Philosopher Scientist: There are certain forces in humanity. One is cognition. Not IQ per say as a generalized intelligence, but better understood as cognitive capacity. It can be fluidly understood as a spectrum, but it is not limited to that perspective. There are hard gaps in our capacity to process cognitively. From those hard gaps, we also have what we are familiar with down to the neuroplastic level. This is fundamental and the basis of consciousness. We need to start there.
Everything gets fundamentally reduced to consciousness for it is what i am. I am always it even if i am not aware of it. My awareness has certain supports that it is dependent on, like when we practice mindfulness meditation, we increase the neural networks via dendrites in our prefrontal cortex increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of our executive function. (Mind)
You gotta objectively explain consciousness and also be conscious at the same time. Some shit we say 'objectively' isn't true. Just because you say or think it doesn't make it true, it just a thing that has been processed. (brain)
That thing, is a thought. As soon as you do that, you 'think a thought,' with your conscious experience, you have entered the domain of reasoning. This environment has laws, i.e. the laws of thought.
For thoughts to make sense, to have any bearing of coherence with our consciousness or representation to our perception of reality, these laws must be followed. You have the 'freedom' to not follow them, hence be unreasonable, but for the purposes of this discussion and the problems being addressed, like Putin, Trump, Hamas, and trans phenomena, etc. it is necessary for us to follow these rules to arrive at truth.
Truth is found in the use of language. Did you put those symbols together correctly for the right purpose? If yes, it's true. If not, it's false or invalid, hence unsound.
Soundness is what we call the ultimate quality of thought. There is no 'soundness' to the sun, there isn't even sound in space. Soundness is what we say when our thoughts or language have quality. If not, how you arrived at that processing or idea is a problem. It is unsound or you are not of sound mind.
Skeptic: Okay so what?
PS: Well, let's go back to axioms.
Skeptic: Do we really need a system?
PS: Well yah, what else are you going to do? Systems simplify thoughts for processors like us humans. We are very good at making systems, so we can think about other things. Not only do we cognitively make systems, our neurology is system based: through neuroplasticity we formulate habits - efficient, effortless behaviour that is automatic.
Habits can be good or bad for our survival, wellbeing or interests. We also make habits of thought.
Skeptic: Hmm okay, so there are rules of thought, the laws of thought, but if habit is the mode of functioning of thought, where are the rules of habit?
PS: Not only are there individual thoughts and habits, but it gets more complicated. We are 'social beings.'
Skeptic: What does that mean?
PS: Well my friend, you are not alone. You cannot exist alone. "You" are a process that's existence is embedded within the "you's".
Skeptic: Okay, so what does that mean.
PS: Well, this is axiom #2 - 'society.' There is a social organism. One level of explanation, axiom 1, is the fundamental property of consciousness. As we experience it and know it objectively. Axiom 2 is the social consciousness.
We have evolved not as a single being. Maybe those beings exist, some accribe the label 'god' to them, but we are not such. Our being is one that formed as a social nexus first. Consciousness as we know it, came after. We were embedded in the group as one with the group first, then we developed the capacity for individually. This phenomena of conscious growth is seen in its development of collectivistic and 'the west,' or individualistic cultural orientation and personality trait.
Our organism is contingent on being 'social' or forming as a group first. Then, due to biological forces over millions of years, we became persons because we were able to survive more so with personhood.
Skeptic: Okay, so axiom 1 and 2: conscious thought and sociality.
PS: Now is where we can clearly see all the problems of the world. Humanity, as a civilization, has not learned what to teach themselves in relation to the gap between axiom 1 and axiom 2. We get 'individuals' to power over the group, individuals who force the group to believe "their" truth, like being a man or woman, and more violence anyone can admit.
The growth of our species is seen beautiful things like the (as a phenomenon of social, conscious thought) human rights, ethics, medicine, parenting, education, and a society to protect what we love. The problem is some people love the wrong stuff: "I love god. I love being a man/woman. I love power. I love Russia; the old russia. I love people loving me."
Shit gets real when certain people don't see or get what they love. They murder viciously innocent people who think or act differently.
Skeptic: Not good. So what do we do?
PS: Devote your life to Philosophy.
Skeptic: What is philosophy?
PS: Well, what is taught in university is part of it. It is teaching people the soundness of thought. But remember?
Skeptic: What about the soundness of habit?
PS: Not only your habits, but our habits. Axiom 1 and Axiom 2. We are conscious beings who need guidance in thinking. So the results of that thought, is the best. But we also need guidance in behaving.
I am sorry, religion is not useful anymore. It cannot guide your behavior any better than chance. But wait, there is something we can do.
We can use Axiom 1 and Axiom 2 to teach ourselves how to behave and think, on our own and as a group
Skeptic: What does this mean?
PS: It means someone is going to call you on your errors in thought and behaviour. It also means there will always be someone to love you when needed.
We have to socialize ourselves, meaning associate emotions, motivation and practices with being skilled at correcting our errors: in thought and behaviour, on our own and as a group.
Skeptic: Okay well how is that different than what we are doing now?
PS: Axiom 2: The sociality phenomenon requires we institutionalize modes of behaviour to integrate them as a habit.
Skeptic: Hmmm, well then what?
PS: Look at any institution really. They are formalized cultures in the sense that they are explicit in what they practice. There can be confusion in those practices, but institutions are different in this sense than cultural entities of ethnicity.
Humans developed institutions to solve axiom 2 problems, as we develop systems (of thought) to solve axiom 1 problems. What we need, is an institution that combines both of these axioms together, thought (whose fundamental property is consciousness) and behaviour ( which we can discuss action and habit).
The university is not doing enough. We need a new religion of philosophy. But...its not a religion. It is a social organism that does not and has never existed.
Skeptic: Ha! You say these things philosopher scientist, but the value of your claims is in the predictions you make, that come true and are replicated.
PS: Prediction 1 - No more tyrants and dictators. They can't exist in this new social function. All the people would immediately see and know what they were doing and would immediately stop the 'seeds of evil' from growing. We would live in a coherent meritocracy where ignorant votes do not matter and have no place.
Prediction 2 - "mental illness" would not exist. The mind and the body are different things. The mind supervenes via emergent properties of the brain. Our mental illness are rooted in how we think and behave. Someone with a neurological disorder can be mentally healthy. The mind, is in your control for the fundamental property of all is consciousness.
Skeptic: What are we to do?
PS: Well my friend, every day is a practice. It is a practice of awareness, of thinking, of acting and behaving. The difference is how we talk about it to ourselves and each other. This is where the training wheels of an institution are helpful. But an institution that reflects on itself and is aware of itself in such a way that the conscious individual and the conscious group are in harmony.
It is possible and can be done. It will be done. If we don't, we will destroy ourselves.
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