The claim in the title of this entry is currently a vague idea, one based on a recent reading of Time and Free Will and a currently ongoing reading of Creative Evolution — I’m about halfway through. A little intellectual history: Etienne Gilson studied under Henri Bergson. At some point, perhaps after finishing his studies … [Read more…]
I’ve published a short, spiritual book about achieving peace in a restless world. See Synopsis for The Peace of Christ for information or go directly to the publisher’s order page, The Peace of Christ. The book should appear on major internet bookseller sites before long.
[Adaptive Thinking: Rationality in the Real World, Gerd Gigerenzer, Oxford University Press, 2000] In the introduction to Part IV, Professor Gigerenzer tells us: The “discovery” of cognitive illusions was not the first assault on human rationality. Sigmund Freud’s attack is probably the best known: According to him, the unconscious wishes and desires of the human … [Read more…]
I’ll start by asking two seemingly strange questions: Should we expect Heaven, the world of the resurrected, to be a magical world as in pagan myths of other worlds? Should we expect to spend time without end gallivanting around with all sorts of strange winged creatures and looking down into the Abyss of Hell — … [Read more…]
[Adaptive Thinking: Rationality in the Real World, Gerd Gigerenzer, Oxford University Press, 2000] Professor Gigerenzer starts off the introduction to Part IV with a strong claim: The study of human thinking is deeply suspicious of introducing anything genuinely social into the world of “pure” rationality. As in much of cognitive science, most researchers have fallen … [Read more…]
[“Adaptive Thinking: Rationality in the Real World”, Gerd Gigerenzer, Oxford University Press, 2000] In part III (chapters 7-8), Professor Gigerenzer tells us: “To understand the power of human intelligence, one needs to analyze the match between cognitive strategies and the structure of environments. Together they are like a pair of scissors, each blade of little … [Read more…]
I have posted an article on my other blog, Thoughts…, which gives my initial impressions upon reading the first 200 pages, of 500, of Kazantzakis’ controversial novel. I claim that novel misses the mark somewhat but it’s not as much in conflict with Christian orthodoxy as the writings of theologians and philosophers in the Calvinist … [Read more…]
[“Adaptive Thinking: Rationality in the Real World”, Gerd Gigerenzer, Oxford University Press, 2000] In Part II, chapters 4-6, Professor Girgenzer provides a few arguments towards a view of what he labels ‘ecological rationality’ which he defines as follows: Ecological rationality refers to the study of how cognitive strategies exploit the representation and structure of information … [Read more…]
[“Adaptive Thinking: Rationality in the Real World”, Gerd Gigerenzer, Oxford University Press, 2000] Professor Gigerenzer states in the introduction of Part I of his book (“Where Do New Ideas Come From?”): Computers and statistics have both been used to fulfill the timeless longing to replace judgment by the application of content-blind, mechanical rules.” [page 1] … [Read more…]
I seem to have spoken of Creation is two ways. There’s no real inconsistency but I was confused myself for a while a few days ago. In my most recent posting, What is Mind?: Part 4. What Does God Know?, I spoke as if the Primordial Universe, the stuff underlying all of Creation, is analogous … [Read more…]