Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia;  Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.

Virtual Reality
exists only
in the Mind

Post 8. 12/20/2017 continued . . . .

True Reality : Both Real & Ideal

  Information & Enformer

Humans are born naked & ignorant into a complex confusing world that requires us to learn survival tactics one way or another -- the hard way, by personal experience, or the easier way, by cultural education. For most of us though, the closest we come to a ready-made Reality Handbook is the authorized scripture of our native culture, which has been carefully edited to present an internally-consistent perspective on the world. By contrast, scientific textbooks tend to fragment their knowledge of the universe into a complex array of technical specialties. As a result of such opposite inclinations, Religion appeals to the benighted masses, while Science -- apart from technological toys -- is of interest mainly to the erudite elite. Consequently, in our Quixotic quest to understand the full spectrum of the world, we are too often faced with stark either-or choices.

 For those not interested in pragmatic-but-mundane Science data, a common alternative is romantic-but-improbable just-so stories, in the form of psychic, shaman, or scriptural dramas. Those pre-scientific doctrines have one thing in common, besides an appeal to feelings over facts : all assume that some aspects of Reality stand above & beyond the reach of rational empirical methods. Unfortunately, due to the hostility between those polarized approaches to knowledge -- Science versus Superstition -- a lot of fertile middle ground gets overlooked. The scientific method works so well, because it restricts the range of possibilities, by allowing only sensory phenomena to be studied1.  But pseudo-science is so open to all possibilities that the distinction between true & false gets lost amid the distracting & mystifying complexities.

 Therefore, in order to have the best of both worlds, Reason & Feeling, Physics & Metaphysics, we must balance open-mindedness with skepticism. That's why the BothAnd philosophy2 is an inclusive, but selective, attitude toward all sources of information about reality. It proposes that we construct a worldview that combines the practical utility of realistic Empiricism with the theoretical advantages of idealistic Philosophy. We can learn from both ancient sages and cutting-edge inventors. Perhaps, with such a harmonious attitude we can find a way to have our utilitarian Materialism, and our sexy Spiritualism too.

For example, even renowned scientists, such as Albert Einstein, would sometimes admit to a subtle-but-profound belief in a loosely defined ultimate & holistic world governor, more or less equivalent to the generic notion of God. Likewise, many devout believers have been able to adapt their faith in ancient scriptures to the obvious realities revealed by modern Science. Yet such accommodation is only possible, if we make allowances for our own personal ignorance and imperfection. From such a modest position we may be able to see that practical truth for fallible humans is typically an admixture of tangible facts and speculative conjectures, combining hard reality with squishy hopes, dreams, and ideals.  

Post 8 continued . . . click Next

Note 1 :
Scientists often disparage Philosophy because it offers no clear correct answers to questions raised. But Science is no better when faced with highly complex questions, such as the three variable problems. Physics is simple, straightforward, and mathematical, because it ignores the perplexing contradictions of human nature. Psychology & Sociology are complex, indirect, and paradoxical because their subject matter is characterized by the labyrinthine feedback loops of a reflective mind.

Note 2 :
The BothAnd principle requires us to compromise with opposing worldviews, such as Science & Religion, whenever the truth of a proposition falls into the gray area between true & false. That concession to pragmatism is not due to apathy or nihilism, but to prudence.

Just-so-Stories :
In science and philosophy, a just-so story, also called an ad hoc fallacy, is an unverifiable narrative explanation for a cultural practice, a biological trait, or behavior of humans or other animals.

Spiritualism :
Enformationism is similar to Spiritualism in that it assumes the existence of invisible powers that subtly influence natural processes. But it is also compatible with Materialism in that the operative agency is nothing more exotic than the intangible mind-stuff we call “information” or “data” or “algorithms” in the context of computers, and “memes” in the context of human culture.