It would appear there is still heavy debate around the question of whether nature, nurture, or some sort of mixture, forms the foundation of human nature. Even though theoretical and empirical progress has been made (that the respective sides maintain their right to ignore on ideological basis), I myself is not clever enough to stand firmly on any conclusion. But I lean towards ”some sort of mixture,” particularly the ”some sort”-bit. However, I can take the time to resolve a far more important issue. In the following, I will outline all the important ethical implications that would follow if we should turn out to be products of nature or nurture, respectively:
And with that said, I wish my readers a happy summer or winter, depending on which hemisphere they are in, and of course each according to their nature.
Wednesday 9 July 2008
Thursday 24 January 2008
Nature
According to Discovery News, scientists have finally managed to get some images of what, as I understand it, appears to be giant undersea waves, in the moment of breaking. This is supposed to have important implications for global climate research.
I know nearly nothing about this subject, and will not try to say anything clever about it. I publish the link because of the poetry inherent in pictures of natural phenomena that are both elusive, and on a great scale. If any oceanographers are reading this, feel free to teach me!
I know nearly nothing about this subject, and will not try to say anything clever about it. I publish the link because of the poetry inherent in pictures of natural phenomena that are both elusive, and on a great scale. If any oceanographers are reading this, feel free to teach me!
Sunday 18 November 2007
Turning points
Does life really have turning points? Singular events where our existence changes its course? Healing revelations? I wonder about this, because it sounds both reasonable and appealing. But those times I’ve had such experiences myself, they’ve been rather brief. The feelings of revelation have gone away, life has continued in much the same manner as before. The real changes happen more quietly. And life doesn’t really follow one course, does it? It takes multiple paths, most of us are many people at once.
Stories have turning points. Life-shaking experiences are the very motor of a drama. Stories start with, end with, and revolve around these turning points – at least, that’s what they teach us in writing class. And stories do have something to do with the way we perceive our lives… Some events are certainly remembered as turning points, the day we realized something about ourselves, conquered an inner demon, made an important choice. But then again, much of memory is constructed.
I would really like to know if these turning points actually exist… because they are what seemed most appealing to me about being a psychotherapist. To be there at one of the most important moments of a person’s life, to be part of something unusual, maybe even a bit responsible for it. To work together to create something of existential meaning. Like in a book by Irvin Yalom. I hadn’t even read Yalom when I started out as a Psychology student, but still I was worried, perhaps even a bit disappointed, when I heard in the introductory speech: That in the future, psychotherapy might become quicker, easier, and not as existentially meaningful than in the movies and books.
Things have changed. I’m not going to become a therapist after all. Actually, I might very well become a client. So my own interests have changed somewhat. I now hope that I can find therapy that will be quicker, easier, and not as existentially meaningful than in the movies and books. Illusory turning points, I’ve had a lot of those, but not so many real ones. I want the kind of changes that happen more quietly – but whose effects I can notice.
So, there is a conflict of interest between me before, and me today. When I thought I was going to be a therapist, I didn’t want to think that therapy could be easier than in the movies, that confessions, revelations, and turning points wasn’t really the essence of it all, that I wouldn’t necessarily fulfil my dream of being a participant in other people’s defining moments of existence. And maybe I’m not that unique, maybe everyone who wants to treat someone should ask themselves if they share the dream, and how it affects their view of therapy. Because it would be a bit disgusting really, to prolong someone’s paint just to be there when it goes away.
I wrote this poem in Norwegian, about so-called empathy. I can’t really translate the rhyme that makes it work, but the content is something like: She wants a kitten/a tiny thing/that she can hurt/and then give comfort. It’s strange, because I suddenly saw the meaning of that poem, now in this context. It was a small revelation. But not much of a turning point.
Stories have turning points. Life-shaking experiences are the very motor of a drama. Stories start with, end with, and revolve around these turning points – at least, that’s what they teach us in writing class. And stories do have something to do with the way we perceive our lives… Some events are certainly remembered as turning points, the day we realized something about ourselves, conquered an inner demon, made an important choice. But then again, much of memory is constructed.
I would really like to know if these turning points actually exist… because they are what seemed most appealing to me about being a psychotherapist. To be there at one of the most important moments of a person’s life, to be part of something unusual, maybe even a bit responsible for it. To work together to create something of existential meaning. Like in a book by Irvin Yalom. I hadn’t even read Yalom when I started out as a Psychology student, but still I was worried, perhaps even a bit disappointed, when I heard in the introductory speech: That in the future, psychotherapy might become quicker, easier, and not as existentially meaningful than in the movies and books.
Things have changed. I’m not going to become a therapist after all. Actually, I might very well become a client. So my own interests have changed somewhat. I now hope that I can find therapy that will be quicker, easier, and not as existentially meaningful than in the movies and books. Illusory turning points, I’ve had a lot of those, but not so many real ones. I want the kind of changes that happen more quietly – but whose effects I can notice.
So, there is a conflict of interest between me before, and me today. When I thought I was going to be a therapist, I didn’t want to think that therapy could be easier than in the movies, that confessions, revelations, and turning points wasn’t really the essence of it all, that I wouldn’t necessarily fulfil my dream of being a participant in other people’s defining moments of existence. And maybe I’m not that unique, maybe everyone who wants to treat someone should ask themselves if they share the dream, and how it affects their view of therapy. Because it would be a bit disgusting really, to prolong someone’s paint just to be there when it goes away.
I wrote this poem in Norwegian, about so-called empathy. I can’t really translate the rhyme that makes it work, but the content is something like: She wants a kitten/a tiny thing/that she can hurt/and then give comfort. It’s strange, because I suddenly saw the meaning of that poem, now in this context. It was a small revelation. But not much of a turning point.
Tuesday 6 November 2007
Free will
I had a discussion with a fellow psychology student, who told me that it would soon be possible to test the hypothesis of free will, by looking directly at neurons.
Earlier that evening, she had asked me if I had any room for the concept of free will, in my emerging new view of the world.
I’m not quite sure what to answer, because I don’t really understand the concept. What is free will free from, seeing as freedom is always in relation to something? And it can’t be totally free anyway, can it? There will always be some choices we can’t make, because the actions would be impossible. (Of course, we could wish to do them.) There will be just as many choices we can’t make, because we never think of them as alternatives.
But what is will, has it got to do with choosing at all? What is the philosophical definition of free will? Not to mention the scientific – operational – definition. What observation could we make that would either demonstrate that the will is free – or falsify it? I need to know this to think further about the issues, and would be happy for some help.
(Norwegian version here.)
Earlier that evening, she had asked me if I had any room for the concept of free will, in my emerging new view of the world.
I’m not quite sure what to answer, because I don’t really understand the concept. What is free will free from, seeing as freedom is always in relation to something? And it can’t be totally free anyway, can it? There will always be some choices we can’t make, because the actions would be impossible. (Of course, we could wish to do them.) There will be just as many choices we can’t make, because we never think of them as alternatives.
But what is will, has it got to do with choosing at all? What is the philosophical definition of free will? Not to mention the scientific – operational – definition. What observation could we make that would either demonstrate that the will is free – or falsify it? I need to know this to think further about the issues, and would be happy for some help.
(Norwegian version here.)
Saturday 3 November 2007
Indexed
I came across this graphical blog, and wanted to share it with whatever readers I might have that haven’t already discovered it on their own. It consists of diagrams of different ideas and
concepts, and this isn’t as dry as it might sound: It’s written with both humor and insight. Some are funny, some are cute, some are striking, some takes a while to understand…
… and that’s about everything I can say. The whole point of the blog is, after all, to show things with the help of graphics, that would be difficult to get across with only words. So go there yourself. Indexed.blogspot.com.
concepts, and this isn’t as dry as it might sound: It’s written with both humor and insight. Some are funny, some are cute, some are striking, some takes a while to understand…
… and that’s about everything I can say. The whole point of the blog is, after all, to show things with the help of graphics, that would be difficult to get across with only words. So go there yourself. Indexed.blogspot.com.
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