The most important unresolved scientific questions, in my opinion.

Easy, I would name the city I live in, where I was born. Places that are meaningful to me. Not a mysterious force or random.

Again, what motivates the brain to act. You never answered that question.
You say that you would pick cities based on that criteria now, but ultimately you have no control over which cities appear in consciousness. And why did you decide to pick your hometown and cities that are meaningful to you? You could have decided to pick only West Coast or East Coast cities. You could have decided to pick cities that span 10 different countries. You have no idea why that specific criteria came to mind.

As I said, I couldn't possibly name all the things that cause the brain to act. A lot of it is outside stimuli. A lot of it is just the ongoing, unstoppable thoughts.
 
You say that you would pick cities based on that criteria now, but ultimately you have no control over which cities appear in consciousness. And why did you decide to pick your hometown and cities that are meaningful to you? You could have decided to pick only West Coast or East Coast cities. You could have decided to pick cities that span 10 different countries. You have no idea why that specific criteria came to mind.

As I said, I couldn't possibly name all the things that cause the brain to act. A lot of it is outside stimuli. A lot of it is just the ongoing, unstoppable thoughts.
I mean, seriously, that sounds like psychosis.
 
You say that you would pick cities based on that criteria now, but ultimately you have no control over which cities appear in consciousness. And why did you decide to pick your hometown and cities that are meaningful to you? You could have decided to pick only West Coast or East Coast cities. You could have decided to pick cities that span 10 different countries. You have no idea why that specific criteria came to mind.

As I said, I couldn't possibly name all the things that cause the brain to act. A lot of it is outside stimuli. A lot of it is just the ongoing, unstoppable thoughts.
Box jellyfish lack a brain or central nervous system yet learn to navigate and solve problems.
 
I mean, seriously, that sounds like psychosis.
Are you able to think your thoughts before you think them or do thoughts just appear in consciousness?

What are you able to do to sculpt/design thoughts before you think them?
 
Are you able to think your thoughts before you think them or do thoughts just appear in consciousness?
You wanted to talk about choice and action.

Let us say that Bob goes for a walk at 6 PM.
1. Bob decided to go for a walk at 6PM.
2. Bob's brain decided to go for a walk at 6PM.

Same event, different description.
 
You wanted to talk about choice and action.

Let us say that Bob goes for a walk at 6 PM.
1. Bob decided to go for a walk at 6PM.
2. Bob's brain decided to go for a walk at 6PM.

Same event, different description.
The idea of free will is that Bob has a choice in what time he went for a walk. If the decision is made outside of Bob's control, where is free will?
 
The idea of free will is that Bob has a choice in what time he went for a walk. If the decision is made outside of Bob's control, where is free will?
Bob went for a walk.
Why is your explanation true and mind false?
By your logic it does not matter if the brain or Bob made the decision.
 
Bob went for a walk.
Why is your explanation true and mind false?
By your logic it does not matter if the brain or Bob made the decision.
By my logic, that's all that matters. We, "Bob" aren't making any true decisions.
 
By my logic, that's all that matters. We, "Bob" aren't making any true decisions.

You never answer the question of what motivates the brain to act. It remains mysterious.
Or you're just giving default explanation of evolutionary psychology.
 
We don't know that the Big Bang did happen.

It is a hypothesis crafted to explain observations that indicted an expanding universe. The only evidence to support the Big Bang is the expanding universe - which creates circular logic.

The Big Bang depends on the expanding universe, which is in question:

{Theoretical and observational challenges to standard cosmology such as the cosmological constant problem and tensions between cosmological model parameters inferred from different observations motivate the development and search of new physics. A less radical approach to venturing beyond the standard model is the simple mathematical reformulation of our theoretical frameworks underlying it.

While leaving physical measurements unaffected, this can offer a reinterpretation and even solutions of these problems. In this spirit, metric transformations are performed here that cast our Universe into different geometries. Of particular interest thereby is the formulation of cosmology in Minkowski space. Rather than an expansion of space, spatial curvature, and small-scale inhomogeneities and anisotropies, this frame exhibits a variation of mass, length and time scales across spacetime. Alternatively, this may be interpreted as an evolution of fundamental constants. As applications of this reframed cosmological picture, the naturalness of the cosmological constant is reinspected and promising candidates of geometric origin are explored for dark matter, dark energy, inflation and baryogenesis. An immediate observation thereby is the apparent absence of the cosmological constant problem in the Minkowski frame.

The formalism is also applied to identify new observable signatures of conformal inhomogeneities, which have been proposed as simultaneous solution of the observational tensions in the Hubble constant, the amplitude of matter fluctuations, and the gravitational lensing amplitude of cosmic microwave background anisotropies. These are found to enhance redshifts to distant galaxy clusters and introduce a mass bias with cluster masses inferred from gravitational lensing exceeding those inferred kinematically or dynamically.}


Anytime one starts speaking of "settled science" they are promoting faith, not science.

Science is a methodology - not a thing. Science doesn't say anything - it is a tool to organize inquiry in a logical and systematic manner.



We don't know that they are. You are shoe horning random data elements to reach a desired conclusion.
I don't want to have to read a scientific paper written by someone else. Can you just state in your own words what it means, and why it's important to this thread.
 
You never answer the question of what motivates the brain to act. It remains mysterious.
Or you're just giving default explanation of evolutionary psychology.
I answered it twice.

First, your brain is never off. If you are awake, you are thinking. Constantly thinking. The most experienced meditators are generally only able to stop the constant internal dialogue for short periods of time.

Try to stop thinking. You can't.
 
Many think Descartes instituted the idea that only science gives us proper knowledge. He never says this. His body and mind distinction does not mean the mind is reducible to body.
We are definitely not zombies, just large collections of quarks and electrons pre-programmed to act without choice or free will. The physical reductionist attempt to reduce behavior and biology down to just physics is pretty discredited at this point.
 
There are no gods.

You know that...how?

Or are you just making a blind guess the way the theists do...although in the other direction?
Every conscious thought, decision and action we make is determined by the brain. There is no separate self, no "I", that is making decisions. It's all happening an a neurological level that is not under the control of a self.
Once again...you know this...HOW?
 
You know that...how?
There's no evidence for gods. Despite some of the exist of thousands of gods, and lots of man-made stories, there's no reason to believe anyone has actually seen them or they have ever existed.

I'm going to guess that you are Christian. You are as atheist as I am, with the exception of the one God you believe exists.
Or are you just making a blind guess the way the theists do...although in the other direction?

Once again...you know this...HOW?

This can be easily demonstrated. Thoughts are what determine every intentional action you make or don't make, but you have no idea what your next thought is going to be. In other words, it is impossible for you to think your next thought before you think it. Thoughts just appear in consciousness. You do nothing to cause them, you can't stop them and you don't know what the they going to be until they arrive in consciousness.
 
There's no evidence for gods. Despite some of the exist of thousands of gods, and lots of man-made stories, there's no reason to believe anyone has actually seen them or they have ever existed.

Okay. But you are saying there are none. How do you know there are none?


I'm going to guess that you are Christian.

My take on gods is:
I do not know if any GOD (or gods) exist or not;
I see no reason to suspect that gods cannot exist…that the existence of a GOD or gods is impossible;
I see no reason to suspect that at least one GOD must exist...that the existence of at least one GOD is needed to explain existence;
I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction on whether any gods exist or not...so I don't.

(When I use the word "GOD or gods" here, I mean "The entity (or entities) responsible for the creation of what we humans call 'the physical universe'...IF SUCH AN ENTITY OR ENTITIES ACTUALLY EXIST.)
You are as atheist as I am, with the exception of the one God you believe exists.

I am nowhere near as atheistic as you are.

I suspect you DO NOT KNOW there are no gods...but are just guessing.
 
I answered it twice.

First, your brain is never off. If you are awake, you are thinking. Constantly thinking. The most experienced meditators are generally only able to stop the constant internal dialogue for short periods of time.

Try to stop thinking. You can't.
Clearly you are ignoring my question.
 
Back
Top