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Tag Archives: Ideas
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IDEAS | The anti-realist vegetarian
Once you realize the socially constructed nature of morality, you get to choose whether or not to buy into it. By Bill Meacham | The Rag Blog | August 25, 2015 I venture to guess that most people are moral … Continue reading
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Tagged Bill Meacham, Ideas, Moral Anti-Realism, Moral Realism, Morality, Philosophy, Rag Bloggers, Vegetarianism
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IDEAS | Mental parasites
Just as a parasitical lancet fluke can direct an ant to climb up a blade of grass, we are unknowingly manipulated by cultural memes. By Bill Meacham | The Rag Blog | October 21, 2014 What if your brain were … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Bill Meacham, Cultural Memes, Free Will, Ideas, Lancet Fluke, Nature, Parasites, Philosophy, Rag Bloggers, Second-Order Volition
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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Free Will or Free Won’t?
Image from InspireD2.Free Will or Free Won’t? Human beings act on their desires and beliefs, and the way we predict what people will do is not by examining their brain waves but by understanding what they want and what they … Continue reading
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Tagged Bill Meacham, Consciousness, Free Will, Ideas, Neuroscience, Philosophy
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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Speaking of Consciousness
Image from TZA’s photostream / Flickr.Speaking of consciousness The cardinal sin of philosophy, committed all too often, is to use terms that are ambiguous. By Bill Meacham | The Rag Blog | January 15, 2013 The philosophy club is currently … Continue reading
Posted in Rag Bloggers
Tagged Bill Meacham, Consciousness, Experience, Ideas, Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : The Mayan Calendar
The sun at the intersection of the galactic equator and the ecliptic. Image from Philosophy for Real Life.Is the end near?The Mayan Calendar On December 21 the 13th baktun will come to an end. Rather than starting a 14th baktun, … Continue reading
Posted in Rag Bloggers
Tagged Astrology, Astronomy, Bill Meacham, Ideas, Mayan, Mayan Calendar, Philosophy, Winter Solstice
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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Is Religion a Parasitic Meme or a Helpful Adaptation?
Moai at Easter Island. Moai are the living faces of deified ancestors. Image from Wikimedia Commons.Religion:Parasitic meme or helpful adaptation? That humans are religious is indisputable. Like morality, religion in one form or another seems to be a universal aspect … Continue reading
Posted in Rag Bloggers
Tagged Anthropology, Bill Meacham, Evolution, Ideas, New Atheists, Philosophy, Religion
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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : The Human Virtue
Image from The Planning Notepad.The human virtue We humans have an ability that goes well beyond what any other animal can do: we can turn our attention to ourselves. By Bill Meacham | The Rag Blog | September 20, 2012 … Continue reading
Posted in Rag Bloggers
Tagged Bill Meacham, Cognition, Human Beings, Ideas, Intelligence, Philosophy, Self-Knowledge
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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Fellow Primates / 2
Bonobos, like chimps, show empathy, theory of mind, and targeted helping. Photo by Dan Caspersz / Bush Warriors.Fellow primates / 2 Being related genetically to both chimps, who settle sexual issues through conflict, and bonobos, who settle conflict issues through … Continue reading
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Tagged Behavior, Bill Meacham, Bonobos, Chimpanzees, Hominins, Ideas, Intelligence, Natural Science, Philosophy, Primates
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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Fellow Primates / 1
Tanzanian chimp. Image from Wikimedia Commons.Fellow primates / 1 Chimps and humans are a lot alike, except that humans, being more intelligent, do what chimps do even better. By Bill Meacham | The Rag Blog | August 9, 2012 Last … Continue reading
Posted in Rag Bloggers
Tagged Behavior, Bill Meacham, Bonobos, Chimpanzees, Hominins, Ideas, Intelligence, Natural Science, Philosophy, Primates
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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Intelligence
Image from A Blog for English Lovers.Intelligence Cognition is how we acquire knowledge. Intelligence is what we do with it. By Bill Meacham / The Rag Blog / July 19, 2012 Cognition, which I talked about last time, is how … Continue reading
IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Ways of Knowing
Cartoon by Piraro. Image from Sandwalk.Ways of Knowing The whole thing is about life perpetuating itself, about what we will do, how we will act, in different situations. By Bill Meacham | The Rag Blog | June 27, 2012 Each … Continue reading
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Tagged Bill Meacham, Cognition, Evolution, Ideas, Knowledge, Philosophy, Psychology, Science
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BOOKS / Bill Meacham : Sam Harris’ ‘The Moral Landscape’
The Moral Landscape:Science and human values Harris is on to something very important here: that careful observation of what actually works has a great deal to tell us about what is good and valuable. By Bill Meacham | The Rag … Continue reading
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Tagged Bill Meacham, Books, Ethics, Ideas, Morality, Philosophy, Science
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