quantum realm could have started a cascade of change in selecting the entanglement of quantum probabilities that would appear later as mass, light and the expansion of space-time in this Universe (1). That is a little off topic though.
In this universe there may be no real particles or waves-only energy that at the smallest level is obviously mysterious. Quarks and all those elementary particles are energy bound into patterns of behavior in quantum levels. Only so much energy may fit in valence shells forming atomic patterns.
The factors that may quarks and elementary energy units have select quantum values and differentiate at the basic universe entry level is unknown. There are myriad possibilities to consider. Some that I have thought about a little. Instead of the quantum realm I will call the energy patterns of this quantum universe inclusive of its appearance of uncertainty the determined universe and the other realm where energy does not appear in a particular quantum existence as the non-determined realm.
The idea of a non-determined realm of energy is paradoxic in numerous respects. That context would have not only a symmetric character without differentiation or spacing, it might have a neither finite nor infinite quantitative endowment of energy or space-time. That isn’t a very helpful concept even for myself. The probabilities of equal values regarding the relationships of energy within its perfected field would be 100% until change and cancellation of balance generated a field of entangled anisoptropic probabilities that might appear as something like a Higgs Field and the inflation. Interestingly enough the virtual particles that appear and disappear from space-time would not necessarily be artifacts from a subtler level of spatial dimensions of an inflationary era. They might be new energy intrusions from that non-determined realm.
I would guess that a good reason for the existence of extra spatial dimensions would be that those smaller dimensions might provide the quantum energy levels possible for space-time in this Universe. Too much energy in various atomic shells for particle-waves could not remain in those dimensions. The idea that radiation could be a process of trans-dimensional energy redistribution may be silly yet it’s a little interesting.
That idea too is off topic in comparison to the discovery of the characteristics of a non-determinative realm of energy primary to the solid-state mass-energy of this Universe (1).
Decoherence-suppression of interference in quantum observations-can be included in 'the quantum realm' of which definition and location I will now identity with this universe's mass and energy at the quantum level. That is these are comparatively determiinistic contextually whereas the alternative primary non-deterministic realm before quantum determnation and solid states is not.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qm-decoherence/
The experiment I cited above actually observed quantum features in solid-state matter for the first time. The other theory I cited by a fellow working in Singapore was a blog post at Scientific American that postulated that the solid state mass in this universe at the smallest level would be comparable to a number to an uncertain power of entanglements by those particle-waves of uncertain character in a non-determined condition from what I refer to as the quantum realm for-itself. Because of some initial anisotropy there may be a cascade of quantum determination this universe state that in some way becomes entangled probabilities to allow energy to appear like standing waves epiphenomenalized as mass.
Staying in a tent in Alaska recently I experienced a heavy snowfall that let snow piled up on tall trees transition suddenly to fall with a thud making a loud noise with the capability of flattening the tent. Not only wind could make a line of trees drop loads of snow, but so it seems could a radio. That suggested to me that the Word spoken in the beginning from a quantum realm could have started a cascade of change in selecting the entanglement of quantum probabilities that would appear later as mass, light and the expansion of space-time in this Universe (1). That is a little off topic though.
In this universe there may be no real particles or waves-only energy that at the smallest level is obviously mysterious. Quarks and all those elementary particles are energy bound into patterns of behavior in quantum levels. Only so much energy may fit in valence shells forming atomic patterns.
The factors that may quarks and elementary energy units have select quantum values and differentiate at the basic universe entry level is unknown. There are myriad possibilities to consider. Some that I have thought about a little. Instead of the quantum realm I will call the energy patterns of this quantum universe inclusive of its appearance of uncertainty the determined universe and the other realm where energy does not appear in a particular quantum existence as the non-determined realm.
The idea of a non-determined realm of energy is paradoxic in numerous respects. That context would have not only a symmetric character without differentiation or spacing, it might have a neither finite nor infinite quantitative endowment of energy or space-time. That isn’t a very helpful concept even for myself. The probabilities of equal values regarding the relationships of energy within its perfected field would be 100% until change and cancellation of balance generated a field of entangled anisoptropic probabilities that might appear as something like a Higgs Field and the inflation. Interestingly enough the virtual particles that appear and disappear from space-time would not necessarily be artifacts from a subtler level of spatial dimensions of an inflationary era. They might be new energy intrusions from that non-determined realm.
I would guess that a good reason for the existence of extra spatial dimensions would be that those smaller dimensions might provide the quantum energy levels possible for space-time in this Universe. Too much energy in various atomic shells for particle-waves could not remain in those dimensions. The idea that radiation could be a process of trans-dimensional energy redistribution may be silly yet it’s a little interesting.
That idea too is off topic in comparison to the discovery of the characteristics of a non-determinative realm of energy primary to the solid-state mass-energy of this Universe (1).
1/28/12
Zero-Point Energy and the Uncertain Expanse of a Quantum Universe? (metaphysics)
Scientists have for the first time observed zero-point energy in a solid object in a solid object. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle means that solid mass observed at the quantum level will vague out into position or speed yet not both characteristics observed simultaneously. In fact the quantum world is quite unknown as a for-itself or in-itself.
What are the boundaries and characteristics of the quantum universe? Some theorists hypothesize that the solid-state appearance of mass in this universe is a result of concatenated probability entanglements of that waveform phenomenality priori to the space-time ordinal nature of the mass of this Universe (1).
It is that quantum realm where mass does not exist, and where quantum waves that are described from here as energy exist as possibilities of being in every place and perhaps time and speed. If quantum energy has the same time-at light speed or faster before becoming entangled different energy values might occur when they were entangled to appear as mass-yet the most basic particles might have the same quantum values perhaps as strings or membranes.
It is a metaphysical curiosity to me about what that quantum realm before or outside this Universe in which this Universe has phenomenalized is comprised, and of what its spatial and temporal character could be.
http://www.newscientist.com/articl...-rss&nsref=online-news
What are the boundaries and characteristics of the quantum universe? Some theorists hypothesize that the solid-state appearance of mass in this universe is a result of concatenated probability entanglements of that waveform phenomenality priori to the space-time ordinal nature of the mass of this Universe (1).
It is that quantum realm where mass does not exist, and where quantum waves that are described from here as energy exist as possibilities of being in every place and perhaps time and speed. If quantum energy has the same time-at light speed or faster before becoming entangled different energy values might occur when they were entangled to appear as mass-yet the most basic particles might have the same quantum values perhaps as strings or membranes.
It is a metaphysical curiosity to me about what that quantum realm before or outside this Universe in which this Universe has phenomenalized is comprised, and of what its spatial and temporal character could be.
http://www.newscientist.com/articl...-rss&nsref=online-news
On the Question-Does an Intelligent Super-Organism Exist on Earth?
Pierre Telhard De Chardin wrote of a layered life approach and of a noosphere. The cosmogenesis approach is interesting. Telhard was a World War One French Army officer who got so drunk on Armistice Day that he couldn't get the key into the lock on his door. He was also a priest and theologian. It is impressive that he could view stomachs hanging in trees and later write such interesting and optimistic philosophy.
http://www.bizcharts.com/stoa_del_sol/plenum/plenum_2.html
James Lovelock and the Gaia hypothesis argued that the world ecosphere behaves like an intelligent organism. The complex feedback mechanisms of which there are a zillion act together. One can consider Elton's research on the way bare post-glacial era northern island became populated with vegetation and other, larger life as guano from seabirds and seabirds themselves as food and in other capacities helped to reinforce an increase population of life forms. If bees were taken out of the life equation on Earth that would present quite a few problems.
Regarding the web of life as an integral whole is a fundamental parameter of contemporary ecospheric research I would guess. Several books have been published on ecosystems integrity from the requirement that large predators exist to the harm done to the American southwest by the removal of mammoths of the elephant family whose footprints allowed seed to grow.
Human beings are too a part of the ecosphere as are their intellect such as exists outside the beltway. Some of the intellects are daft regarding the ecosphere and do their best to exterminate much of it en mass instead of conserving it while they advance science and technology to the purpose of knowledge and human well being. The ecosphere isn't just an aesthetic luxury.
Inevitably the political trail returns to the oval of NASCAR and high-octane automobile pollution-that may not change soon.
Lovelock wrote in 'The Final Warning' that the human population may drop to about 200 million in the future as a result of global warming and other issues. At that point the global temperature may stabilize. Lovelock conjectures that if humanity continues its usual greenhouse gassing at that point Gaia will simply remove the remnant of humanity.
Life may act on Earth as a giant organism. G.W.F. Hegel believed that life on Earth is a process of God realizing awareness of Himself in history that fits rather well with the Gaia criteria.
There are additional ways to consider an ecosphere in larger, intelligent organisms in discrete or monistic guise. Ant colonies sometimes seem to act as intelligent collectives-one must consider the Borg obviously as a future mode of ultra-right-wing or left wing consumerism.
Of even more concern to some is the potential that some of those giant fungi discovered now and then to be the largest organisms in the world have as much intelligence as federal budget planners. Then there are whales and ravens-seemingly happy creatures of moderate intelligence in tune with the temporal times even as they decline.
The entire quantum universe could be a super-intelligence, quantum computer or God running this Universe as a sub-routine.
http://www.bizcharts.com/stoa_del_sol/plenum/plenum_2.html
James Lovelock and the Gaia hypothesis argued that the world ecosphere behaves like an intelligent organism. The complex feedback mechanisms of which there are a zillion act together. One can consider Elton's research on the way bare post-glacial era northern island became populated with vegetation and other, larger life as guano from seabirds and seabirds themselves as food and in other capacities helped to reinforce an increase population of life forms. If bees were taken out of the life equation on Earth that would present quite a few problems.
Regarding the web of life as an integral whole is a fundamental parameter of contemporary ecospheric research I would guess. Several books have been published on ecosystems integrity from the requirement that large predators exist to the harm done to the American southwest by the removal of mammoths of the elephant family whose footprints allowed seed to grow.
Human beings are too a part of the ecosphere as are their intellect such as exists outside the beltway. Some of the intellects are daft regarding the ecosphere and do their best to exterminate much of it en mass instead of conserving it while they advance science and technology to the purpose of knowledge and human well being. The ecosphere isn't just an aesthetic luxury.
Inevitably the political trail returns to the oval of NASCAR and high-octane automobile pollution-that may not change soon.
Lovelock wrote in 'The Final Warning' that the human population may drop to about 200 million in the future as a result of global warming and other issues. At that point the global temperature may stabilize. Lovelock conjectures that if humanity continues its usual greenhouse gassing at that point Gaia will simply remove the remnant of humanity.
Life may act on Earth as a giant organism. G.W.F. Hegel believed that life on Earth is a process of God realizing awareness of Himself in history that fits rather well with the Gaia criteria.
There are additional ways to consider an ecosphere in larger, intelligent organisms in discrete or monistic guise. Ant colonies sometimes seem to act as intelligent collectives-one must consider the Borg obviously as a future mode of ultra-right-wing or left wing consumerism.
Of even more concern to some is the potential that some of those giant fungi discovered now and then to be the largest organisms in the world have as much intelligence as federal budget planners. Then there are whales and ravens-seemingly happy creatures of moderate intelligence in tune with the temporal times even as they decline.
The entire quantum universe could be a super-intelligence, quantum computer or God running this Universe as a sub-routine.
1/27/12
Defining 'Spirit'
One might want to define truth in other than a context of Platonic realism. A disquotation theory or some other might be helpful.
Given a particular verbal lexicon of meanings, if one does not assent to the meanings a priori it is unlikely that one would understand the concepts or meanings. Pontius Pilate asked rhetorically of Jesus Christ 'what is truth?'.
If I read a contemporary cosmology theory or language and substituted my own values for the terms or expressions I would not understand what the theoretical physicist intended. Notably some expect understanding of 'truth' to be brought to them to overcome their skepticism. Perhaps one must be drawn by the Spirit unto a relationship with God or actively work to learn philosophical ideas instead of receiving insight as a bonus for signing up with 4g wireless service two years.
It is also helpful to define 'spirit'. One might say that it is simply the life experience of a human being regarded as a data set by God. In theory a morally conscious human being aware of the truth values of Jesus Christ might behave differently socially than one that regards 'spirit' as meaningless and human experience as entirely phenomenal. Those that are spiritually dead in the sense of being unsaved or unenlightened regarding the spiritual life can miss the boat and slip into the river Styx like a slithering creature in devolution down the slippery slope to oblivion and even judgment.
Well, if spirit is simply human experience perceived or unperceived as spirit that state of affairs might describe (so far as humanly possible) the Spirit of God (I would think) to be Divine experience-the uncreated Being in omniscience without cause.
Given a particular verbal lexicon of meanings, if one does not assent to the meanings a priori it is unlikely that one would understand the concepts or meanings. Pontius Pilate asked rhetorically of Jesus Christ 'what is truth?'.
If I read a contemporary cosmology theory or language and substituted my own values for the terms or expressions I would not understand what the theoretical physicist intended. Notably some expect understanding of 'truth' to be brought to them to overcome their skepticism. Perhaps one must be drawn by the Spirit unto a relationship with God or actively work to learn philosophical ideas instead of receiving insight as a bonus for signing up with 4g wireless service two years.
It is also helpful to define 'spirit'. One might say that it is simply the life experience of a human being regarded as a data set by God. In theory a morally conscious human being aware of the truth values of Jesus Christ might behave differently socially than one that regards 'spirit' as meaningless and human experience as entirely phenomenal. Those that are spiritually dead in the sense of being unsaved or unenlightened regarding the spiritual life can miss the boat and slip into the river Styx like a slithering creature in devolution down the slippery slope to oblivion and even judgment.
Well, if spirit is simply human experience perceived or unperceived as spirit that state of affairs might describe (so far as humanly possible) the Spirit of God (I would think) to be Divine experience-the uncreated Being in omniscience without cause.
On Philosophy
Philosophy is a method or process of reasoning rather than an ossified practice. Philosophical syncretism is a way of building that model of the man-in-the-Universe Johnny Cash sort of one-piece-at-a-time opinion about reality before one physically dies that differs from religious syncretism. The latter present ossified doctrine and the former is a map in progress.
It is possible to extract ideas from the sky religion that gave rise to Hinduism and Buddhism too indirectly and regard those elements within a cosmological context such as the recurrent Universe of Nietzsche, the spinning bucket in the void thought experiments of Newton, The World as Will and Idea of Shopenhauer, 'The Three Dialogues’ of Bishop Berkley and his ideas about idealism contrasted with the illusory nature of reality of Buddhism and of course the noumenal-phenomenal dichotomy of Immanuel Kant and so forth.
Sakyamuni was perhaps a prince of a society over-run by another culture. He may have became a political and religious exile and in some respects resembles Abraham more than a little. Abraham and the Buddha were founders of social events-methods that would become morph into religious practices. Buddhism is far more of an historically reviewable religion than is Brahmanism, and less complex in its kit.
The fifty billion year kalpa of Hinduism and a recycling Universe are fascinating primitive cosmological theorizing. If one views very early Hinduism and Buddhism without the elaborations accreted upon them one discovers more philosophical outlooks.
That reminds me of the saying of God to the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament that everyone knows him, and they intentionally forget that He is. What Sartre calls 'false consciousness' set upon ancient ideas long ago. Christianity isn't much changed over two millenia though one may consider the accreted sectarian and heretical syncretisms that have flourished. Some forms of Hinduism and of Buddhism seem quite changed in comparison to the content created by their founders too.
One might enjoy reading of the historical growth of philosophical and religious thought concurrently in the past and perhaps today too. The rise of symbolic logic in the 19th century, and of Leibnitz' mathematical logic centuries before followed the ongoing progress in scientific knowledge and mathematics and was energized by the emerging paradigms. I would think that Darwin was stimulated not only by his Christian upbringing and the notion of sequential accretion of life forms in Genesis but from the entire continental expansion of knowledge as well. There were others regarding evolutionary change before Darwin.
The comparison of Descartes' cogito and 'Discourse Upon a Method' with Sartre's later 'Being and Nothingness' reveals the same sort of ratiocinating individual encountering an objective experience of a different real physical world-universe that is an implicit aspect of duality in other religious and philosophical methods.
One regards Zoroastrianism and its emphasis upon a duality of Good and Evil and reflects how that faith was historicaly eradicated by elimination of the believers. 'Beyond Good and Evil' was Nietzsche's tome, yet the only way one might rightly compare the transcendence of good and evil is through monism with pluralism as an apparent, or even illusory fact of the expression of being and life.
Thus one finds the malleability of words and reference objects of late 20th century analytical philosophy Strawson, Quine, Kripke etc within the ontology of uncertainty paralleled in the uncertainty of quantum mechanics. A quantum universe itself uncertain is a sort of larger expression of the subjective uncertainty and temporality of the world-for-itself.
One may find quite a lot of philosophy to favor, and then regard The One and The Son of God as the best inference worth faith.
It is possible to extract ideas from the sky religion that gave rise to Hinduism and Buddhism too indirectly and regard those elements within a cosmological context such as the recurrent Universe of Nietzsche, the spinning bucket in the void thought experiments of Newton, The World as Will and Idea of Shopenhauer, 'The Three Dialogues’ of Bishop Berkley and his ideas about idealism contrasted with the illusory nature of reality of Buddhism and of course the noumenal-phenomenal dichotomy of Immanuel Kant and so forth.
Sakyamuni was perhaps a prince of a society over-run by another culture. He may have became a political and religious exile and in some respects resembles Abraham more than a little. Abraham and the Buddha were founders of social events-methods that would become morph into religious practices. Buddhism is far more of an historically reviewable religion than is Brahmanism, and less complex in its kit.
The fifty billion year kalpa of Hinduism and a recycling Universe are fascinating primitive cosmological theorizing. If one views very early Hinduism and Buddhism without the elaborations accreted upon them one discovers more philosophical outlooks.
That reminds me of the saying of God to the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament that everyone knows him, and they intentionally forget that He is. What Sartre calls 'false consciousness' set upon ancient ideas long ago. Christianity isn't much changed over two millenia though one may consider the accreted sectarian and heretical syncretisms that have flourished. Some forms of Hinduism and of Buddhism seem quite changed in comparison to the content created by their founders too.
One might enjoy reading of the historical growth of philosophical and religious thought concurrently in the past and perhaps today too. The rise of symbolic logic in the 19th century, and of Leibnitz' mathematical logic centuries before followed the ongoing progress in scientific knowledge and mathematics and was energized by the emerging paradigms. I would think that Darwin was stimulated not only by his Christian upbringing and the notion of sequential accretion of life forms in Genesis but from the entire continental expansion of knowledge as well. There were others regarding evolutionary change before Darwin.
The comparison of Descartes' cogito and 'Discourse Upon a Method' with Sartre's later 'Being and Nothingness' reveals the same sort of ratiocinating individual encountering an objective experience of a different real physical world-universe that is an implicit aspect of duality in other religious and philosophical methods.
One regards Zoroastrianism and its emphasis upon a duality of Good and Evil and reflects how that faith was historicaly eradicated by elimination of the believers. 'Beyond Good and Evil' was Nietzsche's tome, yet the only way one might rightly compare the transcendence of good and evil is through monism with pluralism as an apparent, or even illusory fact of the expression of being and life.
Thus one finds the malleability of words and reference objects of late 20th century analytical philosophy Strawson, Quine, Kripke etc within the ontology of uncertainty paralleled in the uncertainty of quantum mechanics. A quantum universe itself uncertain is a sort of larger expression of the subjective uncertainty and temporality of the world-for-itself.
One may find quite a lot of philosophy to favor, and then regard The One and The Son of God as the best inference worth faith.
Homosexuals Leading the Way in New Cases of H.I.V. in the U.S.A.
In the U.S.A. in 2009 about 26,000 cases of H.I.V. were made through male to male (homosexual) contact. An additional 4,500 cases were contracted in heterosexual relations inclusive of prostitution. Fewer than 2000 cases occurred through the use of contaminated needles.
In the United States, and in Tennessee, the H.I.V.-A.I.D.s issue is largely a concern of homosexuals, illegal drug users, the prostitution industry and those interested in preventing the increase of dangerous disease.
The African H.I.V. issue is a horse of a different color with the non-monogamy historical cultural practice being one of the causes of the transmission of A.I.D.s Many women have several contacts a day, and scientific research discovered that H.I.V. cases increase markedly with promiscuity.
http://www.avert.org/usa-transmission-gender.htm
In the United States, and in Tennessee, the H.I.V.-A.I.D.s issue is largely a concern of homosexuals, illegal drug users, the prostitution industry and those interested in preventing the increase of dangerous disease.
The African H.I.V. issue is a horse of a different color with the non-monogamy historical cultural practice being one of the causes of the transmission of A.I.D.s Many women have several contacts a day, and scientific research discovered that H.I.V. cases increase markedly with promiscuity.
http://www.avert.org/usa-transmission-gender.htm
Broadcast Media of Prions Lurking Out There
A French study of prion transmission between species has shown that the misfolded protein structures that are the cause for Mad Cow Disease make interspecies and human-to-human communications more readily than previously known. Autopsies on brains to determine if the disease was communicated does not necessarily indicate if the disease had been broadcast to organs it might lurk in. Perhaps the blood-brain barrier had protected brains better than in the remainder of the body. In the French investigation the prions were transmitted successfully 26 of 41 times to organs rather than being a minority occurrence in the brains of the targets.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-prions-species-easily-thought.html
In Britain as many as 1 in 4000 people may be media for PrPSc prion transmission according to samples of appendixes of the populous. Evidently the prions find lymphoid tissue a friendlier ecosystem than brain tissue.
In Humans the disease is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. The disease causes a rotting of the brain resembling ordinary dementia or an over-abundance of concussions.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-prions-species-easily-thought.html
In Britain as many as 1 in 4000 people may be media for PrPSc prion transmission according to samples of appendixes of the populous. Evidently the prions find lymphoid tissue a friendlier ecosystem than brain tissue.
In Humans the disease is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. The disease causes a rotting of the brain resembling ordinary dementia or an over-abundance of concussions.
1/25/12
State of Union Speech 2012: President Obama's Support for Extended Tax Cuts for the Rich in Dec.2010 Was Unfair to the Poor
President Obama's state of the union speech attacked the under-taxed status of the rich in the nation. Of course President Obama is directly responsible for the present low, low tax rates of the Bush II era that he supported vigorously for renewal in December 2010. If re-elected he probably would assure that the tax cuts become permanent as a sort of woosification of the Democratic political agenda.
President Obama presented the seat of honor to billionaire Warren Buffet's secretary. Maybe she knows that the tax cuts will expire again this later this year if the President does not again intervene to extend them. Probably the Republicans will mercilessly lever the President and force him to forego extended Hawaiian vacations and large entourage unless he capitulates.
President Obama is fundamentally a weak moderate Republican chasing after the receeding to the right Republicans trying to meet them halfway. Sure he insinuated homosexuality into the military and New York to match up New England's policies on that, yet of course the corporate world supported that policy so it cannot be said that it was a Democratic plank.
President Obama presented the seat of honor to billionaire Warren Buffet's secretary. Maybe she knows that the tax cuts will expire again this later this year if the President does not again intervene to extend them. Probably the Republicans will mercilessly lever the President and force him to forego extended Hawaiian vacations and large entourage unless he capitulates.
President Obama is fundamentally a weak moderate Republican chasing after the receeding to the right Republicans trying to meet them halfway. Sure he insinuated homosexuality into the military and New York to match up New England's policies on that, yet of course the corporate world supported that policy so it cannot be said that it was a Democratic plank.
1/24/12
Can Mitt Romney Overcome the Bias Against Wealth as Ross Perot Failed to Do in 1992?
Mitt Romney has become a kind of poster child for the upper 1% paying inadequate taxes while prospering during hard times. Of course the upper 1% do not experience hard times as the poor know them, so they are not to blame for lacking ideas about how to fully employ the poor so they prosper.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-romney-voter-reaction-20120125,0,2084544.story
Mitt Romney, like Franklin Roosevelt is from the right side of the Interstate. Some Republicans hope that he may be a leader of the people rather than a leader for royalty. Some look for signs of the coronation of Jeb Bush if Republicans are turned off by the unAmerican wealth of Mitt Romney. Real Americans want to work at McDonalds flipping burgers.
Actually I liked the $1 menu and the double cheeseburgers quite a bit during my bicycle riding around America looking for a house to paint decade. They were good years when I could afford two doubles for Christmas and a large coffee.
Florida voters have a choice to make; to elect the Georgian visionary envisioning himself as President making excellent speeches, the morally excellent Rick Santorum
or the former Mormon missionary draft deferred top .006 percent Rich Mitt Romney. I do not prefer royalty for anything although the Queen of England is occasionally cool. All I can say is I wish that Ross Perot had stayed in the 1992 Presidential race and won.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-romney-voter-reaction-20120125,0,2084544.story
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-romney-voter-reaction-20120125,0,2084544.story
Mitt Romney, like Franklin Roosevelt is from the right side of the Interstate. Some Republicans hope that he may be a leader of the people rather than a leader for royalty. Some look for signs of the coronation of Jeb Bush if Republicans are turned off by the unAmerican wealth of Mitt Romney. Real Americans want to work at McDonalds flipping burgers.
Actually I liked the $1 menu and the double cheeseburgers quite a bit during my bicycle riding around America looking for a house to paint decade. They were good years when I could afford two doubles for Christmas and a large coffee.
Florida voters have a choice to make; to elect the Georgian visionary envisioning himself as President making excellent speeches, the morally excellent Rick Santorum
or the former Mormon missionary draft deferred top .006 percent Rich Mitt Romney. I do not prefer royalty for anything although the Queen of England is occasionally cool. All I can say is I wish that Ross Perot had stayed in the 1992 Presidential race and won.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-romney-voter-reaction-20120125,0,2084544.story
A Comment on Russell, Frege and Quine's Theories of Names
I think it useful if one regards one thread of the evolution of analytic philosophy moving through logic and language as well as the relationship to the empirical world culminating eventually beyond 'Naming and Necessity' in Quine's later work 'Ontological Relativity'.
If Russell's approach is descriptivist and Kripke's is causal on names then Quine synthesizes the two complimentary approaches in placing lexicons within ontological sets of meaning.
Kripke gave names the characteristic of being 'rigid designators'. One may hypothesize a modal logic in which 'Richard Nixon' invariably refers to a real individual, yet with M-Theory ideas of an infinite promulgation of all-possible universes it is easy to hypothesize all possible model logic ontologies with infinite varieties of Richard Nixons and Richard Nixon meanings in infinite stages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naming_and_Necessity
If Russell's approach is descriptivist and Kripke's is causal on names then Quine synthesizes the two complimentary approaches in placing lexicons within ontological sets of meaning.
Kripke gave names the characteristic of being 'rigid designators'. One may hypothesize a modal logic in which 'Richard Nixon' invariably refers to a real individual, yet with M-Theory ideas of an infinite promulgation of all-possible universes it is easy to hypothesize all possible model logic ontologies with infinite varieties of Richard Nixons and Richard Nixon meanings in infinite stages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naming_and_Necessity
Dialectical Materialism; Contradictions in Production and The 'Creative Destruction' of Capitalism
A thought provoking theme-the idea that dialectical materialism is about contradictions between forces of production and consumers of product or profit. One might regard d.m. as about the producers and the homeless, landless people and aristocrats, or of oppressors and oppressed.D.M. as dualism is perhaps an inadequate all purpose tool for realistic empirical analysis.
In contemporary global economics producers are declining and corporate bureaucrats and stockholders increasing. Maybe some of that 90s bunk about 'creative destruction' was stimulated by Boston Marxist. Joseph Schumpeter popularized the term previously, yet it evidently has a German etiology referring to capitalism as well: schöpferische Zerstörung
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Schumpeter
In other words the concept of creative destruction wasn not invented by the author of Batman considering his character-the Joker.
Perhaps human experience is reducible in some respects to the self-other duality such as Sartre presents in 'Being and Nothingness' as well as in 'The Critique of Dialectical Reason'. In the latter case the individual regards society and its social evolution. Sartre described death as 'the complete triumph of the other'. For those of faith in eternal life awareness that Jesus Christ has overcome death brings assurance that death is not the last word.
One moves beyond solipsism and the odd internal evolutions of ideas in that and leaves the problem of solipsism to The One of Plotinus. Even our Christian God was wise enough to overcome the problem by being a Trinity forever. The proliferation of ideas and forms may be identified sometimes with number, however we know the word and object or number and object relationship are nominal associations at best. The dialectical material approach would have worked better in 5th century Athens or Persia as a heresy of Zoroastrianism.
Dialectical in the day of Marx meant two-part. It would have been electrifying if Marx had using dielectrical to describe the flow of electrons flowing toward positive and negative contradictions, yet that would await a later inventor of ideas. One suspects that the dark energy of the universe is a monopole in contradiction of gravity drawing the world away from immediate pluralism toward the deep, membranous abyss of negativism. Accentuating the positive was a source of hopefulness in the beginning of metaphysics I would think-the 19th century Germans ran toward pessimism. Nietzsche is a mess making gods in twilight of Wagner's play figures Schopenhauer believed the world was an evil illusion, and Schliermacher had to overcome 'The Cultured Despisers of Christianity'. -What a world as will and idea! The good old days of Hegel’s spirit evolving to realize itself in history like our Jewish god being just a tadpole growing up as the world and with Germany as the highest example yet of the increasing Genius had only Keirkeguard as a contradiction making excellent criticisms in Stages in Life's Way and elsewhere left-wing Hegelians feared to tread.
Two is not really the same as three, yet we might stipulate that some Marxists might hypothesize that a two-part evolution such as yin-yang is the equivalent of 11 dimensional M-Universes.
C.S. Pierce (supposedly pronounced 'purse' developed the concept of tri-electical nomination of thought. One gets a wankle rotary evolution on thought instead of the good vs. evil sort of process. I believe I would agree with photographer that Marx was more of an historical realist rather than a metaphysician. If one applies Marxism to cosmology one gets non-sense, and if one applies it to politics one finds a much more applicable verisimilitude of value.
Marx published Kapital after Darwin published his Theory on the Origin of Species. Kapital is concerned with history and politics especially of England and is a fair enough sociological analysis. Much of the later Soviet era Marxist philosophy was a sycophantic effort by Stalinists to rise in the bureaucracy as apparatchiks of ignorance.
Even today corporatists pursue the same sort of repetition of a prevailing idiotic thematic world view (though it differs of course a little from Marxism and is more about Ayn Rand and oil, the New England patriots and New York Giants (joking on that-the dialectic is better compared to Jokavich and tennis perhaps playing on a rotating evolving tennis court forever in motion), NPR and allocation of the broadcast spectrum to the rich instead of the Internet etc.) That is a consequence of the existential condition of mankind concerned with battling for material security instead of regarding philosophical thought and space colonization. There is plenty of material for human security, yet the method of fighting for material production compels some poverty to exist.
Considering quantum mechanics as a neo-Marxist clash of material contradictions is a little weird. C.E.R.N. does have particle colliders that accelerate particles instead of contradictions, and it would be tough to quantify contradictions, place them within general relativistic criteria and so forth. Neither would I believe that ideas arise from social contradictions so much as social networks or even better neural networks within self.
In contemporary global economics producers are declining and corporate bureaucrats and stockholders increasing. Maybe some of that 90s bunk about 'creative destruction' was stimulated by Boston Marxist. Joseph Schumpeter popularized the term previously, yet it evidently has a German etiology referring to capitalism as well: schöpferische Zerstörung
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Schumpeter
In other words the concept of creative destruction wasn not invented by the author of Batman considering his character-the Joker.
Perhaps human experience is reducible in some respects to the self-other duality such as Sartre presents in 'Being and Nothingness' as well as in 'The Critique of Dialectical Reason'. In the latter case the individual regards society and its social evolution. Sartre described death as 'the complete triumph of the other'. For those of faith in eternal life awareness that Jesus Christ has overcome death brings assurance that death is not the last word.
One moves beyond solipsism and the odd internal evolutions of ideas in that and leaves the problem of solipsism to The One of Plotinus. Even our Christian God was wise enough to overcome the problem by being a Trinity forever. The proliferation of ideas and forms may be identified sometimes with number, however we know the word and object or number and object relationship are nominal associations at best. The dialectical material approach would have worked better in 5th century Athens or Persia as a heresy of Zoroastrianism.
Dialectical in the day of Marx meant two-part. It would have been electrifying if Marx had using dielectrical to describe the flow of electrons flowing toward positive and negative contradictions, yet that would await a later inventor of ideas. One suspects that the dark energy of the universe is a monopole in contradiction of gravity drawing the world away from immediate pluralism toward the deep, membranous abyss of negativism. Accentuating the positive was a source of hopefulness in the beginning of metaphysics I would think-the 19th century Germans ran toward pessimism. Nietzsche is a mess making gods in twilight of Wagner's play figures Schopenhauer believed the world was an evil illusion, and Schliermacher had to overcome 'The Cultured Despisers of Christianity'. -What a world as will and idea! The good old days of Hegel’s spirit evolving to realize itself in history like our Jewish god being just a tadpole growing up as the world and with Germany as the highest example yet of the increasing Genius had only Keirkeguard as a contradiction making excellent criticisms in Stages in Life's Way and elsewhere left-wing Hegelians feared to tread.
Two is not really the same as three, yet we might stipulate that some Marxists might hypothesize that a two-part evolution such as yin-yang is the equivalent of 11 dimensional M-Universes.
C.S. Pierce (supposedly pronounced 'purse' developed the concept of tri-electical nomination of thought. One gets a wankle rotary evolution on thought instead of the good vs. evil sort of process. I believe I would agree with photographer that Marx was more of an historical realist rather than a metaphysician. If one applies Marxism to cosmology one gets non-sense, and if one applies it to politics one finds a much more applicable verisimilitude of value.
Marx published Kapital after Darwin published his Theory on the Origin of Species. Kapital is concerned with history and politics especially of England and is a fair enough sociological analysis. Much of the later Soviet era Marxist philosophy was a sycophantic effort by Stalinists to rise in the bureaucracy as apparatchiks of ignorance.
Even today corporatists pursue the same sort of repetition of a prevailing idiotic thematic world view (though it differs of course a little from Marxism and is more about Ayn Rand and oil, the New England patriots and New York Giants (joking on that-the dialectic is better compared to Jokavich and tennis perhaps playing on a rotating evolving tennis court forever in motion), NPR and allocation of the broadcast spectrum to the rich instead of the Internet etc.) That is a consequence of the existential condition of mankind concerned with battling for material security instead of regarding philosophical thought and space colonization. There is plenty of material for human security, yet the method of fighting for material production compels some poverty to exist.
Considering quantum mechanics as a neo-Marxist clash of material contradictions is a little weird. C.E.R.N. does have particle colliders that accelerate particles instead of contradictions, and it would be tough to quantify contradictions, place them within general relativistic criteria and so forth. Neither would I believe that ideas arise from social contradictions so much as social networks or even better neural networks within self.
A Comment on the Kiriakou Affair
Evidently not all of the spooks are seig hieling careerists. Since the congress passed a law in a defense bill providing extraordinary rendition rights of American citizens to offshore torture facilities the effort of citizens to defend the rights of the accused so that habeus corpus and full discovery procedures for defense attorneys are conserved is important.
Global corporatism and faceless bureaucratic government goons holding people offshore indefinitely is a fundamental corruption of justice. Abe Lincoln just hanged illegal combatants during the civil war and did not waste time on creating a facade of civil procedures. The back-blast from the Guantanamo Bay production is harmful to the security of American citizens and should be terminated.
Evidently the 1917 espionage law was used just 3 times before the Obama administration who have used it six times themselves to arrest government people for leaking information. Human rights advocates are rather unhappy with the administration.
It is worth remembering that Daniel Elsburg was not convicted for releasing the Pentagon papers, and the administration might need to find a better criteria for determining that some information actually is critical information, such as the omnibus data transfer to Julian Assange or the obvious secret veapon theft and delivery to foreign powers.
It is unfortunate that Richard Nixon did not have Guantanamo Bay to send Jane Fondas to for at least brainwashing and re-education (only joking). One can consider the what if's of history's past and future.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/john-kiriakou-cia-leak_n_1229526.html?ref=mostpopular
Global corporatism and faceless bureaucratic government goons holding people offshore indefinitely is a fundamental corruption of justice. Abe Lincoln just hanged illegal combatants during the civil war and did not waste time on creating a facade of civil procedures. The back-blast from the Guantanamo Bay production is harmful to the security of American citizens and should be terminated.
Evidently the 1917 espionage law was used just 3 times before the Obama administration who have used it six times themselves to arrest government people for leaking information. Human rights advocates are rather unhappy with the administration.
It is worth remembering that Daniel Elsburg was not convicted for releasing the Pentagon papers, and the administration might need to find a better criteria for determining that some information actually is critical information, such as the omnibus data transfer to Julian Assange or the obvious secret veapon theft and delivery to foreign powers.
It is unfortunate that Richard Nixon did not have Guantanamo Bay to send Jane Fondas to for at least brainwashing and re-education (only joking). One can consider the what if's of history's past and future.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/john-kiriakou-cia-leak_n_1229526.html?ref=mostpopular
Why Did Some Regard Marx's Contradictions as of a Formal Logical Nature?
The effort to reduce Marxist dialectical materialism to formal logic is a wrong effort. The contradictions of Marxist dialectical materialism were posited to be of an historical nature-rather like a Toynbean challenge-response criteria describing evolving phases of cycles of civilization.
The meaningful aspects of dialectical materialism if there are any, are as an historical description of diction and contra-diction rather than of the abstract idea that p and not-p may exist concurrently.
Democrats say that Obama has improved the economy a little-Republicans say phooey, he has made it worse and thus a diction and contradiction have been acceptably presented.
One ought to narrow down the meaning of terms like dialectical materialism and seperate that particular one from Hegel's notion of dialectical spiritual evolution. Marx contra-dicted Hegel's idea of the world as a dialectical spiritual presentation making the evolution materially based. That contra-diction was for Marx o.k.
Marx as a student of Hegel exploited the idea of dialectical or progressive evolutionary change in a sociological and historical context. Marx did not have much concern about writing any sort of logic-and Frege was yet ahead in time a bit and beyond Marx's philosophical vision. Marx was concerned with real politics and hostory and less concerned with scientifically describing a meta-physics as might Democritus.
Since Marx was fundamentally wrong about dialectical materialism-there are more than two physical forces at work in the Universe today plus dark energy and whatever else even though ultimately everything that appears pluralistic may be contingent upon monism of The One, it become retroactively theoretical, or perhaps necessary to construct a hypothetical dialectical material logic for academic purposes if one wants to model a theory of meaning of contradictions that Marx may be credited with yet did not have.
The meaningful aspects of dialectical materialism if there are any, are as an historical description of diction and contra-diction rather than of the abstract idea that p and not-p may exist concurrently.
Democrats say that Obama has improved the economy a little-Republicans say phooey, he has made it worse and thus a diction and contradiction have been acceptably presented.
One ought to narrow down the meaning of terms like dialectical materialism and seperate that particular one from Hegel's notion of dialectical spiritual evolution. Marx contra-dicted Hegel's idea of the world as a dialectical spiritual presentation making the evolution materially based. That contra-diction was for Marx o.k.
Marx as a student of Hegel exploited the idea of dialectical or progressive evolutionary change in a sociological and historical context. Marx did not have much concern about writing any sort of logic-and Frege was yet ahead in time a bit and beyond Marx's philosophical vision. Marx was concerned with real politics and hostory and less concerned with scientifically describing a meta-physics as might Democritus.
Since Marx was fundamentally wrong about dialectical materialism-there are more than two physical forces at work in the Universe today plus dark energy and whatever else even though ultimately everything that appears pluralistic may be contingent upon monism of The One, it become retroactively theoretical, or perhaps necessary to construct a hypothetical dialectical material logic for academic purposes if one wants to model a theory of meaning of contradictions that Marx may be credited with yet did not have.
Philosophical Comment About Ancient Names & The Tetragrammaton
Some scholars suppose that 'the ineffable name of God" was not rediscovered by Hebrew scholars-Cabbalists until in 300 a.d. I will post a link to one modern pastor's research on the Tetragrammaton.
http://www.jesus-messiah.com/studies/yahweh-full-copy.html
This isn't a thread on the pro-con of faith for-itself. To a certain extent that is something like the partisan points in congress or whatever.
Dr. Reckart's article on the Indo-European origins of the word Yahweh is worth reading. There are of course numerous avenues of approach for words from proto-Indo-European/Ukrainian languages drifting into Sanskrit and Syriac terminology. Cultural transmissions of ideas about the origin of ideas of God and of the linguistic and cultural ideas about gods in the singular or plural are valuable for historical learning, yet ideas about God that one might have for-oneself are not solely dependent upon and historical-cultural transmission.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08329a.htm
One may consider God's attributes philosophically as Aquinas did. God and his relation to the universe or cosmos may be regarded with logical thought for some...many have.
Rosenberg in his biography of Abraham wrote that Elohim arose as a term for God in an area with a tradition of three pagan gods. Evidently some of the earlier writings and knowledge of the J and P writers about the Court of Solomon and Rehoboam were then lost and unknown to the Northern Court a couple hundred years later.
I recommend reading Rosenberg's excellent book. He retraces Abraham's route from Sumer up the Euphrates and over to Jerusalem and his meeting with the Jebbusites and Melchisedek. The cultural transmissions through history are valid enough to have historical value. There is an oral tradition in the Middle East and of song that is said to still be influential. Abraham's migration to Israel and development of a personal relationship with God evolved into what was in effect a new people culturally that believed in God.
One may associate numerous cultural references to comprehension of ancient times and points of religious interest. I have read history and philosophy simultaneously more or less, including ancient history for several decades. The depth in history leads me to expand understanding and not to approach ancient meanings and circumstances illogically as if the events-processes were math formula that might be proven or disproved necessarily. Also read items translated into English by scholars. I had only a little reading of Hebrew in Biblical languages.
Cultural memories of Martin Frobisher's explorations continued in the Bay from his early 16th century encounter with Inuit until recent times so far that locations of archeologically valuable sites were rediscovered with their tribal memory of the locations. Ancient Jewish history was also perpetuated until the development of the aleph-beth perhaps in the 15th century B.C.
When King David made Jerusalem his capital the accumulated scripts were probably brought together in his court and the J writer along with her knowledge of ancient Babylonian and Sumerian cultural traditions was able to put together the book of Genesis-perhaps adding the flood story to it from the Abrahamic heritage.
Obviously with the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls it was possible to compare the texts and textual inconsistencies of the scripture of different eras and there weren't many.
It is probably that the ancient Persian Gulf about 15,000 B.C. had a much lower sea level and that ancient cultures formed farther out in locations that today are under 200 feet of water. There was hence much cause for flood stories.
There is much scholarship on Bible history-so much that one may take one's course through making an image of the ancient world's history.
It seems that many non-believers would want to find some linguistic point, or an historical reconstruction as a point to dispute the existence of God. I have found ample reason historically to have faith in God that is reinforced by logical philosophical reasoning about the nature of God.
In order philosophically to consider the Universe as a contingent element within God's purposes it may be necessary to actual have a belief that God is actual, rather than dismissing that a priori.
http://www.jesus-messiah.com/studies/yahweh-full-copy.html
This isn't a thread on the pro-con of faith for-itself. To a certain extent that is something like the partisan points in congress or whatever.
Dr. Reckart's article on the Indo-European origins of the word Yahweh is worth reading. There are of course numerous avenues of approach for words from proto-Indo-European/Ukrainian languages drifting into Sanskrit and Syriac terminology. Cultural transmissions of ideas about the origin of ideas of God and of the linguistic and cultural ideas about gods in the singular or plural are valuable for historical learning, yet ideas about God that one might have for-oneself are not solely dependent upon and historical-cultural transmission.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08329a.htm
One may consider God's attributes philosophically as Aquinas did. God and his relation to the universe or cosmos may be regarded with logical thought for some...many have.
Rosenberg in his biography of Abraham wrote that Elohim arose as a term for God in an area with a tradition of three pagan gods. Evidently some of the earlier writings and knowledge of the J and P writers about the Court of Solomon and Rehoboam were then lost and unknown to the Northern Court a couple hundred years later.
I recommend reading Rosenberg's excellent book. He retraces Abraham's route from Sumer up the Euphrates and over to Jerusalem and his meeting with the Jebbusites and Melchisedek. The cultural transmissions through history are valid enough to have historical value. There is an oral tradition in the Middle East and of song that is said to still be influential. Abraham's migration to Israel and development of a personal relationship with God evolved into what was in effect a new people culturally that believed in God.
One may associate numerous cultural references to comprehension of ancient times and points of religious interest. I have read history and philosophy simultaneously more or less, including ancient history for several decades. The depth in history leads me to expand understanding and not to approach ancient meanings and circumstances illogically as if the events-processes were math formula that might be proven or disproved necessarily. Also read items translated into English by scholars. I had only a little reading of Hebrew in Biblical languages.
Cultural memories of Martin Frobisher's explorations continued in the Bay from his early 16th century encounter with Inuit until recent times so far that locations of archeologically valuable sites were rediscovered with their tribal memory of the locations. Ancient Jewish history was also perpetuated until the development of the aleph-beth perhaps in the 15th century B.C.
When King David made Jerusalem his capital the accumulated scripts were probably brought together in his court and the J writer along with her knowledge of ancient Babylonian and Sumerian cultural traditions was able to put together the book of Genesis-perhaps adding the flood story to it from the Abrahamic heritage.
Obviously with the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls it was possible to compare the texts and textual inconsistencies of the scripture of different eras and there weren't many.
It is probably that the ancient Persian Gulf about 15,000 B.C. had a much lower sea level and that ancient cultures formed farther out in locations that today are under 200 feet of water. There was hence much cause for flood stories.
There is much scholarship on Bible history-so much that one may take one's course through making an image of the ancient world's history.
It seems that many non-believers would want to find some linguistic point, or an historical reconstruction as a point to dispute the existence of God. I have found ample reason historically to have faith in God that is reinforced by logical philosophical reasoning about the nature of God.
In order philosophically to consider the Universe as a contingent element within God's purposes it may be necessary to actual have a belief that God is actual, rather than dismissing that a priori.
1/21/12
Scalar Fields of God's Moral Concern? The Argument by Computer Programmer?
It is not a problem that God could be concerned with human life on Earth in a vast Universe or that evil thought can exist in human society. God evidently has plans to correct the latter at the Day of Judgment if not earlier.
Aren't computer programmers concerned with a few bits that don't function rightly in the context of millions of lines of computer code-or even billions? God with omniscient power can concern himself with the higher forms of being-. People aren't soley inanimate or unthinking objects, human minds are essentially spiritual experiencing matter rather than being only an expression of matter that does not think of itelf as perhaps helium atoms.
It is possible to ask with the psalmist; 'God, what is man that thou art mindful of him' and understand that Jesus Christ has brought humanity the gracee for an even closer personal realationship with The One God.
God creating a universe of universes perhaps simply cancels out sections of alternate potential to allow particular potential to emerge and form within a given spatio-temporal context. If The One issues an emergent pre-Universal field of vitual uncertainty to permit contingent axis of freedom of motion and potential it is posible that The One is interested in mind and spirit more so than inert matter that is not so interesting.
The One may be like a playwright issuing characters more interested in them than in the stage props. In the midst of nowhere, Utopia is a potential ever receeding beyond a horizon of temporal change that even the characters of evil chase after if only for the chance to control beingness.
God is good.
If the faithless lack insight into spiritual things,and pursue the best-case temporal island -hopping of matter as if they were diminishing pieces of ice at sea drfitng south it is yet necesary to learn of what one has faith in or about.
The analogy by computer programming has limits obviously. For one thing humanity doesn't perhaps know what the purpose(s) of the program are, nor what is set to be accomplished (character development?) anything. Some physicists have speculated that the universe is like a hologram (information), and of course it could be more than a reflection of human tecnology analogies of the era.
I think it interesting that the human mind experience occurs at just the right scale and space-time hitory for philosophical speculation-without challenges it might be like a state of entropy existnetially experienced as economic and ecospheric malaise.
There are cosmological theories of the Universe (1) being rebooted periodically since you suggest that point-membrane gong theory, the big crunch, hyper-expansion and a Big Rip etc. It is possible that the teleology of the Universe isn't static like cosmological constants may or may not be. Moving target in space-time, form and purpose could coincide.
It is somewhat undesirable to address several points simultaneously that are worthy of quite a bit more time than I presently have to reply. Many of the questions presented are classic points well written to by many scholars through history. I would like to say here that the use of YHWH as a name for God is of its day. There are additional names such as ‘The God of Abraham’ or ‘The God of Isaac’, Elohim and so forth- the last name probably arising during a redaction by the court in Northern Israel.
Psalm 139:1-12 relates…
"1O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."
The idea that God is omniscient and omnipotent is ubiquitous in the Old Testament-consider God’s personal conversation with Job. We are naturally brought to consider the nature of God from the many references in the small books of the Bible.
Reason and logic too bring the philosophically inclined to consider the attributes of God as Creator. Consider the neo-Platonist philosopher Plotinus’ Enneads and his ideas about The One. In this context one is being philosophically rather than legalistically minded. Instead of searching for anecdotal or even physical evidence one is exploiting the powers of reason to consider the Universe and the concept of the nature of its creator. One is considering the nature of God and of the acts of God in shaping existence, and considering the nature of God as an omnipotent, non-contingent being with humanity and the Universe exiting perhaps within a project area set aside by God for actualization.
One may consider the universe as a kind of modal logic paradigm with set theoretical attributes and generate myriad logics of necessity of those Universes. With Quine’s 'Ontological Relativity' in mind we may be aware that our subject idea-lexicons comprise respective conceptual ontologies in our subjective psychological outlook, and again following Quine we are aware that some of these lexical ontologies cannot immediately be translated into other ontologies by each user of the Universe.
People aren't soley inanimate or unthinking objects, human minds are essentially spiritual experiencing matter rather than being only an expression of matter that does not think of itself as perhaps helium atoms.
Sure- I will let spiritual be an open parameter defined by God rather than myself, yet my usage of the term means the conceptual rather than the material aspect of human life. In effect I am calling human experience ‘spiritual’ and something like glacial ice material. It is common these day to describe the functions of human minds biochemically-with more axon connection and different thought configurations possible than there may be individual atom in the Universe (well its ten trillion or whatever multiplied)-yet the experience is fundamentally different-self consciousness-than the insentient life of matter (unless matter is made of one-dimensional spiritual monads as Leibnitz thought).
It is possible to ask with the psalmist; 'God, what is man that thou art mindful of him' and understand that Jesus Christ has brought humanity the gracee for an even closer personal realationship with The One God.
From a human point of view I don’t know what happened to Neanderthal or Homo erectus regarding eternal life. You know some Jews did not believe in resurrection. Presumably they had trust that God’s conducting of experience was good enough-that he had his own plan for everything and would use everything in his omnipotent plan rightly-you know the potter and the clay…
On the point about Jesus-some believe the Gospel and some don’t-predestination of the elect and the damned?
Jesus the Christ is Savior rather than a trap. God became man in the flesh is as personal. That may be as personal as it is likely to get in this existence. One may conjecture about the reality of the historical Caesar or of Jesus Christ. Many believers including myself conclude that he was who He said he was.
God is good.
Jesus is quoted as saying in…
Mark 10:18
King James Version (KJV)
…"18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God."
The Apostle Paul wrote that none are good (except God). The nature of mankind is fallen, and unacceptable to the perfection of God. Only through the intervention of the blood of Jesus Christ in His atoning sacrifice can man reach heaven. The doctrine of grace lets us be aware that the human paradigm isn’t capable of comprehending the nature of The One. Even the grace is donated and hence the doctrine of election.
The word ‘good’ has copious use in the Bible-people were not trying to give it a platonic form kind of realism meaning for most of that period.
http://www.biblegateway.com/keywor...sion1=9&searchtype=all
If the faithless lack insight into spiritual things,and pursue the best-case temporal island -hopping of matter as if they were diminishing pieces of ice at sea drfitng south it is yet necessary to learn of what one has faith in or about.
I have faith that knowledge besides that brought through scientific method is functional, purposeful and etc. Consider for example history texts that were compiled unscientifically perhaps-yet perhaps not. Science means knowledge-no more, and there are many means of getting knowledge including that of ancient history and inductive reasoning, construction of set theoretic all-possible worlds paradigms and even faith that cannot be precluded from having an actual transcending real object of reference.
Aren't computer programmers concerned with a few bits that don't function rightly in the context of millions of lines of computer code-or even billions? God with omniscient power can concern himself with the higher forms of being-. People aren't soley inanimate or unthinking objects, human minds are essentially spiritual experiencing matter rather than being only an expression of matter that does not think of itelf as perhaps helium atoms.
It is possible to ask with the psalmist; 'God, what is man that thou art mindful of him' and understand that Jesus Christ has brought humanity the gracee for an even closer personal realationship with The One God.
God creating a universe of universes perhaps simply cancels out sections of alternate potential to allow particular potential to emerge and form within a given spatio-temporal context. If The One issues an emergent pre-Universal field of vitual uncertainty to permit contingent axis of freedom of motion and potential it is posible that The One is interested in mind and spirit more so than inert matter that is not so interesting.
The One may be like a playwright issuing characters more interested in them than in the stage props. In the midst of nowhere, Utopia is a potential ever receeding beyond a horizon of temporal change that even the characters of evil chase after if only for the chance to control beingness.
God is good.
If the faithless lack insight into spiritual things,and pursue the best-case temporal island -hopping of matter as if they were diminishing pieces of ice at sea drfitng south it is yet necesary to learn of what one has faith in or about.
The analogy by computer programming has limits obviously. For one thing humanity doesn't perhaps know what the purpose(s) of the program are, nor what is set to be accomplished (character development?) anything. Some physicists have speculated that the universe is like a hologram (information), and of course it could be more than a reflection of human tecnology analogies of the era.
I think it interesting that the human mind experience occurs at just the right scale and space-time hitory for philosophical speculation-without challenges it might be like a state of entropy existnetially experienced as economic and ecospheric malaise.
There are cosmological theories of the Universe (1) being rebooted periodically since you suggest that point-membrane gong theory, the big crunch, hyper-expansion and a Big Rip etc. It is possible that the teleology of the Universe isn't static like cosmological constants may or may not be. Moving target in space-time, form and purpose could coincide.
It is somewhat undesirable to address several points simultaneously that are worthy of quite a bit more time than I presently have to reply. Many of the questions presented are classic points well written to by many scholars through history. I would like to say here that the use of YHWH as a name for God is of its day. There are additional names such as ‘The God of Abraham’ or ‘The God of Isaac’, Elohim and so forth- the last name probably arising during a redaction by the court in Northern Israel.
Psalm 139:1-12 relates…
"1O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."
The idea that God is omniscient and omnipotent is ubiquitous in the Old Testament-consider God’s personal conversation with Job. We are naturally brought to consider the nature of God from the many references in the small books of the Bible.
Reason and logic too bring the philosophically inclined to consider the attributes of God as Creator. Consider the neo-Platonist philosopher Plotinus’ Enneads and his ideas about The One. In this context one is being philosophically rather than legalistically minded. Instead of searching for anecdotal or even physical evidence one is exploiting the powers of reason to consider the Universe and the concept of the nature of its creator. One is considering the nature of God and of the acts of God in shaping existence, and considering the nature of God as an omnipotent, non-contingent being with humanity and the Universe exiting perhaps within a project area set aside by God for actualization.
One may consider the universe as a kind of modal logic paradigm with set theoretical attributes and generate myriad logics of necessity of those Universes. With Quine’s 'Ontological Relativity' in mind we may be aware that our subject idea-lexicons comprise respective conceptual ontologies in our subjective psychological outlook, and again following Quine we are aware that some of these lexical ontologies cannot immediately be translated into other ontologies by each user of the Universe.
People aren't soley inanimate or unthinking objects, human minds are essentially spiritual experiencing matter rather than being only an expression of matter that does not think of itself as perhaps helium atoms.
Sure- I will let spiritual be an open parameter defined by God rather than myself, yet my usage of the term means the conceptual rather than the material aspect of human life. In effect I am calling human experience ‘spiritual’ and something like glacial ice material. It is common these day to describe the functions of human minds biochemically-with more axon connection and different thought configurations possible than there may be individual atom in the Universe (well its ten trillion or whatever multiplied)-yet the experience is fundamentally different-self consciousness-than the insentient life of matter (unless matter is made of one-dimensional spiritual monads as Leibnitz thought).
It is possible to ask with the psalmist; 'God, what is man that thou art mindful of him' and understand that Jesus Christ has brought humanity the gracee for an even closer personal realationship with The One God.
From a human point of view I don’t know what happened to Neanderthal or Homo erectus regarding eternal life. You know some Jews did not believe in resurrection. Presumably they had trust that God’s conducting of experience was good enough-that he had his own plan for everything and would use everything in his omnipotent plan rightly-you know the potter and the clay…
On the point about Jesus-some believe the Gospel and some don’t-predestination of the elect and the damned?
Jesus the Christ is Savior rather than a trap. God became man in the flesh is as personal. That may be as personal as it is likely to get in this existence. One may conjecture about the reality of the historical Caesar or of Jesus Christ. Many believers including myself conclude that he was who He said he was.
God is good.
Jesus is quoted as saying in…
Mark 10:18
King James Version (KJV)
…"18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God."
The Apostle Paul wrote that none are good (except God). The nature of mankind is fallen, and unacceptable to the perfection of God. Only through the intervention of the blood of Jesus Christ in His atoning sacrifice can man reach heaven. The doctrine of grace lets us be aware that the human paradigm isn’t capable of comprehending the nature of The One. Even the grace is donated and hence the doctrine of election.
The word ‘good’ has copious use in the Bible-people were not trying to give it a platonic form kind of realism meaning for most of that period.
http://www.biblegateway.com/keywor...sion1=9&searchtype=all
If the faithless lack insight into spiritual things,and pursue the best-case temporal island -hopping of matter as if they were diminishing pieces of ice at sea drfitng south it is yet necessary to learn of what one has faith in or about.
I have faith that knowledge besides that brought through scientific method is functional, purposeful and etc. Consider for example history texts that were compiled unscientifically perhaps-yet perhaps not. Science means knowledge-no more, and there are many means of getting knowledge including that of ancient history and inductive reasoning, construction of set theoretic all-possible worlds paradigms and even faith that cannot be precluded from having an actual transcending real object of reference.
1/19/12
Russia Seeks Co-operative Moon Base Direction With N.A.S.A.
Russia-a pioneer in manned space flight-is interested in developing manned moon bases for scientific research with N.A.S.A. The goal is pragmatic, since experience living on the moon would prep the human race for visiting and living on the other moons of the solar system.
http://www.space.com/14290-russia-manned-moon-base-nasa-europe.html
The Russians may be disappointed by the now traditional lethargic U.S. approach to manned space flight that has become set aside and buried under and avalanche of bureaucratic priorities servicing a Wall Street sector concerned with extracting profits from existing business instead of manufacturing or constructing new physical projects.
One hopes that the next U.S. administration will have a change of spirit and co-operate in developing a fleet of new space-transportation modalities of an economic and pragmatic nature with Russia as well as the private sector.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/12/emals_backfire/ U.S. Navy works on electro-magnetic mass drivers for launching carrier aircraft
http://www.cyberpursuits.com/space/engineering/massdrivers.asp mass drivers and electro-magnetic launch technology for space
http://www.space.com/14290-russia-manned-moon-base-nasa-europe.html
The Russians may be disappointed by the now traditional lethargic U.S. approach to manned space flight that has become set aside and buried under and avalanche of bureaucratic priorities servicing a Wall Street sector concerned with extracting profits from existing business instead of manufacturing or constructing new physical projects.
One hopes that the next U.S. administration will have a change of spirit and co-operate in developing a fleet of new space-transportation modalities of an economic and pragmatic nature with Russia as well as the private sector.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/05/12/emals_backfire/ U.S. Navy works on electro-magnetic mass drivers for launching carrier aircraft
http://www.cyberpursuits.com/space/engineering/massdrivers.asp mass drivers and electro-magnetic launch technology for space
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