Peg Herring's Blog - Posts Tagged "thinking"
How Dare You?
Heard on the news about a guy who was texting, crossed the centerline, and hit a truck head-on. He's dead. Okay. He did a dumb thing and died for it.
But what about the poor truck driver? Imagine what he's going through today, what he will live with from now on. Somebody died because he was on that road, that day.
Sure, he'll tell himself, and others will reiterate, that there was nothing he could have done. Big trucks don't manuever nimbly out of the way, don't stop on a dime. But he will always have those images: the moment of knowing a crash is inevitable, the impact, the realization that the other driver is dead.
Next time you're thinking of doing something stupid while you're driving, remind yourself that you might die. And if you won't think of your own life, think about the people who might live on, knowing they were part of it, even if they were doing everything right.
But what about the poor truck driver? Imagine what he's going through today, what he will live with from now on. Somebody died because he was on that road, that day.
Sure, he'll tell himself, and others will reiterate, that there was nothing he could have done. Big trucks don't manuever nimbly out of the way, don't stop on a dime. But he will always have those images: the moment of knowing a crash is inevitable, the impact, the realization that the other driver is dead.
Next time you're thinking of doing something stupid while you're driving, remind yourself that you might die. And if you won't think of your own life, think about the people who might live on, knowing they were part of it, even if they were doing everything right.
Logic? No Such Thing
Think about it (due to subject matter, I won't add "logically" to that command).
If there were such a thing as logic, then we would all have to agree on stuff. And we don't. Therefore, logic cannot exist, of if it does, it is outside human capacity.
I think that a particular political philosophy makes sense. You, having an equally adequate brain, come to a different conclusion and support opposing candidates and platforms.
I read a book and like it a lot. You read the same book and find all sorts of problems with it.
You believe that the world was created by aliens from the next galaxy over. I have problems accepting that aliens would want to create something as chaotic as this.
Yup, the above items are all quite subjective. But if logic exists, why can we not delve into them and find the truth? Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am." If that proves my existence, then my thinking has to be right. But if my thinking doesn't agree with yours, does that mean you don't exist?
Wow. Logically, I must be Will Smith and the rest of you are those creepy beings that keep chasing him around in I AM LEGEND.
If there were such a thing as logic, then we would all have to agree on stuff. And we don't. Therefore, logic cannot exist, of if it does, it is outside human capacity.
I think that a particular political philosophy makes sense. You, having an equally adequate brain, come to a different conclusion and support opposing candidates and platforms.
I read a book and like it a lot. You read the same book and find all sorts of problems with it.
You believe that the world was created by aliens from the next galaxy over. I have problems accepting that aliens would want to create something as chaotic as this.
Yup, the above items are all quite subjective. But if logic exists, why can we not delve into them and find the truth? Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am." If that proves my existence, then my thinking has to be right. But if my thinking doesn't agree with yours, does that mean you don't exist?
Wow. Logically, I must be Will Smith and the rest of you are those creepy beings that keep chasing him around in I AM LEGEND.
Why Humans Are Really Cool People
I'm reading a book about the brain (again, I know--I do this a lot). The author contends that somewhere along the line, humans took a huge evolutionary step that resulted in something unique to the earth: a creature that can consider its own being. It is that, he contends, not language or opposable thumbs or use of tools or whatever you've heard before, that makes us so special. He says we might imagine our computers taking off their covers and turning their webcams into their interior workings as a metaphor for what we as humans do to get to know ourselves better.
I am intrigued by this idea and by all that goes along with it. It's a very cool thing we do, although it results in both bad and good knowledge. We now know that the brain is amazingly complex, adaptable, and plastic, but we also know it can screw us up royally when something goes wrong.
What amazes me is the number of people who don't seem inclined to use the three pounds of amazing power they carry around with them: the people who accept everything they are told; the people who don't read; the people who actually seem proud of their ignorance. They're so open to manipulation from advertisers (Did you even THINK about whether you need that product?), religious zealots (Are you SURE you want to follow that line of non-logic?), and, especially this year, political rhetoric (Do you REALLY think things are going to change if you vote X into office?)
Having these wonderful brains that can examine, process, and filter isn't enough. We have to use them. So maybe the title of this piece should be "Why Some Humans Are Really Cool People, and the Rest Remained in the Primordial Ooze".
I am intrigued by this idea and by all that goes along with it. It's a very cool thing we do, although it results in both bad and good knowledge. We now know that the brain is amazingly complex, adaptable, and plastic, but we also know it can screw us up royally when something goes wrong.
What amazes me is the number of people who don't seem inclined to use the three pounds of amazing power they carry around with them: the people who accept everything they are told; the people who don't read; the people who actually seem proud of their ignorance. They're so open to manipulation from advertisers (Did you even THINK about whether you need that product?), religious zealots (Are you SURE you want to follow that line of non-logic?), and, especially this year, political rhetoric (Do you REALLY think things are going to change if you vote X into office?)
Having these wonderful brains that can examine, process, and filter isn't enough. We have to use them. So maybe the title of this piece should be "Why Some Humans Are Really Cool People, and the Rest Remained in the Primordial Ooze".
