The Human Animal (Humans)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Thursday, August 13, 2009, 15:05 (5580 days ago) @ David Turell


> > Just in case anyone thinks this is proof that humans are "special", let me sing a hymn of praise - no punk band backing I'm afraid - to ants, which knock us sideways when it comes to altruism.
> 
> You are now springing Edward O. Wilson on us. His 'right' or 'permission' to have us accept his comments "on human nature" (his book, 1978) cannot be granted on my part because he studies ants and ant societal relationships. Ants are purely instinct. Wilson blames our altruism on religiosity, that dangerous aspect of our thinking, whereas Robert Wright in "Non-Zero" (2000) feels it is our growing intellect, consciousness, and sense of cooperative socialization while we have freedom of choice, and can learn from bad choices. I'm on Wright's side.
> - I'm on the fence here. (Agnostics HO!) In all seriousness, N's comments regarding ideas coming when *they* will create a very difficult scenario for a penultimate free will. I found out that I wasn't borrowing too much with the words "Who, or what is doing the willing?" N wasn't nearly that direct in the passage, but that question still remains. How do you claim free will when you don't control your thoughts? When I finished my stint with Buddhism, I was no better at *controlling* thought, only focusing my mind--but you still get errant thoughts no matter how hard you try to stick to one topic. - > 
> > And a message to Matt: I'm sure I'm not the only one anxious to know how your exams went. I will type better if I can uncross my fingers.
> 
> My toes are crossed while seated, so I can type. But if I remember, the scores come out several weeks after the test. I suppose they are still curving the test and giving percentage scores. - If you read what I posted to dhw, you will see that I didn't do so well. I know it was nerves however--I wasn't nervous at the time, but I never "feel" nervousness, it only comes out in my work. There all computer adaptive, and with a score as low as what I got on the quant (480) that means the questions I missed were towards the beginning--the first 10 questions have a huge effect on your score, which is wrong, but its how the game is played now. However, if I can boost the GPA a tenth of a point I could waive the GRE requirement. - I don't see that as fully viable. In about 3 weeks I start a second internship, leaving my primary job at the hospital. Getting a job when I graduate is paramount... my wife will be student teaching beginning this January, and I can plan all I want--but I'm living in the now and I need to make one of these two internships convert. (Preferably both, I would like a bidding war.) My current internship is at a hospital under construction, Bellevue Medical Center. The second is (hopefully) Mutual of Omaha, a company who made the surprising decision to sell their health insurance unit last year. I'm intrigued by this...

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"