(This is schoolwork. I have covered this subject before.)
In her lecture on October 2, 2015, Doctor Dukewich expressed her feeling that there must be more to consciousness than proton flow, and noted that in a dish of electrically neutral solution, protons will pass through a permeable membrane just like they do in the human mind, but we would not consider the solution to be conscious. Ergo there must be something more.
I respectfully disagree. The awe we feel when our minds contemplate their own complexity is palpable, and gives us a feeling of irreducible complexity, but that is an illusion. The truth is, to my mind, even more awe-inspiring : that the most complex phenomenon in the known universe, human consciousness, actually IS just proton flow on its most fundamental level.
This in no way detracts from consciousness’ magnificence, any more that pointing out that Shakespeare’s plays are “just” strings of letters makes them any less brilliant, or that everything the device upon which I am writing this assignment does is “just” ones and zeroes make what it can do less impressive.
To quote a man I admire greatly :
The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.
Albert Einstein
It is true that there is, in fact “something more” than proton flow happening in human consciousness, just as there is “something more” happening in a computer than ones and zeroes. But that does not preclude our understanding that complexity comes from simplicity. The mightiest star in the sky is made of nothing more than hydrogen, helium, and a little bit more.
In short, pointing out that complex things are made of simpler things does not in any way reduce the complexity of said things. Ergo, to point out that human consciousness is fundamentally proton flow does not, in any way, make the complexity of the human mind any less extraordinary.
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And what the hell, here is my weekly journalism assignment :
Name of Student: Michael Bertrand
PART 1: READING REFLECTION
Question : As a general rule, should news organizations report on suicides? Why/Why not?
My Answer : Yes. They should cover them because the coverage both spreads awareness of the problem and because it will point potential suicides to the resources which may save their lives. Contagion is a possibility but we have no way of knowing whether those people would have committed suicide eventually regardless of the news coverage. Coverage could save many more lives than contagion takes. I say, do it.
My Question for the Class: If someone close to you committed suicide, would you want the media to cover it? Why or why not?
PART 2: NEWS STORY
Your day of the week (see chart in syllabus): Monday
Date: October 5, 2015
Headline: Flint, Michigan, declares emergency; high lead levels in kids linked to tap water
Reporter’s name: None listed
URL : http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.3254263/flint-michigan-declares-emergency-high-lead-levels-in-kids-linked-to-tap-water-1.3254267
Why I think this is a noteworthy news story: (40 to 50 words): I think it illustrates the dangers of a certain shortsighted form of the cost-cutting mentality that seeks to make a number on a ledger go down without any understanding of the complexity those numbers represent. These people eschew complexity and hence are woefully inadequate for achieving concrete results.
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And now, the actual blogging.
Had fun at the con. The night I forgot my sleep meds was not fun, but I got to sleep eventually, and slept decently well. Saturday night I slept quite soundly after drinking a significant amount of booze then taking my sleeping pills, which I am almost positive must be contraindicated. Best sleep I have had in ages, honestly. A peaceful eight hours, and all without CPAP.
Same for Sunday night. I didn’t have liquor in me, but I had stayed up till four in the morning playing Cards Against Humanity (damn, I love that game) with various con-goers at the deadest Dead Dog Party ever.
That was a debacle. The DDP started out in someone’s suite, but after two noise complaints from the hotel, we realized this was intensely stupid. Parties have a minimum volume and that number goes up for each partygoer, so there was simply no chance we would be able to keep it down.
After that broke down, most of the partgoers said to hell with it and went to bed, which was dispiriting. But a group of us went to a conference room with a nice big round table and started playing Cards Against Humanity, and that game is goddamned hilarious, so we entertained ourselves that way until the wee hours of the morning.
And this, after having gone to the Turkey Readings earlier that day, followed by a marvelous dinner with the usual gang plus Jax, Spuug, Dara, and Ana, wherein we amused the hell out of one another.
All in all, I consider it to have been a socially successful weekend. There were a few socially anxious moments when I was at a room party and nobody was talking to me and I began to feel morose and alone and some bad tapes about being forever an outsider started playing, but I powered my way through those and was mostly okay.
More importantly, I made a lot of people laugh over the weekend. My little jokes didn’t always work, but most of them did, and few things make me feel as good as making people laugh and thereby putting a little more sunshine into their lives.
I emailed in sick to my Ideology and Politics class today. I feel weird about that. But I was so damned tired from the convention that I had little choice. I will get back into the flow of things tomorrow.
It did make me realize that, if you strip away all the externalities of what gets me out the door and off to class, what remains is a very strong fear of missing out and falling behind. The idea of all my classmates learning without me fills me with a deep dread. I guess when you are the youngest of four, getting left behind is one of your worst fears.
I will talk to you nice people again tomorrow, with a proper con report.