Wednesday, July 29, 2009

FINAL EXAMINATION (JULY 30, 2009) VANESSA RUBALCAVA


11.) Steven Pinker believes that evolution is important in understanding human behavior because in his brief definition and summary of what evolutionary psychology is, he states that it is, "bringing to bare or the study of the mind." Based on this quotation/definition Pinker is saying that evolutionary psychology is universal in human nature, and it deals a lot with the brain and the combining of psychology with the study of the brain. Pinker's concentration is in cognitive psychology which deals with the mind, thinking, speaking and reasoning.


He feels that the mind partakes in so many ways to human behaviors all over the world, and depending where you grew up at and what environment you felt comfortable in when learning and growing. For example, Pinker even stated that, "Human behavior varies all over the map." I grew up here in Southern California so according to Pinker my behavior varies here in Southern California, but lets say that I flew out to sight see London, England my behavior and language is completely different and I may offend someone or make my self look like a complete fool just by acting the way I normally feel comfortable with here in California. It is amazing how much of an effect our environment plays/controls our behaviors, we probably don't even notice it until we travel somewhere so opposite of what we are accustomed to.


12.)The theory of evolution is very helpful in doing philosophy because, Philosophy concentrates on so many aspects of human behavior, how we live, how we interact with our society,How we think and act, and how we think about our place in existence like where we fit into this world. I like how this theory has been around for so long and that many philosophers all over try and relate where we came from? who we are? How we feel is the right way and smart way to live here on earth? Scientists are even trying to relate this theory of evolution to all the questions stated above.


This debate can go on forever in wondering where we all came from? and why we are here? and much more questions that may never be answered, but I believe that there will always be more and more questions based on this theory. Evolutionary Philosophy is very ambiguous because many people can form their own ideas and conclusions to how we live and think. This is a theory that many people can apply there own implications and propose new questions to. I believe that this theory even questions creation, and God as not being apart of life at all, that he doesn't exist. If so, that is the one thing that I disagree to, because I believe that God does exist I have faith that he lives on in Heaven.


13.) Francis Crick does not believe in a soul, because in the film a Glorious piece of meat his quotation goes, "What we take to be the soul is nothing more than a complex network of neurons." He feels that the soul is nothing at all, and that he believes it is a complex network of neurons, this may be true, however, how can one state that there is no soul other than these neurons. It doesn't make any sense to me that Crick can just make such a statement with no reliable source, our soul is something that isn't visible to the human eye, so how can one believe that it is nothing more than neurons?


Crick is coming from a different standpoint than I'am, but I don't think a claim like what he is posing is reasonable in my own opinion. I can't see my soul however I believe that there is way more to the soul than just a network of neurons, yes I can't see the soul to even say that, however what we don't know can't hurt us. The soul is mysterious it may be more than what we expect it to be it may be the hardest truth to understand that is why it is unknown to us of what it is, because if we really knew we might not be able to attain its truth and power!


14.) Some major issues behind a neuro-ethical argument for vegetarianism is that many people can't see eye to eye on reasons to become a vegetarian, and animals are being slaughtered everyday. People don't think that when they are eating beef that before it came to there plate it was killed and was handled by many people after that to come to your food market. Animals have feelings too and they can feel pain just like humans they scream when in pain. It's strengths are that by going pro vegetarian diet, lowering ones risk of developing heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, kidney stones, and gallstones. It is so amazing that by avoiding certain foods we can help our health significantly, and risk all these life threatening conditions. You can even live longer and spare animals life's, plus you can have more energy because your not eating high fat foods with saturated fats, the saturated fats are the "bad" fats. Many environmentalists become vegetarians choose the vegetarian diet because they believe in protecting animals from being slaughtered and tortured before death. Vegans don't even wear animal fur as clothing or any such means of animals.


This argument has way more strengths than weaknesses, I mean I believe that there are no weaknesses for choosing the vegan way in your diet, not only are you helping and standing up for animal killings but you are learning a new way of living life without eating our animals that live and share this world with us. I mean who doesn't want to eat healthier and have great nutritional values? It may be hard at first when deciding to become a vegetarian which there are many vegetarian diets to pick from, because when your used to eating meats it is hard to just stop cold turkey. I have tried to become a vegetarian, and the first couple of days it was hard to abstain from chicken, I would be eating it and not realize what I was doing until after the harm was done! That can be one weakness about the neuro ethical argument for vegetarianism.


15.) John Searle's views differ from Ken Wibler's because Wibler describes his schools of consciousness and what they have to offer he states, "My own approach to consciousness studies is based on the assumption that each of these schools has something irrepressibly important to offer, and thus what is required is a general model sophisticated enough to incorporate the essentials of each of them." He continues to list about 12 schools and talks about them in detail, some schools include, Clinical Psychiatry, Social Psychology, Neuro Psychology (brain), and Cognitive Science. He even draws out his four corners of the Kosmos and groups some parts of intentional, behavioural, cultural and social into his four quadrants and it describes human knowledge and the information he researched and attained from, "developmental and evolutionary fields." His views are interesting, however I found Searle's to be more persuasive.


Searle's view points were more persuasive, because his view points are that consciousness is, "subjective states of sentience or awareness that begin when one awakes in the morning from a dreamless sleep and continue throughout the day until one goes to sleep at night or falls into a coma, or dies, or otherwise becomes, as one would say, `unconscious'. " He even states that consciousness is a "biological phenomenon" Consciousness has so many features to it and Searle describes each feature in detail, I like how he talks about mood as being a factor and feature in consciousness, and how one can be prescribed mood altering drugs to change the state of ones current mood, For example, anger, depression, happy, sad, ecstatic, silly, jolly, frustrated, excited, and vibrant. This paper by John Searle was more persuasive to me and caught my attention more than Ken Wilber's because it was easier to pertain all information about consciousness, and how it is applied to many aspects and features dealing with consciousness. He even talked about self-consciousness and how consciousness shouldn't be confused with it he believes "that all conscious states are self-conscious." Our consciousness has it's own mind and I believe that it acts like our instinct as well, it lets us know things and keeps us aware of what is going on around us, just like our gut instinct would do.


16.) The theme behind the movie A Glorious Piece Of Meat is that our brain may turn out to be just a piece of meat nothing more and nothing less, In the beginning of the film Patricia Smith Churchland stated,"And then if it turns out that you are just stuff, that your brain just is meat,then wanting it to be different isn't going to change it." To Churchland our brain is nothing because she feels that we don't do anything at all. Without our brains we are useless, but our brain isn't just apiece of meat, and were not just stuff, we are human beings! Our brain makes us a functioning human being. We function the way we do everyday because our brains are there to give us energy and the strength to do everyday tasks and retain knowledge that we learn about all the time.


Who would we all be if we had meat for a brain? Would it even be called a brain anymore? It makes no sense to think that our brain may very well be meat and we may just be stuff. Seems to me that she really thinks very little of the human population, especially if she is stating that we are pretty much lifeless. Francis Crick even had a statement in this film about the soul, "What we take to be the soul is nothing more than a complex network of neurons."Now the soul, come on! what will be falsified next? Here I believe that many religions would be offended and taken back, I believe that a religious person would argue against it by stating, How would one not understand that life is unknowing, however, having faith is all we need in this world to omit these falsifications stated by people of no faith. The soul, brain, and body are mysterious to begin with, why make it even more complicated. It's easier to let things be the way they are meant to be. I believe that this simple statement made famous by Descartes, "I think, therefore Iam" (http://onphilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/10/12/i-think-therefore-i-am/) says all we need to think about in regards to existence.


17.) Sam Harris is so critical of religion, because he feels that many religions practice love but preach exclusion. He sees religious beliefs as false and he even said that he was worried and there is no reason to survive religious differences. I agree with Harris on this part because it is true how some religions like extreme Muslims preach how much they love and worship God, yet they blow themselves up and kill others in the process because they feel it is the right way to go and after they die they will successfully be rewarded with virgin women. It is awkward how they are going in such a different direction. They preach about God, but maybe they are just wanting to die just for the sake of receiving virgin women, and not the sake of God?


I would have to say that Sam Harris succeeds in my opinion, because I can agree strongly with his worrying towards religions preaching exclusion against others that aren't apart of there religious group, they sometimes think they are better than others who aren't in their affiliation. That bothers me and worries me to the same degree that it does to Harris. I would have to say that Harris has a strong argument and succeeds towards his worry and how religions preach opposite of what they practice. Harris made me think and reflect a lot upon my own religion. I am Catholic and believe in God, and the main reason why I haven't gone to church in a few years is the same as Harris on how religions are sometimes too pushy and want to get people to join their affiliation. I once hung out with a guy who was a Mormon LDS not too long after we hung out a group of missionaries came to my home asking for me by name. I was shcoked that he would give my name and address out like that just to get me to convert, it's annoying honestly, and very rude for people to do that. Harris made me cheer him on when he brought up this topic. I really enjoyed his speech!


18.) The essence of Friedrich Nietzsche's genealogy of morals sounds very poetic, when he writes his opinions they come together like a poem in the way that his words are flowing, it's very nice. He is stating how we as human beings don't know ourselves, and "who we are." He states, "So we remain simply and necessarily strangers to ourselves, we do not understand ourselves, we must be confused about ourselves. For us this law holds for all eternity: “Each man is furthest from himself”—where we ourselves are concerned, we are not “knowledgeable people” . . .I found this information to be very interesting because we truly don't know ourselfs , and sometimes people know me better than I do myself. It is sad yet true. We are strangers to ourselves and we aren't aware of who we are and what we are actually capable of being or doing. What if we found out who we are and didn't like what we saw?

He also talks about "the good man" and "the bad man" he states how we look highly upon the good man in life and put them on a pedastal, we respect and give them the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand the "bad man" is frowned upon and look badly at. However, He proposes this question, "What if the truth were the other way around? Well? What if in the “good” there even lay a symptom of regression, something like a danger, a seduction, a poison, a narcotic, something which makes the present live at the cost of the future? " This really made me reflect upon what he was asking, because it is true, nobody is perfect and that is what he is trying to say to the reader. Nobody is the "good" perfect person, because there is no such thing, some people have dangerous sides and "bad" sides. Yes, one can be a "good" person, however, one can be two sided as well. I don't even know the definition of perfect because there is no such usage of that word in my vocabulary. Life has it's balances of "good" and "bad" intentions, which bring these good and bad choices together and gives one the opportunity to open one's eyes and take off the blinders to see what's really infront of us.

19.) Gandhi believes in Ahimsa because it is the non-violence lifestyle, this lifestyle was so important to him and it's a way of life that I believe should be implemented into our everyday experiences and encounters, we should treat ourself's and others with respect. He even stated "Ever since I have been grown up, I have never desired to smoke and have always re-garded the habit of smoking as barbarous, dirty and harmful. I have never understood why there is such a rage for smoking throughout the world" in his autibiography, M.K. Gandhi's My Experiements With Truth. This goes to prove how he can apply his healthy lifestyle to Ahimsa because he is respecting his body by avoiding smoking and others from second hand smoking.


Ahimsa means "non-injury"http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/ahimsa.htm and therefore, means that one must not do harm unto others, meaning don't kill and to love others and respect others. According to http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/ahimsa.htm Ahimsa also means, "Ahimsa is universal love. It is pure love." Gandhi practced this non injury way of life because it is a way to obstain from harming, offending and becoming harsh towards others. He believes that you should have no enimies in life and to love everyone. This is a great way to re-think life in terms of how we mutter harsh words about our enemies, and yet, it gets us nowhere, Ahimsa gets you to a powerful place and proves that one can control anger and hatred against others, and turn it around and love them. He practiced Ahisma because he was a great mentor and role model towards all in showing us how we can attain positive manners in life and not negative ones. I believe in Ahimsa as well, it's a great way to learn how to respect everyone and yourself at the same time, plus you may recieve respect back from others, which is a plus.


20.) Nietzche's notion of the myth of eternal recurrence is, "Imagine that you had to relive every moment of your life again and again"--Nietzsche. His opinion/thoughts about eternal recurrence were amazing, and something that one can't decide on it is said in this film the narrator asked us to imagine if a demon creped up to you and said, as you live this life it now will be relived again and again with every pain, sorrow, joy,thought, and sigh. Nothing would ever be new, it would be the same again and again the same series.


Nietzche's ideas about eternal recurrence is that what if we had no choice but to relive this life as it has already been lived, and what we would think and react in this position. He probably questioned life and maybe feeling like you have lived this life before, and are now living it all over again, hence, de javu. He had a great thought going here with this suggestion. It is even said in the film if we would be angry and curse the demon who spoke, or say "you are a God, and I have never heard of anything more divine." It is amazing how I watched this video and even reflected if I have been here before, and how many times if so? It is a hard position to be put in because people go through so much and learn so much in one life, but to be given an opportunity according to Nietzche what would we do, curse the demon? or say he is a God?


21.) The ironic theme in the movie Flame On is how homosexuals are viewed as lower and abnormal,because many people would frown upon this and look down on it. They are discriminated upon and treated differently because of who they sexually perfer and love. Many homosexuals would go to jail or to labor camps for being gay, and were treated differently than others (normal people) Homosexuality dates back to the beginning of time, and what this video is trying to say is that it needs to stop, but at the same time it must not be frowed down upon by other people who are straight.


This film is also trying to get people to feel comfortable about understanding that there are homosexuals out there. At the end of the video is shows names of famous gays and lesbians throughout history which is trying to prove how far back this sexuality preference has been going on for. I was shcoked to see many names of philosophers and artists who were gay, it showed Socrates and Leonardo Da Vinci. I had no clue that they were gay men, but they were great at what they did, Socrates was a great greek philosopher and Da Vinci was a great artist. By showing this list i'm sure that people will be as shocked as I was unless they knew they were gay already, but this helped me see that I never judged them before and now I will still not judge them based on my new findings about there sexuality preference. It makes you think twice before making judgements.

22.) Daniel Dennett favor's calling himself a "bright," because he is a person who rejects supernatural explanations. Being a "bright" doesn't necessarly imply that one is smart but that they reject God. He says that they are like agnostics, and athiests, however, Dennett doesn't like being labeled an agnostic, because he sees them as people who are doubting religious beliefs and ways of worship. Dennett is a "bright" because he says he is absolutely 100 percent sure that there is no God at all. He even said in the interview, "Of course there isn't a God, so what."

Dennett said that he doesn't like making such a big deal out of being a "bright" because he doesn't like doing that, unlike an athiest who will make a big deal out of being an athiest and not believing in a God. He is a "bright" because he choses the path in life to be a non believer in God and anything associated with religious affiliations and groups. God is an important part of my life, and like Dennett I don't like making such a big deal about my religious path in life, he choses not to believe and I choose to believe in God. People who make such a mockery out of there religion are too pushy upon others religions and can be unaccepting to other religions out there, they are arrogand and ignorant if they act in such ways. Dennett shows us that he is a "bright" because he is proud of who he is and that he sways away from wanting to gain attention from those like athiests.

24.) The overall theme of the movie Inner Visions and Running Trains is that during this base fight in Iraq in 1919 Baba Faqir Chand and his group of soldiers had been fighting when he was informed that they were low on ammunition and everyone was scared for there lives. "In this very moment of fear the Holy Form of Hazur Data Dayal Ji appeared before me and said, "Faqir,worry not, the enemy has not come to attack but to take away their dead. Let them do that. Don't waste your ammunition." He was so convinced by this image that he warned Subedar Major about his appearance of this Guru, and made sure that they must not waste any amminition when the rebels appear.

After the rebels had came for there dead and didn't attack, Baba Faqir Chand was so relieved and happy that they didn't loose there lifes at that moment. They weren't scared anymore after they came for there dead and no one was killed. He was worshiped by his soldiers and people when he arrived back home, but that made him doubt his own mind and he believed that what he saw and what talked to him was just a projection of his own mind. Overall what the stories theme was is how one person in a stage of deep fear of one's life may have projections of their own mind appear to them and help them in the time of need, he believed that it wasn't the Guru who came to him but that it was him who appeared to him to get them out of a deadly situation if handeled incorrectly. Sometimes our mind speaks volumes and can play tricks on us and make us believe something, just like in Chand's situation.

25.) "Learned ignorance" to Nicholas of Cusa means that one must learn that one doesn't know. He is outlining true ideas, because many times people believe what they think is right in there terms or even others terms if they are followers and not leaders. He is trying to prove that we know nothing, and that one must understand and accept that one doesn't know the answer. People are afraid of the unknown and stick the familiar routines all the time, people are afraid of change therefore, they stay in the same ongoing state in their live's due to fear of constant change.

Even with religion, individuals always try and figure out why things are the way they are? or if there is a God? Nicholas of Cusa's main point is to remember that we don't know, we have lack of knowledge and must move forward without answers at times in our lives. It's implications for my own life is that I must learn to not let things get in the way of me moving forward in life and letting bygons be bygones. I have a bad habbit of not letting the past go, especially when I don't have answers to let it go, I therefore make up my own conclusions to the issue but that doesn't help. If i can apply learned ignorance to my life it will help me understand to accept that I don't know the answer, and I will be able to move on. This has already helped me a great deal because I always over analyze relationships and by doing so even after there is a breakup involved I am not able to let it go unless I have answers as to why? I feel better that I can now say i have learned ignorance and must let it go!

27.) According to the film I saw why turn vegetarian? It talked about arguments for vegetarianism, however, there are arguments against vegetarianism. For example, argument: “I don’t think there are enough resources on the earth if everybody decides to go vegetarian/vegan. so I am happy other people eat meat actually" (http://blog.liberationbc.org/2009/06/arguments-against-veganism-part-1/). Based on this they are stating that there aren't enough resources on the earth, and they are happy that people eat meat anyways. I don't agree with this, because If people become vegetarian they can live a healthier lifestyle and avoid diseases. Eating meat can add saturated fats to your diet

Another argument against vegetarianism is, “Bunnies and mice are accidentally slaughtered by the billions each year during mechanized harvesting of wheat and vegetables. Animals are dying either way. Eat what you like and don’t feel guilty about it" (http://blog.liberationbc.org/tag/vegetarian/). This argument is worthless and will be omited when a vegetarian takes the rebutle because, yes many bunnies and mice are accidentally slaughtered each year, but this argument was stated because they had nithing better to say. This argument is weak because they talk about animals being accidentally killed each year, then they go on to say that you should eat what you like and not feeling guilty about it, so they admit there is guilt to be felt when eating animal products? Wouldn't we want to stop this while we still can little by little animals all over can be saved by just becoming a vegan. It only takes one person to make a change!

28.) The turning point in Ramana Maharshi's life were actually a couple of events like when his father passed away because of his fathers passing he had to then be sepertated form his family and moved in with his uncle, and then his uncle gave Maharshi a book called, "Periya Puranan," this book inspired him about the beauty in life he was in "awe" of his findings. He had then something to look forward to in life because he was not doing so great in school, all he cared about was sports, this was his only interest until this book fell into his hands.

One day while he was in an upstairs room at his uncles house he had a "violent fear of death and was overwhelmed." Eventhough he was in great health he felt, "I'm going to die." He then began to question what "death means?" and "what is dying?" He would even imitate a state of rigamortis "holding back breath" He would even lay down in a stiff position as if he were really dead. He then realized that when a person dies, what is really happening is that the body is dying but the spirit remains unharmed and can't be touched by death. The body is a shell and when it dies the spirit is still there. After this turning point occured in his life he was always centered within the self. He remained at peace in this peaceful state of mind. He was a spiritual

29.) Gandhi's double shame was when his father was dying and he left his dying fathers side to make love to his wife. His father died that and Gandhi could never forvive himself for what had happened, therefore it became his "double shame" it was his guilt that was for his father, he wouldn't be by his fathers side when he passed away because he chose to make love to his wife Kasturba.

Gandhi then began to later neglect his wife, because he associated her and love making to the death of his father. It took his wife Jasturba to die for him to realize how much she really meant to him and that she was an important part of his life. Gandhi later devoted all of his time to public service and practiced self-discipline. If Gandhi lived during our era he would probably have the same view of this event, because anyone who experiences a double shame like Ghandi had, welll they would feel terrible about it. Gandhi would still feel bad about what was done if he lived during our era, his dad passed away and he chose other obligations to fulfil during that time that his father passed away. This is a horrible place to be in and he acted as anyone who would experience this event in today's era.

30.) Four distinct passages from Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus are:

  • 1.) "2.01231 In order to know an object, I must know not its external but all its internal qualities. 2.0124." This means that one must know what something is by understanding and grasping what is in the insde in order to say they know what it is. For example, If i judged people based on there looks, well then I really don't know who they are for me to even judge them, for instance someone can look completely healthy, smart, funny , and be a drug abusing murderer! I mean who are we to judge and know anything people, objects when we don't know whats in the inside first? No one can make remarks about something they know nothing about, that's nonsense!
  • 2.) " 2.14 The picture consists in the fact that its elements are combined with one another in a definite way." This statement is interesting, yet may have ambiguous meanings within! I'm not sure exactly what Wittgenstein meant percisly by this, but I believe that it means when a picturehas no elements combined together in it, then it isn't whole, it then can't be called a picture. When something is whole it has all oarts intact, but a picture like many other things in life can't be called by there name when they aren't complete. They will be considered dead or incomplete if they aren't placed together with all elements help and bonded as one.
  • 3.) "6.36311 That the sun will rise to-morrow, is an hypothesis; and that means that we do not know whether it will rise." This was one i wrote about in a previous posting because I liked the meaning that I took from reading it. I believe that this means, when a person dies and is no longer alive here in earth, they will no longer witness the sun rising, and no longer will they be able to witness the beauty of the sun rising. The sun does rise however, all over the world at different hours, when the sun sets here it rises in another part of the world. The sun never takes a break or a day off it's light will continue to shine over us, unless he means when the end of time comes then the sun will no longer rise, or if it does no one will be here to witness it, therefore, it will not exist and will not shine for anyone anymore. We should live each day as if it were our last! everyday we should not take what we have for granted and respect our selfs more and people around us too.
  • 4.) "6.373 The world is independent of my will." I believe that when he says this he means that the world will always do its own thing, like the sun will rise and set, earthquakes will occur all the time. The world is not dependent upon us as individuals living here on it. He will be able to do what he wants on his own time while the world is independent and on its own. He will live his life while the world continues to spin and the worldsresources are still avaliable to him. It just shows that we are seperate from the world we live in, and it will continue to do whatever it wants while it continues to exist! This passage was very interesting and fun to try and figure out what he meant when he wrote it!

33.) Tolstoy's confession and religious conversion started when he was a little kid, "I was baptized and brought up in the Orthodox Christian faith. I was taught it in childhood and throughout my boyhood and youth." But as he reached the age of 18 years old he abbandoned the things that he had been taught all through his childhood. He even gave a reason why he abbandoned his religion, "Judging by certain memories, I never seriously believed them, but had merely relied on what I was taught and on what was professed by the grown-up people around me, and that reliance was very unstable." He felt that he was just born into the Orthodox Christian faith, but it was not born into him.

He later believed that all he believed in was perfecting himself and making himself to be more rich, strong, more important and much more richer than everyone else. He didn't do this or have this desire to be perfect in his eyes, nor for the eyes of God, but only for the eyes of everyone around him. He even went to war and killed people, he stated, "I killed men in war and challenged men to duels in order to kill them. I lost at cards, consumed the labor of the peasants, sentenced them to punishments, lived loosely, and deceived people. Lying, robbery, adultery of all kinds, drunkenness, violence, murder - there was no crime I did not commit[...]" He even said that even after all of this, people still praised him and thought of his as a good man. A key element in his radical change in philosophy was he had this thought, "The truth was that life is meaningless. I had as it were lived, lived, and walked, walked, till I had come to a precipice and saw clearly that there was nothing ahead of me but destruction. " He even considered suicide, but, he was good enough to avoit any situations or objects that he could be tempted to take his life, he even stopped going out shooting with a gun justin case he became inclined to do the dirty deed. He came to the cunclusion that he had to get creative in ways to not kill himself, and he was cunning and smart to ignore the temptations or contemplations. He even feared death, and thought that someone was having fun watching him live his life and was making jokes about him and his thoughts. He even began to question life and death, why he lives? and what will become of his whole life?

34.) My favorite expert film lecture this term was Why Turn Vegetarian? I loved this film because it was a complete eye opener for me to witness. I felt bad for all those animals being slaughtered, I can't imagine the pain that they go through when being harmed and slaughtered. How can someone kill animals for a career? It's a terrible career to have, that is something that I wouldn't be proud of. Another thing that I liked about this film is that it listed top reasons to become a vegetarian, many included lowering rsik of getting heart disease, meat and dairy makes you fat (of course when consuming large amounts of them daily), animals are defenceless, no animal should die for your taste buds, mad cow disease is in the U.S., no living animal wants to see there family slaughtered and much more reasons!

It is sad to think that animals scream when they feel pain just like humans do. Seeing these animals being killed made me question why I'm not a vegetarian already? then I realized how easy it can be to start to become one myself. I want to become a vegetrian, plus it has great health benefits that come along with this healthy diet, like reducing risk of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and by eliminating saturated fats which are the bad fats you can become you will gain more strength and live longer healthier lives. It will be nice to be a healthier individual and to be able too avoid many diseases and sicknesses. At the end of the film it states, "Maybe its time to go vegetarian." I liked how it ended because it shows so much harm that can be done to animals, and how helpless they really are, they have no voice but we do and we should speak up for these poor animals. I'm glad that people already do like the foundation for PETA! they are great people to do what they do for these pooe helpless animals that have feelings too!

35.) My favorite movie this term was Nietzsche and the Myth of Eternal Recurrence."Imagine that you had to relive every moment of your life again and again"--Nietzsche. I really liked how this video caught my attention, I even watched it a couple times because it was so interesting. A very amazing statement was stated in this film by the narrator telling us that what if we had a demon come up to us and say as you live this life it now will be relived again and again with every pain, sorrow, joy,thought, and sigh. Nothing would ever be new, it would be the same again and again the same series. What a great concept!

It is so interesting to listen to this narrator speak while watching in the film someone's life being relived again and again and again. I believe that if someone was able to have this opportunity to relive life again for ever it would be crazy to think how is this even possible? Having this brought uopn you is amazing because I would take that up in a second, life is amazing and precious. Reliving every joy and happy moment again would be worth having to relive every pain, sorrow and sigh! I mean would one be aware when living there life again that they had lived it before? If so wouldn't it get boring? I mean if one was unaware during there chance at life again then it would be like anyother day not knowing if you have been here before in this same situation. Not being able to fix mistakes I have made in my life would be upsetting because I would love to go back and fix mistakes and choices I have made. But i guess all those choices have made me into the person that I' am today! no one is perfect!

36.) My favorite reading this term was On Learned Ignorance by, Nicholas of Cusa. This book was very fun to get involved in because he states many true ideas and concepts based on how people need to understand that they know nothing at all! He says, one must learn that one doesn't know. He was a very intellectual individual and I had a good time relating to his concept of learned ignorance, and how I can definatly apply this form of learned ignorance to my life at the moment. Some ignorant people act as if they know everything when in reality they know nothing, they just need to accept that fact and shut up.

This was also my favorite reading because it caught my immediate attention when entering week 6, and being able to read it and grasp what he was trying to get across to people everywhere. He wanted to be able to help people accept that we don't and won't be able to understand everything that happens to us and to people around us. Life is mysterious and it will remain that way, because he wants us to learn that we don't have all the knowlegde in the world to grasp unknown information that is so discombobulating and sometimes harsh. One must believe what they feel is right and not question it, because some questions don't have the answers were looking for. People are afraid of change in life and will agree and accept anything to get them through in life, but there is so much more in life that we can't put blinders over and pass up. One must learn that one doesn't know, but at the same time one must be able to learn to let go of man made opinions and allow themselfs to be openminded to create new opinions for the development of open mindness.

37.) The most unusual thing I learned this term was that this class has opened up my mind to more things, I have questioned questions, I have read more in depth, I have analyzed every film and expert lecture, I would have to say that everything I have learned this term was unusual in some ways because it is all brand new information. This is a subject that is so new to me and I'am glad that I enrolled in this class and I'm very happy that I did so, because I have learned more about myself and what I value on different levels including religion and scientific viewpoints.

The one main thing that I loved doing in this class was being able to argue against an expert lecturers viewpoints and the philosophy films, it is so nice to have a class where I can state my viewpoint and be able to have fun in the process of stating my own opinion and thoughts towards someone's opinions and thoughts. I liked learning about vegetarianism and why I should consider becoming one, I loved learning about "learned ignorance" and how Nicholas of Cusa feels that one must learn that one doesn't know. This was so interesting to me because I was able to relate to it on the basis that I' am an overthinker and that by applying this learned ignorance to my life I can move mountains with my power in life to let things happen the way that they are supposed to happen, and to not be so hard on myself when I don't have answers to everything in life like, relationships, religion, what my purpose in life is? why the sky is blue? and why I always need reassuarance form people? I loved all things in this class because it was all new and I branched out from the familiar and into the unknown! I found this philosophy class to be very educational and enlightening.



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Monday, July 27, 2009

Week 6: NICHOLAS OF CUSA (post 5)

According to Dictionary.com Ignorance is defined as, "the state or fact of being ignorant; lack of knowledge, learning, information, etc." Based on this definition Nicholas Of Cusa is writing about learned ignorance and coming to terms that one must learn that one doesn't know. He is outlining true ideas,because many times people believe what they think is right in there terms or even others terms if they are followers and have no back bone. Those who believe that they know everything are ignorant themselves, because no one is perfect and how is one capable of knowing the unknown? Even with religion, because we need to learn that there are questions that will not be answered, we must accept that we don't know the answers.

People are afraid of the truth and don't like confronting it face to face,therefore, people feel that sticking to a belief will get them through life unharmed. I believe that people are afraid of change, and because of that they stick with the familiar and aren't branching out to new ideas. I'm sure that if I went up to anyone and asked them why the world turns? I'm sure that I would get so many different answers from so many different people, but the main fact is that many people would just blurt an answer out just to sound like they know what they are talking about even if they have no clue why the world turns. It just shows that people need to learn to believe and accept that they do not know! it's learned ignorance.
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Week 6: Professor Daniel Dennett, Tufts University (post 4)

Professor Daniel Dennett, is a "Bright" and like the interviewer said, being a"bright" doesn't imply being smart, but it means that they are strictly people who reject supernatural explanations. He says that they are like agnostics, and athiests, however, Dennett doesn't like being labeled an agnostic, because he sees them as people who are doubting religious beliefs and ways of worship.Dennett is a "bright" because he says he is 100% sure that there is no God, he even stated, "Of course there isn't a God, so what." He even said that you can't prove a negative.

Dennett said that he doesn't like making a big deal about being a "bright" and not believing in God unlike someone who is an atheist. I grew up a Catholic and do have a faith and belief in God, but there are people that have absolutely no clue if God even exists. Many people are set in there ways like Dennett who are100% sure that there is no God out there. This is a tough subject to reflect upon because there are so many religions out there that people follow and give there life to. Religion is a very powerful tool to get through the good, bad and ugly times in life. If someone doesn't want to believe in God then so be it, I'm not here on this earth to preach otherwise, I'm here to live life to the fullest. God is an important part of my life, but of course at times I even question some things that are apart of my faith, but there are some things we will never have complete truthful answers to in life, and that's ok.
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Week 6: To Be Agnostic (post 3)

The book starts of with this statement, "To being skeptical in an age of belief." This caught me for a spin because this is a very true statement and it is short yet simple. Many people these days are very skeptical in what is what,and what to fully believe in religiously and spiritually. Many people are set in there religious paths but many are left out feeling that they have no proof directing them to believe in a certain faith and calling in this world. It says that yes, anyone can believe in any religious values they wish to, but many people question God's existence.

There is a statement about Agnostics, "Catholics are agnostic to the Protestant creeds, and the Protestants are agnostic to the Catholic creed. Any one who thinks is an agnostic about something, otherwise he must believe that he is possessed of all knowledge." This all is true, however, to me when one doesn't believe in ones creed but still has a religion they follow then they are not"agnostic" to the others creed/belief they just don't "agree" with it. We just can't throw the word/belief agnostic in for all things that are disagreed upon.For example, if I don't like that my neighbor shops at Food 4 Less, and I shop at Albertson's, we'll I wouldn't just throw out the word, "Hey, I'm Agnostic in your belief to shop at Food 4 Less when you can very well go shop at Albertson's." Based on this, all I'm trying to prove is that we don't need to throw in the religious word "agnosticism" to just say someone doesn't believe in one's creed. Yes, there are agnostics out there, but they just don't know what to believe in religiously, there belief is that they doubt all beliefs. One who has a creed to believe in is not agnostic towards another, there not doubting that they don't believe, they just don't believe in it; they have there own creed to follow!

There are many religions out there in this world, and many of them are bound to have many similarities within them. God is such a supernatural being, and many people need to see him to believe in him and his existence. I have faith that God exists, yes, I have never visually seen him, and who knows, he may look completely different than what many perceive him to look like. Here is a question that I have always wondered about, "To say that God made the universe gives us no explanation of the begin-nings of things. If we are told that God made the universe, the question imme-diately arises: Who made God? Did he always exist, or was there some power back of that?" It is so hard to even think so far back, I wonder at times who was here before we were, where was God before the planets were here. Was he a speck in the universe, but wasn't the universe not yet created before God...It is so hard to fathom the, who?, what?, where?, when?and why? of who God really is and why he came here. Are we apart of a game? are we really here? So many questions arise about God, but if one has a deep faith then it is ok and these questions will never make sense logically, but religiously it will.
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Week 6: The Zahir (post 2)

I liked this short story of the Zahir because I'm interested in mythical stories like this one. Jorge Borges stated that, "The Zahir stands for beings or things which have the terrible power to be unforgettable, and whose image eventually drives people mad." I liked this because he even said that the Zahir appeared to him in a twenty-centavo coin dated 1929 and the N T and 2 were scratched by a knife. The Zahir began to take over his sense of reality and his life, because all he thought about was the coin, he even dreamed one night that he was a pile of coins that was guarded by a griffin.

Later Borges went to see a psychiatrist where he admitted that he was tormented by insomnia, and was kept up at nights just thinking of the coin. The Zahir is so strong and powerful that Borges became consumed with the coin, and the coin became him. He was unable to forget the coin it filled his dreams and everyday actions. He was so obsessed with constantly thinking about the coin that he tried to look for a cure for his obsession. The Zahir traps anyone who looks at it and drains there life and sense of reality all into the Zahir so that all there life becomes is the Zahir. What he went through reminds me of someone being, dazed, confused and hypnotized by the Zahir. It even talks about how there can be many Zahirs in life that are in disguise and grab peoples attention and can consume there life, I believe that video games can be one.
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Week 6: Inner Visions and Running Trains (post 1)

"Who knows what may happen to me at the time of death? I may enter the state of unconsciousness, enter the state of dreams and see railway trains. . . How can I make a claim about my attainment of the Ultimate? The truth is that I know nothing." --Baba Faqir Chand. In this film he explains to us how during his 1919 Iraq base fight, they had been fighting when he was informed that they were low on ammunition and everyone was scared for there lives. "In this very moment of fear the Holy Form of Hazur Data Dayal Ji appeared before me and said, "Faqir,worry not, the enemy has not come to attack but to take away their dead. Let them do that. Don't waste your ammunition."

Faquir told Subedar Major about his appearance of this Guru. "The rebel Jawans came and carried away their dead without attacking our positions. By six o'clockin the morning our airplanes came and they dropped the necessary supplies. Our fears vanished. We gained courage. We were safe." Faquir was worshiped by his people and soldiers when he returned home, because he saved there liefs and kept them safe away from harms way. He later doubted if this apparition was really a Guru who appeared to him, or was it really his imagination talking to him. He believed that it was projections of his own mind.
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Week 5: M.K. Gandhi's MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH (post 5)

This is Gandhi's autobiography where he had talked about life and his experiements with truth during his lifetime. Gandhi even talked about how when he would hear about someone wanting to commit suicide it wouldn't have an effect on him. He even said, "Ever since I have been grown up, I have never desired to smoke and have always re-garded the habit of smoking as barbarous, dirty and harmful. I have never understood why there is such a rage for smoking throughout the world." Based on this, I feel that personally I can relate to Gandhi in this sense of his belief towards smoking. He even stated how if he was crammed in a room with people smoking that he would become choked.

Gandhi said that he had felt that way ever since he had been grown up. Many people don't feel that way growing up especially how much peer pressure has an effect amongst people these days. Gandhi was a great man and was very respectful especially in his non-violence acts and beliefs in his life with his Ahisma non-violence lifestyle. This type of lifestyle and way of thinking is what we need to implement into today's society which is filled with violence and negative acts. He even admitted to stealing, " I stole a bit of gold out of my meat-eating brother's armlet." He later wasn't able to bear what was done, so here solved this by vowing never to steal ever again, and he made sure that he confessed this duty to his father in a note that h wrote to him even in the note, Gandhi asked his father to punish him, but for his father not to punish himself for Gandhi's doings. The image of his father reading the letter and crying is still vivid in his mind.
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Sunday, July 26, 2009

Week 5: Flame On (post 4)

This video talks about how many homosexuals were viewed as lower and abnormal,because many people would frown upon this and look down on it. Many homosexuals would go to jail or to labor camps for being gay. This video shows how far back many people have looked down upon homosexuality, and they preach against these people's feelings and thoughts. I had a guy friend back in high school approach me and inform me that he was gay, and I was shocked that he felt that way about his same sex. I was speechless and kind of in denial of what was said to my face.

It was hard for me to accept his sexual preference, however over time I was more accepting towards him because I was his friend and I didn't want to turn my back on him. I believe that he felt comfortable enough with me to disclose such information not knowing what my reaction would be. This video also shocked me because I didn't know that Socrates or Leonardo Da Vinci were both gay, I was suprised, but I shouldn't judge them based on there sexuality preference; they were still both very intellectual men who were well known for there professions.They were both admired by many people who respected their contributions and for what they had done in their lives.
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Week 5: Author and Scholar, Sam Harris (post 3)

Sam Harris was a great speaker at this convention, and he had a lot of interesting thoughts and opinions about the problems of religious beliefs.Harris said that many religions practice love but are preaching exclusion. This statement is true, because I believe that some religions like extreme Muslims are preaching that they love there God and when they die for there beliefs that they will be rewarded with many virgins. I don't understand how one could preach about how much they love God, then say that God promises them with virgin women. It doesn't make sense, and i can't connect the dots here with this religion of these extremists.

Sam Harris stated that he was worried, and there is no reason to survive religious differences. Harris even stated that 22% of the American population is certain that Jesus is going to come out of the clouds and save the day within the next 50 years. Another 22% believes the opposite and feels that Jesus"probably" will come down and save the day within the next 50 years. I personally feel and believe that people can believe whatever they want to believe in, and it isn't any of my business what they think about God. Many people can get very arrogant about there religious beliefs and "exclude" out any others that don't agree with there religious beliefs, I think that is unnecessary and selfish. I'm Catholic and if a Mormon per say doesn't agree with my beliefs, then so what, and why should they tell me otherwise to believe in there religion if I'm set in my ways. It is not love when someone excludes someone else from there group, because that is being close minded. I think that this is the main problem that Harris is worried about.
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Week 5: Nietzsche and the Myth of Eternal Recurrence (post 2)

"Imagine that you had to relive every moment of your life again and again"--Nietzsche. This is actually something that I have never thought about before, but it is such an interesting theme to ponder upon. In this film the narrator asked us to imagine if a demon creped up to you and said, as you live this life it now will be relived again and again with every pain, sorrow, joy,thought, and sigh. Nothing would ever be new, it would be the same again and again the same series. This is something that I would not even have an answer to at the moment, because everyone makes mistakes in life so to have to relive every pain, sorrow would be tough, but again to experience every joy would be amazing to relive again. So to relive joyful moments again, who would want to pass that up? not me, even if during the time I would have to relive the sad memories/moments, it's worth it to me.

The narrator asks if you would turn around and "curse the demon who spoke?" or,"say you are a God, and I have never heard of anything more divine?" However,the main question is, do I want this again and again? Nietzsche actually was a great philosopher to even come up with this question/theory in the first place.Life is amazing and who wouldn't want to relive every moment again? I would love to relive moments again, but change mistakes that were made, decisions that I wish were made otherwise, but to have the opportunity to relive life again, I believe that I would take that opportunity and go with it. However, it is a big burden to have brought upon someone.
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Week 5: Why Turn Vegetarian? (post 1)

This Peta Organization video was very sad to watch because it showed real images of defenceless animals being killed. It talks about reasons to become a vegetarian. For example, risk for heart disease is lowered when using a vegetarian diet, no living animal wants to see there family slaughtered, mad cow disease is in US, nobody should make a living by killing. One reason that I can disagree with to a degree is, "eating meat and dairy makes you fat." Based on this reason, they are saying that by consuming meat and dairy it equals to becoming fat, but I believe if one consumes too much meat and dairy it can make you fat, but not just consuming it, it all adds up it's based on portion size.

More reasons were, that these animals are defenceless, they scream when they too feel pain, they feel fear, and much more reasons were stated in this video. I'm not a vegetarian at the moment, but by witnessing these animals being harmed it's from now on going to make me think twice and make proper decisions. One of the last images was of a man picking up a brick and dropping it on a pigs head to kill it. This then ended with a statement, "Because you know this is wrong,"after reading that statement I realized how true it is, and how much anyone with common sense would know that it is wrong, but it doesn't stop all individuals which makes me sad.

The film ends with the statement, "Maybe its time to go vegetarian." Based on this statement, I feel that animals shouldn't have to suffer anymore and I don't want to see images like this anymore just for the sake of our taste buds, and it is true, "no animal should have to die for your taste buds." They have no say,no voice, but we do and we can stop this madness.
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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Week 4: The Problem of Consciousness (post 10)

This paper talks about consciousness and what it is. It even talked about in detail what some features of consciousness were. For example, it said that unity"the binding problem" is apart if the consciousness experience and it occurs"simultaneously as part of one unified conscious experience." It even talks about mood as another factor in features of consciousness and is best explained in biochemical terms. For example, anger, depression, happy, sad, ecstatic, silly, jolly, frustrated, excited, and vibrant are some of many moods out there that one can feel and express in there lifetime.

The paper did discuss how one could alter certain moods like depression, by taking certain mood-altering drugs.It is amazing how one can experience many moods all at once or at certain parts of ones day. It also talks about what are relations between consciousness and the brain? There definition is this, "Here it is: Conscious states are caused by lower level neurobiological processes in the brain and are themselves higher level features of the brain." Based on this,it all can go back to our five senses when we see something we react to it, our brain senses and is conscious of what it is, when we smell something good, our brain reacts, and when we hear a certain melody we react, our brain reacts to the sound. These reactions are all caused by lower level biological processes in the brain. The brain is very interesting, complex and very abstract.
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Week 4: Dr. Gerald Edelman, Neuroscience Institute (post 9)

Edelman was talking at a seminar that was about 2 days. He talked about the brain and the mind. It all started off with a discussion on what is the mind? it has no formal definition, but what is it exactly made up of? The mind is so complex in all ways possible, I don't understand why and how it works, but it is such a mysterious part of human nature. They said that the mind is "perception,memory, language, consciousness, with our mind we make the world." The greeks believed that the mind came from the diaphragm.

The brain has so many parts to it that make it what it is, even cognitive computing was discussed in the seminar meaning engineering the mind, Psychology and neuro philosophy are two main factors not to mention mathematical processes contributing to the mind and putting together how it functions. Cognitive psychology plays the role of understanding the functions, cortex, and the parts of the brain like the cerebral cortex, hypo campus and it's functions. It also deals with what would happen to a person if these parts of the brain were damaged, and what the person would be left with.
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Friday, July 24, 2009

Week 4: Reasonable Logic (post 8)

Another statement in Reasonable Logic, Wittgenstein wrote, "6.36311 That the sun will rise to-morrow, is an hypothesis; and that means that we do not know whether it will rise." Based on this, it can mean a variety of things, but overall we do not know for sure what will and will not happen. We go to bed at night, we wake up when the sun rises, we dress warm in the winter etc.. These are all things that happen automatically, now for the sun rising and it being a hypothesis we'll never know about things in this world, some things are blatant and some are hidden, but I see that the sun will rise, but maybe he believed that the sun wouldn't rise tomorrow if someone isn't here anymore, if someone passes away they will not witness the sun rising the next morning. Maybe he wanted to send out the message to live each day as if it were your last because you never know when you wont be here to witness the beauty of the world.

This statement can be interpreted in so many ways by individuals all over the map. I particularly liked this statement of Wittgenstein's because it is so ambiguous and indefinite on many levels. People will give many reasons as to what this may and may not mean to them, but that is the fun part we will never know we can just guess and interpret what we feel to be the answer.The sun will rise tomorrow, if we say will in the sentence is that a must or a question? If we are saying "will rise" won't it? If it was changed to, "may rise" then wouldn't that make more sense? Somewhere around the world the sun has already risen when the sun has set here, so the sun is constantly rising somewhere around the world.
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Week 4: Reasonable Logic (post 7)

This book by Ludwig Wittgenstein is pretty much a large cluster of many things that he had stated during his life. I found many of these short sentences that he stated to be very confusing, but some of them were interesting to ponder upon. For example," 2.14 The picture consists in the fact that its elements are combined with one another in a definite way." This statement is an interesting one, because it can mean so much and it's so precise. A picture is a picture because it is whole and complete, and without any of its elements combined being present, it isn't a picture.

I believe that when reading Wittgenstein's statements you would literally have to be in his mind at the time he said these, because they are so abstract and can mean so much to someone. However, the main thing is that he himself put meaning to his statements and beliefs and that's all that matters. I just wish I knew what all he said truly meant in detail to him.
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Week 4: vegetarianism? why i don’t eat faces (post 6)

This podcast video was an eye opener for me, because at the moment I am also taking a nutrition class and my teacher had asked each student to try and be a vegetarian for a day. This seemed almost impossible for me to achieve, even fora day, only because meat is something that i casually eat. But, after listening to this podcast I now understand why people choose to become vegetarian, it has many pros, like lowering ones risk of developing heart disease, stroke,hypertension, type 2 diabetes, kidney stones, and gallstones. It is so amazing that by avoiding certain foods we can help our health significantly.

There are even many types of vegetarian diets that one could choose from to stick to. A lacto-vegetarian like yourself will avoid beef, lamb, pork, and red meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. They do eat milk and milk products and plant foods. I will try and go a day being a vegetarian, and see how well I do. I don't like the thought of animals being harmed, mistreated, or killed. I haven't witnessed any before, but why do I continue to eat meat? Is it because I never saw an animal being hurt before? I love animals, and I wouldn't want my dog Tobe harmed or killed, so now I can see how the comparison related to choosing what I will put in my body for a meal. Your analogy is true, I would never go put a fork in a cow or make out with a cow, ever! poor animals. I can try and train my palate otherwise, and try and avoid any meat products for a day, and see if I really can live without it, which I believe is possible. There are other ways to get protein anyways.
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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Week 4: IS MY I-PHONE CONSCIOUS? (post 5)

"Someone who dreaming says "I am dreaming," even if he speaks audibly in doing so, is no more right than if he said in his dream "it is raining," while it was in fact raining. Even if his dream were actually connected with the noise of the rain." --Ludwig Wittgenstein (his last philosophical thought) This was a very eye opening and very interesting topic for me. Wittgenstein wrote this down a day before he passed away. I wanted to know more about why he felt this way so I researched Wittgenstein online to configure what state of mind he was in when coming up with this thought, and I was able to understand that because it was written a day before he died, that just maybe he was coming to realization that he was going to be taken away from this world.

I looked up this whole quotation from him and read the whole thing. It made me ponder if he really felt that he was dreaming, and would wake up when he died.He passed away from prostate cancer, and I believe that he accepted what was brought upon him way before his life here on earth ended. He probably wondered if life really was just a long dream, or did he want to believe that his life was just a dream as a way of accepting his fate? Wittgenstein probably was not in full awareness at the time he wrote this quotation down, or was he? and we just don't want to believe that this life we all live is really just a long played out dream? Sometimes our brain can play tricks on us...who knows the difference from fact and fiction?
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Week 4: Is Consciousness Physical? (post 4)

The title of this book is very interesting, therefore it grabbed my attention. I like reading up on consciousness and awareness and understanding the view points based on this subject. Many people have their own opinions on how these two ideas are intertwined together to bring into question, is consciousness physical? I believe that consciousness is physical. They both make sense in dealing with our five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste.

Based on these five senses, we can understand how these are all physical experiences. They can play a role in believing whether consciousness is physical. Since they are all experiences that one can possibly relate to, then it can play a role in how they experiences these consciousness realities physically. I believe that consciousness is physical because what we interpret to our self's to be from the world and our surroundings, and it makes it believable to our brain and thoughts. Some people know what water feels like and when they look at it, they can imagine clearly what it will feel like even when they haven't touched it in a while, because our brains interpret that sense of touch, therefore it becomes physical, even when not toughing it at that moment.
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Week 4: Professor Steven Pinker, M.I.T. and Harvard University (post 3)

This interview expert lecture with Professor Steven Pinker was interesting because he even goes onto depth in his brief definition and summary of what evolutionary psychology is, and he states that it is, "bringing to bare or the study of the mind." Based on this quotation/definition Pinker is saying that evolutionary psychology is universal in human nature, and it deals a lot with the brain and the combining of psychology with the study of the brain.

Pinker's concentration is in cognitive psychology which deals with the brain,thinking, speaking, and reasoning. He even stated that the message in evolutionary psychology is that, "Human behavior varies all over the map." This is true, because everyone grows up in different environments and settings, not everyone all over the map grew up in the same environment so things are different even normal behaviors to someone in the US will be seen as culturally different to someone who grew up in South America.

Another interesting aspect that was said by Pinker was on the meaning of what dreams really are, and he said, "for all we know our dreams could be a screen saver." I thought that that statement/belief was really funny because I have never thought of what dreams are in that way. If dreams really were screen savers than we are wasting our time trying to dig deep and find there meanings.
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