Wednesday, August 31, 2011

We Make Our Own Morals

Morality is determined by culture. That's it. There's no more to it than that.

Some people want to claim it is religion that creates morals and without it we have none. Religion is simply one part of some cultures; it doesn't exist in others. It's just one piece of the very complex puzzle of human behavior, and it's never static. That is just the way it is. Deal with it.

For those who want to claim that there is some ultimate moral code handed down from just one of the ancient Hebrew deities, the god in question first needs to show up. Being invisible and only communicating through hallucinations and ghost writers is not anywhere near a valid claim to even consider worthwhile.

In addition, why would it be the case that any creature, deified or not, would have some sort of ultimate (and currently secret) moral code that everyone should support? There's no logical reason to assert that any creature has such a list and that it wouldn't be riddled with flaws that would offend large numbers of other creatures, such as humans.

We have to live with the fact that we are the ones who set our own rules. We create the cultures under which we exist. Any faults found are with us, as are the benefits. There is no group of atheists that advocate or even consider pedophilia as a viable cultural option, for example, even though there are believer types who insist otherwise. These kinds of people also like to claim a moral need for all kinds of information not being examined, such as sex education. Not discussing things is what gets us in trouble. Abstinence-only "education" for kids actually increases unwanted pregnancies. But believers don't look at the results. The only goal seems to be supporting the bad idea that started the idea in the first place.

Information is good--all kinds of information. Myths and superstitions don't qualify, however. We need facts and that requires investigation. If we want a moral code of some kind, maybe that's it: Never believe, investigate--and never stop.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Maybe Size Doesn't Really Matter After All

I re-watched a program recently on fractal geometry and it reminded very much of the idea of "strange loops" in the book I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter I read a few years ago. Both of these look at repeating patterns and what that can mean to various mathematical disciplines. I'm not expert in math, so I don't know if there's a relationship there or not.

In addition, it also got me wondering if
there's a relationship between fractal geometry and string theory's idea that there are more than 3 spacial dimensions. In this case, I'm actually wondering if they conflict.

Fractal geometry is a shape that repeats itself consistently throughout, even when looked at in minute detail. The shapes of very small pieces are the same as the larger ones--size doesn't matter. In string theory we throw this idea away and say that when we reach a certain level of smallness, the universe is not the same as it is at larger scales; we not only have different laws in play but more dimensions within which the laws act.

I wonder if it's possible that the unified theory so many scientists are looking for could simply be based on the number of dimensions being used by whatever is being observed (and/or the observer)? Maybe objects that only use (and exist) within "our" three dimensions use one set of rules and objects that exists in any other combination of whatever dimensions exist use a set of rules specific and unique to that combination. It may not be the size of the stuff being looked at that determines the laws under which it exists, but the combination of the dimensions being used by it (and/or who's observing it).

Praying Medically v. Praying Financially

If made to choose between praying for someone to successfully come through a difficult medical procedure or for the bill to be paid, which would a logical person choose? It seems it should be the bill because the patient's outcome still depends on the skill and knowledge of the trained medical team, which remains the same. Unless a random person off the street is handed a scalpel and told to operate, even a believer would be best served by praying financially.

Capitalism and The Stanford Prison Experiment

With the Stanford Prison Experiment in mind, why wouldn't the same attitudes take hold if capitalism is left unregulated? The experiment shows when one group of people is given total control over another, the group in control can't control itself and quickly begins to act horribly toward the other, even blaming the victims for their status and coming up with ways to justify the situation. Being ungoverned means the worst of humanity gets the upper hand and fights to keep it. Those who advocate for unregulated capitalism are arguing in favor of letting the worst of the species be rewarded for that very trait.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Irrational Barking Believers

Trying to get a believer to think rationally is like getting a carnival barker to tell the truth about what's really in the tent.

Monday, August 15, 2011

dee-uh-rif'-ik

New word I've made up (at least I think no one else has claimed this one):

deirrific -- dee-uh-rif'-ik

Any action a believer in a deity assigns to it, even if it's pure evil.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Mental Mismatch

I wonder if a lot of conditions we see as mental problems can be best described as a difference between the view of one's self v. how the society has forced (or tried to force) the person to live in opposition to that view.

As I've written before, I think a great deal of human behavior can be explained with a model that tells us that the human self is made up of everything we accept into it about how we view the universe and our place in it. When that individual self is challenged or voluntarily changed, the person has to go through a process of limited suicide because the self, in its current configuration, is being killed. That goes against a core human instinct, making it very difficult and results in substantial side-effects.

In most cases it is likely that we accept the self we are and, despite a few minor challenges, make due and get on with things. But, what if, for some people, the self never really absorbs the conditions in which it lives. For whatever reason, it just can't make the adjustment and acceptance never happens. The self would be in a constant state of battle with (and within) its conditions. It seems that it wouldn't be too big of a leap to suggest the result could be mental instability.

Metaphorically, it could be like one of the causes of sea sickness where the motion felt by the inner ear is not matched to the stability the eye sees when below deck. The cure is to go above deck and look at the horizon which will provide a visual motion to match the input from the inner ear.

Similarly, if a person can't get "above deck" to match up the view of the universe through the self and the "real" universe, sickness could be the result. Coping mechanisms may be attempted that result in mild bouts of "illness" we might label as quirks or minor mental conditions. But for some people the differences are too great or last too long to result in a self that can function in the society it sees as so in opposition to it. For these people mild coping mechanisms don't work and more pronounced behaviors and conditions come forth.

One of the ways this manifests itself is through the claim of "truth" in a person's or group's view of things. The verifiable universe is somehow faulty and their version is valid because of this special truth which they have acquired. Instead of looking for verification of their view, they look to discredit the verified claims of others, even if it means creating a new version of "truth."

Some of these behaviors are not even seen as problems when they manifest themselves through religious or political avenues. When someone has a view of the world that doesn't match what's really going on, we can end up with extreme personalities coming forward to "make things right." Those with similar mismatched mindsets will join their fight in order to not have to change their self, which would be suicide (at least partially).

When human behavior is views in this way, it's possible to come up with new approaches to deal with this problem, I think. Being aware of what we do and, more importantly, why we do it can only make things better.

Stick To Art

A definition is to meaning as a stick figure is to a full color piece of art.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

You Are It

You are the everything contained within it.