See the first post for more info.
“The human understanding is no dry light, but receives an infusion from the will and affections; whence proceed sciences which may be called “sciences as one would.” For what a man had rather were true he more readily believes. Therefore he rejects difficult things from impatience of research; sober things, because they narrow hope; the deeper things of nature, from superstition; the light of experience, from arrogance and pride, lest his mind should seem to be occupied with things mean and transitory; things not commonly believed, out of deference to the opinion of the vulgar. Numberless, in short, are the ways, and sometimes imperceptible, in which the affections color and infect the understanding.”
Francis Bacon, ‘Novum Organum‘, 1620
I am a guy who believes that “I”-ness, the all too intimate sense of having a clear-cut, distinct-from-body self, is a grand illusion, albeit an indispensable one for higher cogitation, created by the incessant human need to seek patterns, and that it’s sustained, reinforced and defined by all sorts of internal and external ascriptions such as one's being a failed mathematician from Turkey, enjoying anything scientific immensely, lacking religious persuasion of any kind and having a bleak vision of humanity as such.
29/12/2008 at 00:16
brilliant!! keep it coming..
01/02/2009 at 06:22
I would like to invite you to participate in Blog For Darwin. If you’re willing, it would be fantastic to be added under your Darwin ‘09 list, too.
Complete information about Blog For Darwin is at http://www.blogfordarwin.org.
Thank you.