Comments on: The big blues marble http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/5516 The daily organ of the Northeast Corridor Social Club Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:46:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Dave http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/5516#comment-60791 Dave Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:06:24 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=5516#comment-60791 No eye rolling at all, Scotty. In fact, I haven't really read much of it (I'm not and never have been a Heidegger scholar), but after he wrote <em>Being and Time</em>, Heidegger came to the idea that not just the Cartesian turn to dualism was wrong, but that basically all of Western thought went fundamentally wrong with Socrates and Plato. I've heard some people say that the later Heidegger has a lot in common with certain strains in Eastern philosophy, although I can't tell you anything beyond that. No eye rolling at all, Scotty. In fact, I haven’t really read much of it (I’m not and never have been a Heidegger scholar), but after he wrote Being and Time, Heidegger came to the idea that not just the Cartesian turn to dualism was wrong, but that basically all of Western thought went fundamentally wrong with Socrates and Plato. I’ve heard some people say that the later Heidegger has a lot in common with certain strains in Eastern philosophy, although I can’t tell you anything beyond that.

]]> By: Scotty http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/5516#comment-60787 Scotty Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:10:36 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=5516#comment-60787 In all seriousness, Dave, I really enjoyed the videos that you linked to. I know that you're a Heidegger man, and I love that you opened my eyes to his work. I don't know that I agree with the whole carpenter's relationship to her hammer premise as an accurate illustration to the way my mind (and that’s ultimately what each of us has to work with here, is our own experience) works with extensive tools. I tend to think of this extension (for me it's primarily with a guitar) as being more akin to a transcendental moment -- or something like that. Not to essentialize, but I think that it's likely that Eastern philosophies tend to get the mind-body connection a little better than Western philosophies. I do think the Enlightenment was a bit of a wrong turn when it comes to explaining how the mind works. And whether or not Heidegger sees himself as an extension of this, he’s still walking down the Cartesian path, i.e.: using quasi-scientific reason to explain the mind. Am I completely off base here? Please tell me that you’re not rolling your eyes at me -- it’s okay to lie about it. In all seriousness, Dave, I really enjoyed the videos that you linked to. I know that you’re a Heidegger man, and I love that you opened my eyes to his work. I don’t know that I agree with the whole carpenter’s relationship to her hammer premise as an accurate illustration to the way my mind (and that’s ultimately what each of us has to work with here, is our own experience) works with extensive tools.

I tend to think of this extension (for me it’s primarily with a guitar) as being more akin to a transcendental moment — or something like that. Not to essentialize, but I think that it’s likely that Eastern philosophies tend to get the mind-body connection a little better than Western philosophies. I do think the Enlightenment was a bit of a wrong turn when it comes to explaining how the mind works. And whether or not Heidegger sees himself as an extension of this, he’s still walking down the Cartesian path, i.e.: using quasi-scientific reason to explain the mind.

Am I completely off base here? Please tell me that you’re not rolling your eyes at me — it’s okay to lie about it.

]]> By: Scotty http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/5516#comment-60785 Scotty Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:48:34 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=5516#comment-60785 You have both brightened my day by at least 10 percent. You have both brightened my day by at least 10 percent.

]]> By: Dave http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/5516#comment-60784 Dave Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:27:16 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=5516#comment-60784 I agree with you, Natasha, that there are a lot of things we can train our minds to do that they don't normally do. For me, though, the hidden and surprising parts of human being, including "strange" mental skills, are another reason to think that we're never going to be able to write a big equation that does everything that we as embodied beings can do. I agree with you, Natasha, that there are a lot of things we can train our minds to do that they don’t normally do. For me, though, the hidden and surprising parts of human being, including “strange” mental skills, are another reason to think that we’re never going to be able to write a big equation that does everything that we as embodied beings can do.

]]> By: Natasha http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/5516#comment-60771 Natasha Mon, 27 Apr 2009 06:03:08 +0000 http://www.greatwhatsit.com/?p=5516#comment-60771 But you are right about the whole “ten percent” statement; obviously, we don’t know the ratios. But you are right about the whole “ten percent” statement; obviously, we don’t know the ratios.

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