^CategoryPhilosophy

military robot and skulls of people. Dramatic apocalypse super realistic concept. Rise of the Machines. Dark future. 3d rendering.

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post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
November 27, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Philosophy

Tagged
Free will (as explored in Matrix Reloaded), Matrix Reloaded (film 2003), Matrix Trilogy, Science fiction, Zion (fictional city in Matrix)}

The Matrix Reloaded (2003) Just Did Not Load Properly

_{Although the second part of the Matrix trilogy offers interesting ideas and exciting action, the confusing plot obscures the concepts it should explore} _{Gary Varner

November 27, 2021

6

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Philosophy}

What a mess of a story is The Matrix Reloaded (2003) — the second part of the Matrix (1999) trilogy, in which the world we know turns out to be a simulation created by AI intelligences. We met some of the characters in the first part, The Matrix (1999), reviewed here. But then what happened? First, we’re introduced to the new technician, Link, but no one explains where his predecessor Tank went. Then Zion (“the last human city, the only place we have left”) is introduced and there we find ourselves at the infamous Party Scene: To look at this techno-hedonistic rave, one might think we’ve entered volcano-challenged Pompeii of long ago. But this party is more reminiscent of the Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
November 21, 2021

Categorized
Mathematics, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Carlo Rovelli (on fine-tuning), Fine tuning (universe), God (and multiverse), Infinities (and multiverse), Multiverse (and God), Multiverse (opponents), Multiverse (proponents), Multiverse (refuted by math), Paul Davies (on multiverse), Richard Webb, Robert J. Marks}

Multiverse Cosmology Is Not a Good Argument Against God

_{Or against fine tuning of our universe. God could have created countless universes on various principles for a variety of reasons} _{News

November 21, 2021

7

Mathematics, Philosophy, Science}

New Scientist’s executive editor Richard Webb, a “recovering particle physicist,” offers a look at the current state of the idea that there might be an infinity of universes out there. Why believe it? Mainly, it turns out, to avoid believing something else: Gods and their intelligent designs are less in the mainstream of scientific thought now, yet similar ideas about an optimal universe still trickle through cosmology. That is principally down to some mysterious numbers that determine its workings. Tot them all up in the standard models of particle physics and cosmology, and you end up with about 30 constants of nature – numbers like the strengths of the fundamental forces and the masses of elementary particles that our theories Read More ›

Red Pill Blue Pill concept. The right choice the concept of the movie matrix. The choice of tablets

^{Type
post

Author
Gary Varner
Date
November 20, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Philosophy

Tagged
Matrix (1999 film), Matrix Resurrections (film), Matrix Trilogy (films), Morpheus (character), Mouse (character), Neo (character), Nihilism (in The Matrix trilogy), Oracle (character), Plato's Cave, Red vs blue pill (Matrix), Science fiction}

Will The Matrix Resurrections (Drops December 22) Break the Mold?

_{The culturally influential trilogy (control by evil aliens) enjoys a fascinating beginning — but a thud! ending} _{Gary Varner

November 20, 2021

4

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Philosophy}

The Matrix trilogy is famous for starting strong, then falling apart by the end. Will this happen again? We’ll see. After eleven years, the Matrix Resurrections comes out December 22, 2021. Now is the perfect time to look back at the original trilogy, starting with the first film, The Matrix (1999). The Matrix series begins by following a computer hacker named Neo, who is led by a beautiful stranger into a forbidding underworld. There, “he discovers the shocking truth — the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.” He had been searching for the mysterious Morpheus who defends a human civilization from attack by machines. Neo is horrified to discover from him that not only is Read More ›

Science and research of the universe, spiral galaxy and physical formulas, concept of knowledge and education

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
November 20, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Caleb Scharf, Contact (film), Contact (novel), Dark energy, Dark Matter, Extraterrestrials (as laws of nature), Intelligence (and information)}

What If ET Has Morphed Into What We Now Call the Laws of Nature?

_{Astrophysicist Caleb Scarf has asked us to consider a daring hypothesis for conundrums around dark matter and dark energy} _{News

November 20, 2021

8

Philosophy, Science}

Columbia astrophysicist Caleb A. Scharf, has proposed that, if advanced technology might look like magic to less technologically advanced viewers, very advanced technology might look like the laws of nature: Toward the end of Carl Sagan’s 1985 science-fiction novel Contact, the protagonist follows the suggestion of an extraterrestrial to study transcendental numbers. After computing to 1020th places, she finds a clearly artificial message embedded in the digits of this fundamental number. In other words, part of the fabric of the universe is a product of intelligence or is perhaps even life itself. It’s a great mind-bending twist for a book. Perhaps hyper-advanced life isn’t just external. Perhaps it’s already all around. It is embedded in what we perceive to be Read More ›

Billiard balls colorful background, 3D rendering

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post

Author
Eric Holloway
Date
November 19, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Atoms (views of atoms), Epicureanism, Epicurus, Featured, Lucretius, Materialism, On the Nature of Things (poem), Physicalism, Physics (and Epicureanism)}

Can the “Physical World” Be Wholly Physical? Physical at All?

_{Nothing ever physically touches anything else in the physical world, yet the effects of objects on each other are a constant occurrence} _{Eric Holloway

November 19, 2021

3

Philosophy, Science}

Sounds like the answer should be “Of course!” But the question may not be as simple as it appears. Let’s wind the clock back to the first century BC, when a Roman poet and philosopher named Lucretius wrote the poem On the Nature of Things.” In this poem, Lucretius outlines a philosophy known as Epicureanism in order to demonstrate the world can be explained without reference to a deity. In the Epicurean philosophy, only three things exist: atoms, the void, and the universe. Consequently, everything we see in the physical world can be reduced to atoms bumping into each other. You may notice that Epicurean philosophy sounds similar to modern day physics. This is not an accident. Through the influence Read More ›

The Earth from space. This image elements furnished by NASA.

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post

Author
News
Date
November 14, 2021

Categorized
Environment, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Earth (as fine-tuned for life), Fine-tuning (Earth for life), Marcelo Gleiser, Principle of Mediocrity}

Astronomer: We Can’t Just Assume Countless Earths Out There

_{He points out that the Principle of Mediocrity is based on faulty logical reasoning} _{News

November 14, 2021

4

Environment, Philosophy, Science}

Dartmouth physicist and astronomer Marcelo Gleiser wrote recently that the Copernican Principle has been misused to imply that Earth is somehow insignificant. That, he says, is a philosophical attitude, unrelated to the science. We don’t know where Earth stands in relation to other planets because we do not yet have telescopes capable of getting much detail about planets outside our solar system. Gleiser, author of The Island of Knowledge (2014), has also tackled the Mediocrity Principle (because Earth is nothing special, there must be countless intelligent civilizations out there). According to Britannica, “Widely believed by astronomers since the work of Nicolaus Copernicus, this principle states that the properties and evolution of the solar system are not unusual in any important Read More ›

The universe within. Silhouette of a man inside the universe, physical and mathematical formulas.. The concept on scientific and philosophical topics. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 31, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Core Theory (of physics), Dualism (vs panpsychism), Materialism (vs panpsychism), Michael Tye, Panpsychism, Panpsychism (and physics), Panpsychism (opponents), Philip Goff, Sabine Hossenfelder, Sean Carroll, Standard Model (of physics), Vagueness and the Evolution of Consciousness (book)}

Philosopher: Panpsychism Is Not in Conflict With Physics at All

_{Responding to criticism from physicists Sabine Hossenfelder and Sean Carroll, Philip Goff points out that panpsychism is not a dualist perspective} _{News

October 31, 2021

6

Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

At IAI.tv, University of Durham philosophy prof Philip Goff tells us that “The world of academic philosophy has been rocked by the conversion of one of the most influential materialists of the last thirty years, Michael Tye, to a form of panpsychism (panprotopsychism) in his latest book. And the main annual UK philosophy conference held a plenary panel on panpsychism this year for the first time in its history.” That’s part of a pattern in which philosophy and science are warming to panpsychism, the belief that either all entities or all living entities participate in consciousness. Dr. Goff, author of Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness, offers some thoughts on what panpsychism is and isn’t: Panpsychism is the Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 27, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Cause and effect (time debate), Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Theology Unleashed}

15. Debate: How Can a Cause and Effect Occur at the Same Time?

_{In the broken window analogy, the brick becomes a cause simultaneously with the shattered glass becoming an effect} _{News

October 27, 2021

15

Ethics, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality}

In the “Does God exist?” debate at Theology Unleashed between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), a questioner asks, are singularities really a part of science? Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 26, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Essence vs Existence, Featured, Knowledge (and certainty), Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Morality (how derived), Perfection (as concept), Theology Unleashed}

14: Debate: Is Morality a Mere Emotion That We Project On Others?

_{Theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty continue their conversation about basic issues at Theology Unleashed} _{News

October 26, 2021

12

Ethics, Philosophy}

In the “Does God exist?” debate at Theology Unleashed between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), a questioner asks, what underlies morality? Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, turning to Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 24, 2021

Categorized
Mathematics, Philosophy, Religion, Science

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Atheism (and ethics), Atheism (and predictions), Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Singularities (in science), Theology Unleashed}

13. Egnor vs. Dillahunty: Are Singularities a Part of Science?

_{Also, an audience member asks the debaters: Does atheism make better predictions than theism?} _{News

October 24, 2021

10

Mathematics, Philosophy, Religion, Science}

In the “Does God exist?” debate at Theology Unleashed between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), we now look at questions from the audience on whether singularities are really a part of science and whether atheism is really a belief system that can make predictions. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 23, 2021

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
"The Mailbox", Louis Yin, Time travel, William Yuekun Wu}

A Man in Dire Need Contacts His Unborn Grandson — Sci-Fi Saturday

_{The grandson “gets the mail” and sends back something from the future, via a mysterious mailbox, that gives the felons a considerable surprise} _{News

October 23, 2021

22

Arts & Culture, Philosophy, Science}

“Mailbox” at DUST by Louis Yin (October 15, 2021, 17:00 min) An American Chinese immigrant makes contact with his grandson in the future via a mailbox. Together they have to deal with their mutual enemies. Review: Based on Yanan Wang’s short story, “The Post man,” the story begins in New York City in 1946, where Chinese immigrants are oppressed by a criminal landlord. The gritty, authentically period tale begins to revolve around an old mailbox that turns out not to be time bound. Not a spoiler: Bo (William Yuekun Wu) can mail things to the future. His grandson (whose life appears to have only somewhat improved by being two generations on… ) can, however, help by mailing back stuff from Read More ›

Extrasolar planet with atmosphere and moon

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 23, 2021

Categorized
Information Theory, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Avi Loeb, Big Bang (what preceded it), Darwinian evolution (as product of design), Extraterrestrials (ET creating our universe), Information (and origin of universe), Intelligence (and origin of universe), Kardashev Scale, Quantum tunneling}

Harvard Astronomer: Advanced Aliens Engineered the Big Bang

_{Avi Loeb writes in Scientific American that when we humans are sufficiently advanced, we will create other universes as well} _{News

October 23, 2021

7

Information Theory, Philosophy, Science}

At Scientific American, Avi Loeb, the longest-serving chair of astronomy at Harvard (2011–2020), tackles the question of what came before the Big Bang. He surveys the conventional explanations for this singularity in time and space (when all points are zero) and comes to a somewhat surprising conclusion: Creation by an alien intelligence is the best way to account for our universe: Now there are a variety of conjectures in the scientific literature for our cosmic origins, including the ideas that our universe emerged from a vacuum fluctuation, or that it is cyclic with repeated periods of contraction and expansion, or that it was selected by the anthropic principle out of the string theory landscape of the multiverse—where, as the MIT Read More ›

A Young Man Reading The Bible To Another Young Man In Jail

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 19, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Religion

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Featured, Justice (vs mercy), Matt Dillahunty, Matt Dillahunty (on morality), Mercy (vs justice), Michael Egnor, Morality (Dillahunty's view), Theology Unleashed}

12. Egnor vs. Dillahunty: How Can God Be Both Just and Merciful?

_{After atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty explains his view of morality, an audience member asks neurosurgeon Michael Egnor to explain how a just God can show mercy} _{News

October 19, 2021

13

Ethics, Philosophy, Religion}

In the “Does God exist?” debate at Theology Unleashed between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), we are looking at the nature of good, as well as the problem of evil. Now, as the questions continue, Matt Dillahunty defends his view of the foundations of morality and Michael Egnor explains how justice and mercy can be combined. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 17, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Causation (time and causation), Featured, Matt Dillahunty (on time and causation), Michael Egnor (on evil as absence of good), Michael Egnor (on time and causation), Theology Unleashed, Time (causation and time)}

11. Is Evil in the World Simply the Absence of Good?

_{Christian Michael Egnor argues for that view. Then he and atheist Matt Dillahunty clash over whether a cause can be outside of time} _{News

October 17, 2021

11

Philosophy}

In the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), we are now looking at the nature of good, as well as the problem of evil. Also, can change be outside of time? Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 17, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Arjuna Das, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Michael Egnor, Nominalism, Realism, Realism vs. nominalism controversy, Theology Unleashed}

10: Christian Egnor and Atheist Dillahunty Now Take Questions…

_{For example, “ What is Mr. Egnor’s best evidence of any god that would make me believe?”} _{News

October 17, 2021

14

Ethics, Philosophy, Science}

In the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), the debaters get questions from the audience. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, turning to the origin Read More ›

collection of alien planets in front of the Milky Way galaxy, nearby exoplanets

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 16, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Copernican Principle, Earth (as insignificant), Exoplanets, Giant Magellan Telescope, James Webb Telescope, Marcelo Gleiser}

Physicist: Copernican Principle Doesn’t Make Earth Insignificant

_{That, Marcelo Gleiser says, is a philosophical attitude, unrelated to the science} _{News

October 16, 2021

4

Philosophy, Science}

Theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser, author of The Island of Knowledge (2014) offers some thoughts on what the Copernican Principle means and doesn’t mean about Earth’s status as a planet — whether Earth is a special place or a pale blue dot. He has no objection to the Copernican Principle (“a cornerstone of astronomy”) as such. The problem, he points out, is what happened next: Copernicus famously proposed that Earth was not the center of the universe; the sun was. The Earth, he suggested, was just another planet orbiting the sun like Mars or Jupiter… The principle, as understood today, is usually stated as, “Earth is an ordinary planet, and we, human observers, are ordinary too.” There is nothing special about Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 16, 2021

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Philosophy

Tagged
Chukwudi Iwuji, Extent (film), Immortality (in science fiction), Kaitlyn Raymond, Marcus Henderson, Paul Draper, Science fiction}

An Inventor Discovers the Curse of Immortality – Sci-Fi Saturday

_{What happens when he makes others immortal in this world but not himself?} _{News

October 16, 2021

22

Arts & Culture, Philosophy}

“Extent” at DUST by Paul Draper (August 9, 2021, 12:43 min) Time stands still as two old friends attempt to grapple with a question that defines their very existence. If you could live forever, would you? Review: The film uses chess as a metaphor that deepens as the story progresses. Edward (Marcus Henderson), a famous inventor, became involved with a woman who sounds unpleasant from the get-go (Ann, played by Kaitlyn Raymond). I t all ends badly, of course: “I love how diabolical you are.” – Edward. Checkmate. Edward seeks comfort afterward from alcohol and secondly from his friend Alexander (Chukwudi Iwuji) and the two get to talking about life, death, and all that. Then we discover an astonishing fact Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 15, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy, Religion

Tagged
Atheism, Atheism (and ethics), Atheism (tenets disputed), Dalai Lama, Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Matt Dillahunty (atheism questioned), Michael Egnor, Michael Egnor (questioning Dillahunty's atheism), Theology Unleashed}

9. Michael Egnor Explains Why Matt Dillahunty Is Not an Atheist

_{Not really, anyway, Egnor insists, because he keeps invoking a moral standard that can’t exist if materialist atheism is true} _{News

October 15, 2021

13

Ethics, Philosophy, Religion}

In the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), we find Egnor questioning Dillahunty’s atheism. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, turning to the origin of Read More ›

creative idea.Concept of idea and innovation

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 14, 2021

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Events, Philosophy

Tagged
COSM 2021, Discovery Institute (mission), Featured, Steve Buri, Steve Buri (COSM 2021 host), Steve Buri (on COVID-19), Stewardship Partners}

Meet Your Host for COSM 2021, Steve Buri

_{Buri, President of the Discovery Institute, has been active in Washington public life for decades and looks forward to hosting thoughtful high tech pioneers} _{News

October 14, 2021

5

Artificial Intelligence, Events, Philosophy}

Attendees of COSM 2021 (November 10–11), where Big Tech pioneers will sit down together to think and talk about where AI is going, will have as their hos, Steve Buri. Buri, President of the Discovery Institute since 2011, will be emceeing and moderating throughout, with the goal of sharing the mission of Discovery Institute as it relates to an understanding of natural and artificial intelligence. A couple of things about Steve: He was born and raised in the small farming community ofColfax, Washington, and graduated from Washington State University with a double major in political science and criminal justice in 1994. After graduation, he was active in local politics, serving as senior staff member to U.S. Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA) Read More ›

Two chess knights facing away from each other

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
October 13, 2021

Categorized
Ethics, Philosophy

Tagged
Abolition of Man (book), Atheism (and morality), C. S. Lewis (the Tao), Featured, Matt Dillahunty, Matt Dillahunty (on origin of morality), Michael Egnor, Michael Egnor (on origin of morality), Morality (its origin), Tao (in Lewis's writings), Theology Unleashed}

8. Does Morality Really Exist? If So, Does It Come From God?

_{Matt Dillahunty now challenges Michael Egnor: There is no way to know whether a moral doctrine represents any reality apart from belief} _{News

October 13, 2021

16

Ethics, Philosophy}

In the “Does God exist?” debate between theist neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and atheist broadcaster Matt Dillahunty (September 17, 2021), the debaters are now talking about where moral precepts come from. Readers may recall that the debate opened with Egnor explaining why, as former atheist, he became a theist. Then Dillahunty explained why, as a former theist, he became an atheist. Michael Egnor then made his opening argument, offering ten proofs for the existence of God. Matt Dillahunty responded in his own opening argument that the propositions were all unfalsifiable. When, in Section 4, it was Egnor’s turn to rebut Dillahunty, Dillahunty was not easily able to recall Aquinas’s First Way (the first logical argument for the existence of God). Then, Read More ›