Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 19

Presuppositionalism.

Philosophy is an enthralling aspect of ideas. However it is so easy to lose sight of the practical consequences in the real world.

Presupposition in language, is a statement or question with presumed fact, that actually may not be the case. If for example, you take the statement of Peter no longer plays cricket, it implies that at one time he did play cricket. When did you stop picking up your own newspaper? This sentence suggests that at one time the person did pick up the newspaper.

When it comes to ideas, the assumed state of affairs would need more than just a claim from personal knowledge. Presuppositionalism is a particular claim about reality that identifies the ultimate to be revealed to them by personal knowledge. The ultimate underpins all understanding and reason. Independent thought is not possible without acknowledging the source is from the ultimate.

A counter line of reasoning is based on the practical aspect of life. If you need a plumber to do a job, as long as the plumber is competent, then you would most probably employ them. You would not need to find the ultimate plumber.

You might ask why is an ultimate necessary? For the simple reason that it is singular. If you have access to the ultimate, that eliminates any other claim for superiority. However when it comes to reality there is no need for an ultimate anything. All things could potentially be achieved with a competent agent.

Another point that is brought up when getting into presuppositionalism is that absolute knowledge is necessary to know anything. Science is an example of not knowing everything but being able to use limited knowledge until further knowledge is gained.

Logic and reason work independently of a connection to the ultimate. Trying to assert the need for the ultimate will result in no change to how logic and reason works. In addition to this, it would be necessary to show that the ultimate exists in reality.

Another interesting point is that agents such as animals and robots use logic and reason, without any recourse to the ultimate. Objects in the real world can be described as the ultimate tall tree, or the ultimate high mountain and the ultimate largest planet in the solar system. However for the presuppositionalist, in order to be rational, the metaphysics of being which is founded in the ultimate must be accepted as a fact. Metaphysics of course is the conjecture of what occurred before time, space and reality.

There is certainly a lot to be acknowledged about presuppositionalism. Not knowing the answer to metaphysical questions is not a problem for everyday life. Believing the ultimate is speaking to you could have several potential problems. Such as, are the thoughts yours or that of the ultimate? Theoretically if you believe they are the ultimate thoughts then your rational sceptic mind will not disagree with any direction you are given. That of course could be dangerous for yourself and others.

Effective Treatment.

During most people's lifetime they will need to obtain some medical information. You would think that vital information would be given in a complete and understandable way. However for some that experience is not always the case, and in this arena of facts and statistics, issues could become compromised.

If for example, you take particular aspects of certain healthcare industries, not everything is about perfection of perception. A drug can be promoted with an emphasis on only the positive information supplied and even that can vary from more comprehensive to completely ambiguous breakdown analysis. The medical expert in that one significant moment has arguably become a salesperson or spokesperson, and rather than discussing the long term prospect of taking that particular drug, simultaneously has a bias involved in their working role as a medical practitioner.

There can arguably be an industry influence and particularly within healthcare, personal knowledge and individual choice matters. Promotion and endorsement exist in business and undeniably in certain aspects of medicine, there is much money to be made. That is why absorbing the essential facts about any kind of potential means to health can become significant. Without knowing how many people are taking a suggested drug and still suffering negative or potentially lifelong and impacting consequences, how can a balanced decision ever be made about taking it? One might be furthermore prompted to question, where is the information about that specific drug coming from? If it is being supplied by the drug manufacturer, subsequently how can one have trust in the impartiality of the information?

One way of showing the effectiveness of a drug is to quote the number of patients needed to treat for one positive outcome. Although this still does not give a full picture of how many patients taking the drug still had a negative effect.

When the yardstick is reduction of consequences rather than elimination of those same consequences, it is clear one should be looking for treatment that has elimination as its goal.

The problem is the structure of information implemented in certain cases is geared with the decision to take a certain drug. A one solution fits all scenario eradicates any alternatives or possibly better suited options for that individual. The patient may not realise that there is any choice, as that had not been offered to them at the time.

I think that any medical decision for effective treatment should be taken after discussing the possible choices available in light of treatment to cure the condition, rather than simply reduce the risk. Medical matters can of course vary but what remains a consistent factor in so many cases, is that people should be aware of the facts and how they apply to them.

Explosion of Life.

This is my understanding of how things come into existence. I start off with a broad statement: Everything that exists or existed is due to an action. Actions can be divided into two categories, either with intention or without. Those without intention can be classed as natural creation. Then those that have intention would need an agent for intended creation.

The universe went through a birth process of natural selection. Only an early universe with the properties for survival will survive. Therefore it is no surprise given how critical the numbers are for survival, that a surviving universe would have them.

The universe appears to have a natural order which is inherent in how things are. At the birth of the universe there was chaos and order. For the universe, survival order would have to prevail. This order is related to the observable laws of nature and physics. However the whole universe is in continuous motion and change. Collisions between asteroids and planets are routine and even some are so large that they could have a catastrophic effect on a planet. Sometimes even
Galaxies and stars can collide.

Even the moon's creation could have been brought about through a collision with the earth and that of a mars sized object. Small meteors hit the earth every day. Fortunately large ones occur about every ten million years.

There are certain unique events that are part of natural creation such as the great oxidation event that occurred 2,300 million years ago. This heralded the opportunity for a drastic change in the evolution of life. Single celled organisms with their own DNA combined to form multi celled life that also has separate DNA.

Natural creation has no specific intention and apart from on Earth where agent creation is apparent, all creation is natural. To demand natural creation to act in the same way as agent creation is not being realistic. I think it is important not to confuse how natural creation and agent creation work. The notable Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle first expressed the phrase the Big Bang and later that the probability of life originating on earth would be no greater than a wind blowing through a scrap yard and assembling a Boeing seven four seven plane. The Big Bang theory was expounded by the roman catholic priest Father Lameitre.

The continuous formation of stars every second of the day is part of natural creation, although there is no specific intention involved. Without that natural process, matter for all other evolution would not exist. The white cliffs of Dover are another example of natural creation with no intention. They were formed by chalk sedimentary rock, which has come from about seventy million years of the slow deposit on the seafloor of the skeletal remains of algae and different types of sea creatures. Over time, the seafloor was raised up to in some places by over three hundred feet.

There appears no specific intention as for how things should be in the future. We as agent creators, are surrounded by specific creations, and may not appreciate that natural creation without intention took place before life developed in the way it has done.

Funny Mistakes.

Have you ever had one of those days, that no matter what, everything seems to be going wrong? Promise you won't laugh too much when you read this anecdote.

Without realising it the everyday pressure of life can build up. A clue might be restless sleep and consequently tiredness throughout the day. Feeling irritable with no patience, in this state I woke and saw that I had overslept, so I jumped up hurriedly. I got dressed and super quick I got into the car. In an agitated state I arrived at the firm's car park but I felt something was wrong as there were not the usual number of parked cars. It soon became apparent the reason being that it was Sunday, which was not one of my work days. I don't know whether the fact that I wasn't actually late could compensate for my distressed feeling at that time but the accustomed practice of a routine had certainly got the better of me on that particular occasion.

Recently I heard about an embarrassing incident about the mother of a friend. The mother had been shopping, while the father had been sitting in the car. Clutching the purchased items in a shopping bag the mother set about charging straight towards their vehicle, she opened the car door, plonked the shopping down and sat in the passenger seat. There was a few minutes of awkward silence and it was only then that the mother realised that things were not quite right. Slowly she turned her head to come face to face with a total stranger sitting in the driver’s seat, both matching each other’s expressions in equal shock and confusion. Inadvertently as it turned out, the mother in her haste, had ended up sitting in the Wrong car which had been a very similar make and colour to their own.

Looking the same can have some advantages as I wonder how many identical twins have at different times impersonated their twin. Film makers have exploited this phenomenon with great effect. A historical fictional story written by Mark Twain and first published in 1881 is that of the Prince and the Pauper. The main characters of the story are the son of King Henry the Eighth and a peasant boy who looked so much like the Prince. The main theme of the story is the contrast of the characters. Many audience members have, I am sure, had fun trying to tell apart the two boys. The pauper’s behaviour traits being of a far more attractive nature and a sign to indicate who is who.

Many stories with identical twins focus on the similarity element in appearance of the two characters and the conflict in juxtaposition of their personalities. Often this kind of who did what to who scenario can make for some extremely funny mix it up moments. Intentional or accidental mistakes can lead to much hilarity but funny aspects aside, do not be lulled into a false sense of security because in the final scene, one does not always know if the good twin has in fact prevailed.

Wonders of Life.

Slowly but surely the anatomy of humans is changing, from losing wisdom teeth to gaining a new artery in the forearm. Even body temperature is dropping by half a degree Fahrenheit, every ten years.

Historically, there is evidence to indicate that over hundreds of years, the brain has significantly changed. There have been major and minor physical adaptations and without the dexterity of opposable thumbs how different our development might have been.

In fact, many features that have integrated into that of everyday life, were at an earlier time in history rather different and yet associated with the basic needs of a human being. Of course losing hair, which at one time covered most parts of the body, thereby encouraged wearing the conventional use of clothes.

Possibly because of environmental changes to the landscape, the angle of the hip joint has moved to accommodate easier upright bipedal walking. The ability of the body to repair itself is amazing, although we are no longer able to regrow a lost limb, we can still effectively replace soft tissue. A patient was having a triple heart bypass procedure, when it was discovered a natural new artery was growing itself and rendered one of the bypasses not necessary.

In another fact based incident a member of a family happened to be a nurse and when her grandchild was scalded in an accident with boiling water, she knew how best to treat the injury without leaving permanent scarring. Contrary to certain beliefs and practices, the advice here was not to cover up or let the wound dry out. Continual fluids were administered to help the body’s own ability to recover and heal. Topical ointments were used as layers and health promoting barriers of protection upon the injured skin and the damaged area was constantly kept clean. Through not allowing the wound to dry out and after being exposed to the air, a few days later showed that new skin had grown and a while afterwards, there was no trace of any damage to the area.

Some eukaryotic cells have undoubted evidence of life's ability to cooperate for mutual benefit. To be specific, the mitochondria have a separate DNA from the cells and in the past could well have been separate organisms that once engulfed in the cell, formed a working bond. The mitochondria is the energy powerhouse of the cell.

The course of a development of a species is shaped by several different factors that are not just related to the anatomy of that creature. All life conforms to a progression of change, adaptation and at times transformation, including that of which we call mankind.

Trials and Tribulations.

If at any time you may be feeling down, it can be a jolt and somewhat of a helpful method to contrast to other people’s trials and tribulations. Both shocking and true, in one such example, in Colombia a five year old girl was kidnapped. It was possibly done for ransom but things did not appear to go according to plan and for some reason the little girl was abandoned in the middle of the jungle. Vulnerable and frightened, it was that a troop of capuchin monkeys took care of her and for five years she survived and became one of the troop. The young girl learned how to catch small birds and animals and also what nuts and berries were safe to eat. She adapted to the social structure of the troop and learnt their language. Her introduction back to civilisation came at some cost. A hunter actually discovered the little girl in the jungle, and it was this claimed rescuer who sold her to a brothel. I am happy to report that this was a place from which eventually she managed to escape.

Sometimes it is not a good idea to dwell too much on near misses as you never know, it could prove to be a dangerous distraction. A young man was viewing his brand new car with pleasure when he noticed what he thought was a blemish on the paint work, but when he looked at it again noticed that fortunately it was just the angle of the light. It was a nice sunny day so he thought he would take the car on a short drive. He was in the outside lane of a dual carriageway when the traffic ahead had come to a stop. He pulled up, making sure there was a decent gap between the front of his car and the rear of the vehicle that was in front of him. A few moments later and a most strange event occurred, a car travelling at phenomenal speed had mounted the grass central reservation and passed his car on the right hand side. A short time later, another car hit the rear of his new car but it was travelling so fast that it rammed his car into the back of the stationary car in front. The young man was very lucky to only suffer minor injuries. However the damage to the new car was such that it was a write-off.

Given a certain set of unfortunate experiences, a negative event or even an unwanted occurrence, it could sometimes appear to be that life is treating you in an unfair way. The knack of survival though, is turning misfortune around. If you stub your toe, do you stop walking? Of course not. It can be a useful way to think and act on it, if you do not let the circumstance dictate your mindset and ultimately you find the most positive way of carrying on.

A Wildlife Wonder.

Nature, for me, has an everlasting interest in the relationship of various species and the instances which can provoke intriguing thought. You might think that you know the usual habits of certain species and then again, along comes a story that could cause you to question the true extent of your knowledge.

Species of wildlife can vary dramatically and the experiences that people can have with different animals can vastly differ. Usually the bond that develops between owner and their pet has exceptional delights for both parties, however it is outstanding when wildlife interacts in what would have otherwise not have been thought of as quite such a humane situation.

A father and daughter were swimming and had strayed out close to some sharp rocks that had been hidden under the surface of the sea. The daughter felt a burning sensation in her foot and a cloud of red appeared in the water. The father moved closer to his daughter when events took a dramatic change. Overhead the birds began loudly calling and in the distance the father noticed the tip of the black triangular dorsal of what could only be a shark. With an effortless motion the shark was coming in their direction. The father’s heart started beating faster as he realised there would be little chance of defeating the shark. The father and daughter tried to increase the distance between the shark and themselves, but to no avail. The father thought to himself in those mighty and meaningful moments, that it had until that point, been such a lovely day. He had to in some contrast and dismay question if it was fact that life for himself and his daughter was going to end in bloody carnage? The two swimmers prayed for help but things looked desperate for them. It was just then, that as if from nowhere the snout of a dolphin broke the surface of the water and emitted a machine gun burst of clicking and chattering noises. Soon that single dolphin was joined by a fellow pod of dolphins. They acted fast and formed a continuous moving circle around the father and daughter. The shark began far more warily circling the group of humans and dolphins. The father just hoped the protective ring of dolphins would stay long enough for them to reach the shore.

Somewhat heroically the dolphins fended off any attacks from the shark and ensured that the same animal remained at a safe distance from the people, allowing the father and daughter swimmers enough protection to get to the safety of the shore. It was upon reaching dry land the father and daughter looked back out to sea and noticed the triumphant flips and jumps out of the water from their protectors. It felt and looked to both father and daughter as if the dolphins were joining them in relief and cheering their life saving success of survival.

There are multiple, recorded and noted occasions of dolphins assisting swimmers that have been in distress. A wildlife wonder in itself, I think that we can take from this account, the idea that having empathy and compassion is not limited to one form of life.

Birth of the Universe.

My epistemology of the big bang is based on a very few facts that are supported by direct observation. The term big bang really has a hidden physical truth that I think needs to be explained.

It is suggested that from a minute point of energy, there was in less time than a blink of an eye, a sudden and massive inflation. That inflation was the start of the process of surviving the birth of our universe. For a short time the inflation was faster than the speed of light. At that time there was not any blinding light, as the matter to produce light was not present.

Inflation of the universe is mind boggling, as you could be anywhere in the universe and from that point it would appear to be the centre of the universe. Moreover, the speed of inflation is not at a constant rate. However, for now the rate of inflation is increasing, and the more distant the galaxies the faster they are moving.

In my experience facts relating to science can change, which is a good thing, as there is an openness to adapt ideas in the light of new evidence.

The concept of an inflating universe is in light of the Doppler effect. That is, light from galaxies can vary colour depending on whether they are receding or approaching the observer. A picture of a portion of the universe clearly shows the majority of galaxies have a red shift of light indicating they are receding from the Milky Way, which is our galaxy. If they show a blue shift, the galaxy is approaching the Milky Way.

The other important point to note when thinking about the birth of our Universe, is that the residue background radiation that occurred at the moment of the Big Bang, is still present and can be detected. When a television is not tuned to a specific station, the screen will show a snowflake appearance. It is somewhat like a speckled screen and can be likened to that which is coming from the Cosmos, a radiation background shell, surrounding the whole universe.

Although I have mentioned significant and specific facts, they are sufficient enough for someone to be able to argue in favour of the reliability of a Big Bang happening. The birth and death of stars is not a one time affair but continuous every second of the day. It is, as in that of life, a compelling and mesmerising concept.

Memory Joggers.

Sometimes the little things in life can be so useful, such as the memory jogger of how many days there are in each month of the year. Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November, all the rest have thirty one except for February alone that has twenty eight and twenty nine days each leap year.

Not only did king Henry the eighth have six wives but remembering the events surrounding his marital dealings with them often is very useful, especially when wanting to display a more comprehensive historical knowledge. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded,
Survived.

Everyday there could be an opportunity to utilise a memory jogger, for example depending on the weather there is a bit of insight held in an ability to repeat this little rhyme. Red sky at night shepherd’s delight. Red sky in the morning shepherds warning. It is amazing how many times this has been proved to be the case of an accurate forecast for good or bad weather.

Another typically interesting one can be found in unveiling the order of the colours of the rainbow. It can be remembered by reciting that memory jogger, Richard of York gave battle in vain. All of a sudden Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet spring to mind.

Memory joggers work best when they are humorous and tickle the imagination, for instance to remember the points on a compass, this little piece can be thoughtfully put into practice and off it goes with, Naughty Elephants Squirt Water. For the four points of a compass, no longer a memory problem should they entail.

A very good space associated memory jogger can come in the form of the order of the planets and that can be, Make Very Easy Mash Just Start Using New Potatoes.

The joy of learning can be greatly enhanced by imagination and creativity. Spelling, knowledge on multiple subjects, even facts about the environment can all be far easier brought to mind, appreciated, acknowledged and recognised for future use by simply implementing a few memory joggers. There are many out there, so either through picking those that have an appeal for you or by making up your own, why not put this practical practice into use? Have fun and fear remembering the facts no longer!

The Variety of Creation.

Types of creation in everyday life can vary, from a dripping tap over a plastic bowl with water in it, each droplet of water from the tap will cause tiny ripples of water in the bowl under the tap. Then, there are the beautiful rainbows that form from sunlight striking water droplets. While we are on the subject of water, snowflakes have an everlasting range of shapes that can enthral and astound the observer.

I think it may help to think of creation as being of two broad groups. One with intention, such as a man building a house for shelter or rabbits that build a burrow. Then there is creation with no specific intention, such as the universe that is in constant creation and destruction in the form of new stars and old stars. Also in terms of variety of creation, on earth there is the continuous continental drift of forming new land masses.

Did you know that every single day, it is estimated that throughout the entire visible universe there are four hundred million stars born? That is equal to four thousand eight hundred stars per second. Not only that, there are a slightly less number of stars that have reached the end of their life. Some of those dead stars explode releasing material that is the basis for new stars, planets and life. Life and death are all part of creation.

An interesting example of assuming the intention of a creation is that of a collection of paintings. The art expert with confidence described the thinking of each individual artist and the emotions that was depicted in the works of art. Then the presenter of the exhibition asked the art expert if he would like to meet the artists. He was dumbfounded when he was introduced to a chimpanzee, elephant, cat and a robot.

It is so easy to jump to a wrong conclusion when it comes to identifying the intention of a creation.

The universe is an example of surviving the process of creation. Natural selection dictates that universes without the qualities for survival, simply do not exist.

Does life on earth have a specific goal? Other than survival some might argue that it does not appear so. If there was an intention for a specific creature to exist above all others, would it be about longevity of that species or something else? Of course in response to this question, it could be suggested that humans have a biased view.

The result of evolution could be theorised as without a specific form and will continue while the environment is able to support life. There is of course a time when our solar system billions of years in the future will dramatically change. Alteration and adaptation is a part of the variety of creation.

However, individual life is precious and of limited time. So making life for others and yourself as pleasant as possible, I think would be worthwhile.