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Tag Archives: Philosophy
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : How Evolution Works
Charles Darwin: Blame it all on him. Image from Wikimedia Commons. Evolution Regardless of your opinion on the ultimate purpose of it all, it is important to understand how evolution works because the theory reflects reality, and basing your actions … Continue reading
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Tagged Bill Meacham, Charles Darwin, Evolution, Genetics, Philosophy, Science
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