In addition, Neil, I certainly did not mean to diminish your wonderful insight or generous nature. You do, as you say, encourage all of us in our conversations here. I do not mean to direct any of this personally.
On Mar 21, 9:14 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I'd rather hope you'd think it pretty obvious I spend a lot of time > encouraging Molly. And that part of that involves needing to imagine > a lot of deficiencies and how they arise. There is the question of > denial and I'm sure one needs imagination to find out how to invite > the 'right' material in. I do think Derrida got something very > positive out of a recognition of what you are saying (and often say). > One 'report' after another in the UK is showing that responsibility > has taken flight out of the window, much as in Priestley's 'An > Inspector Calls'. I doubt any set of finite fetish has anything > infinite. The imagination has to probe beyond fetish, perhaps even to > the extent of descent into the inferno in order to find the better > life (a story often told and misunderstood). We may want intelligence > and beauty to succeed as perhaps matter has succeeded against anti- > matter, but in this sense I believe that origins are complex and that > we act between polarities. I don't believe imagination is wasted in > seeking to understand a continuum and how we may balance positions in > that. When I find people simply lying about what is positive against > all the evidence I am not inclined to dismiss that. > > On 21 Mar, 17:49, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Seems to me a waste of imagination to imagine "human being may lack > > the capacity to see > > human beings as human beings." But certainly, if you do, that is what > > you will get. > > > Imagining that human beings are capable of intelligence and beauty > > might get us further. > > > At some point, while immersed in the finite and infinite, we have to > > imagine the life we desire for ourselves. If we spend our time > > realising ignorance, trash chimping censorship or politesse, or even > > dwelling in that reality that screams these aspects at us, we should > > ask ourselves, why am I here? Do I enjoy feeling the victim of it > > all? Do I feel alive when I can say - that is rotten, I am not that. > > More alive than when I say, "I can see that these folks have more in > > them, the possibility of moving into something more intelligent and > > beautiful. And, I can see myself surrounded by intelligent, beautiful > > aspects of life. Sometimes, we deny that intelligence and beauty are > > a part of our life because it pains us to feel the lack of it. And > > that pain makes us feel alive, so we cling to it. But beauty and > > intelligence is all around us, just as the rest of the spectrum of > > life is there. Recognizing our choice and responsibility are the > > first steps to inviting in that possibility into our own lives. When > > we invite in possibility, we create our opportunity to move from the > > finite to the infinite. From the limited to the unlimited. I do > > agree, Neil, that imagination is key. > > > On Mar 21, 6:26 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Chimpout says it all Don. I reckon the bald guy in front of the bench > > > sat with a black woman is trying out his arm on her. We are so > > > secretive I can't imagine a set of councillors letting cameras in for > > > fear of us finding out what they do. > > > > It's struck me since I can remember thinking much that infinity is > > > connected with imagination and we have trouble keeping the imagination > > > alive in discussions. > > > > "If it makes sense to speak of human beings as human beings, then it > > > makes sense to imagine that a human being may lack the capacity to see > > > human beings as human beings. It would make sense to ask whether > > > someone may be soul-blind." - this from Stanley Cavell (somewhere). I > > > can just about remember being taught stuff like Johari's Window and > > > receiving it rather badly because I thought people just did > > > reflection, before realising there was a whole lot more ignorance > > > about than a little grammar school boy knew - an infinity of it on > > > might say. We often sweep away stuff under the carpet of not being > > > bothered to have to put up with trash chimping as in Don's U-Tube > > > find, but this leads to censorship through politesse as we treat > > > people with critical views that need to be heard to the general in- > > > group, soul-less chimping humans do to try and avoid embarrassment. > > > > On 21 Mar, 04:18, Don Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Could be worse. I used to be amused at the antics of British > > > > parliament. What with all the muttering and such. I shouldn't have > > > > been so smug. Here's a link to a real, live American city council > > > > meeting. How utterly embarrassing. > > > > >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqOSNI7l0bQ > > > > > Our tax dollars at work. How do these people ever stay elected? I > > > > just don't get it. > > > > > dj > > > > > On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 7:37 PM, archytas <[email protected]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > Sue and I can rarely bear the language of most of what intrudes into > > > > > our lives - it seems like irritating distraction that is aimed at > > > > > preventing us communicating. I went to an anticrime meeting on > > > > > Thursday that was a total disaster in this respect. The outright > > > > > lying and presence of a claque as the police and council people who > > > > > are failing us so badly made themselves out to be doing a good job. > > > > > There was no capacity for personal review. I had to leave. > > > > > > On 20 Mar, 20:06, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> Lovely and inscrutable post ...as always Neil! :-) > > > > > >> I’m not so sure it is lack of interest as much as lack of visible > > > > >> availability. Perhaps the charlatans don’t help much either. > > > > > >> As to being able to ‘check’….as is the case for all scientific > > > > >> exploration, a personal review I find to be the best…how else would I > > > > >> actually know? …faith?... on some of those wondrous published papers > > > > >> we talk about often here? > > > > > >> The truth is that much is currently made explicit….again, mostly lack > > > > >> of distribution and acceptance in this current rather barbaric and > > > > >> confused culture. > > > > > >> On Mar 20, 10:43 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> > There are phenomenological practices about Orn - I guess part of > > > > >> > the > > > > >> > lack of interest is to do with people lying about what they find > > > > >> > and > > > > >> > there being no way to check. I sense that much that we do is done > > > > >> > in > > > > >> > pretence of secrecy and we'd be better off with a narrative of > > > > >> > what we > > > > >> > are looking at made explicit. > > > > > >> > On 18 Mar, 15:01, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> > > Neil, thanks for the recent, albeit rather barbaric study. I > > > > >> > > have been > > > > >> > > sharing this type of information all along. For those who missed > > > > >> > > my > > > > >> > > post with the link to the Santa Barbara Institute, take some > > > > >> > > time and > > > > >> > > read, watch, listen to as many of the internal links there as > > > > >> > > you can. > > > > >> > > The place is run by an old friend of mine, Alan Wallace. He > > > > >> > > taught me > > > > >> > > Tibetan in the mid 80s and I've done 7 day long intensive > > > > >> > > shamatha > > > > >> > > retreat with him.http://www.sbinstitute.com/ > > > > > >> > > All the way back to William James the scientific study of mind/ > > > > >> > > consciousness has been addressed in western psych. > > > > >> > > Unfortunately, few > > > > >> > > in the west after James followed his recommendation to not only > > > > >> > > study > > > > >> > > behavior and the somatic body, but introspection...mind looking > > > > >> > > at > > > > >> > > mind itself. > > > > > >> > > On Mar 18, 5:41 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> > > > Electrodes implanted in the brains of people with epilepsy > > > > >> > > > might have > > > > >> > > > resolved an ancient question about consciousness. Signals from > > > > >> > > > the > > > > >> > > > electrodes seem to show that consciousness arises from the > > > > >> > > > coordinated > > > > >> > > > activity of the entire brain. The signals also take us closer > > > > >> > > > to > > > > >> > > > finding an objective "consciousness signature" that could be > > > > >> > > > used to > > > > >> > > > probe the process in animals and people with brain damage > > > > >> > > > without > > > > >> > > > inserting electrodes. Previously it wasn't clear whether a > > > > >> > > > dedicated > > > > >> > > > brain area, or "seat of consciousness", was responsible for > > > > >> > > > guiding > > > > >> > > > our subjective view of the world, or whether consciousness was > > > > >> > > > the > > > > >> > > > result of concerted activity across the whole brain (the > > > > >> > > > pineal gland > > > > >> > > > was an old favourite). Probing the process has been a > > > > >> > > > challenge, as > > > > >> > > > non-invasive techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and > > > > >> > > > EEG > > > > >> > > > give either spatial or temporal information but not both. The > > > > >> > > > best way > > > > >> > > > to get both simultaneously is to implant electrodes deep > > > > >> > > > inside the > > > > >> > > > skull, but it is difficult to justify this in healthy people > > > > >> > > > for > > > > >> > > > ethical reasons (volunteers being those who fail to take two > > > > >> > > > steps > > > > >> > > > backwards). > > > > > >> > > > Between the 10 volunteers, the researchers received > > > > >> > > > information from a > > > > >> > > > total of 176 electrodes, which covered almost the whole brain. > > > > >> > > > During > > > > >> > > > the first 300 milliseconds of the experiment, brain activity > > > > >> > > > during > > > > >> > > > both the non-conscious and conscious tasks was very similar, > > > > >> > > > indicating that the process of consciousness had not kicked > > > > >> > > > in. But > > > > >> > > > after that, there were several types of brain activity that > > > > >> > > > only > > > > >> > > > occurred in the individuals who were aware of the words that > > > > >> > > > were > > > > >> > > > specially delivered in the experiments. > > > > > >> > > > First, there was an increase in the voltage levels of the > > > > >> > > > signals in > > > > >> > > > their brains. Second, the frequency and phase of neurons > > > > >> > > > firing in > > > > >> > > > different parts of the brain seemed to synchronise. Then some > > > > >> > > > of these > > ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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