Sentences We Love

[mogui]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

"We are all of us Starstuff...
Life is the Universe, given consciousness."

-Delenn (borrowing from Sagan) to Sinclair, Babylon 5

Having a vast appreciation of the process of evolution and all that it has achieved, I find it easy to view that generative process as intelligent. But that which we call life is a product of that process. Not all of it is conscious, though we can argue about the nature of consciousness. Maybe it is a sensate awareness of self -- how it feels to be me. We can wonder how far down the phyla this awareness goes. My hunch is that it is restricted to the mammalian brain. Can we claim the universe itself is conscious? I suspect not.

But it is a poetic and optimistic quotation. Do you get a feeling from it? I do. Poetic statements come from the intuitive part of us and speak to the heart rather than the brain. We wonder why we feel something when we read a beautiful passage. We cannot explain it, much as we couldn't explain the "meaning" of a famous poem when we were in the ninth grade.

Personally, I am struggling toward consciousness, having had my first cup of coffee. I am staring at the second cup and enjoying Mobileread.

[mogui]

Woman at party: So how do you spend your time?
Man at party: I'm working on a book.
Woman: That's fascinating! You must have a lot of determination!
Man: And when I finish it, I'm going to read another one.

[Roy White]

Here's a Gem from Moby Dick...

"The liquor soon mounted into their heads, as it generally does even with the arrantest topers newly landed from sea, and they began capering about most obstreperously."

I gotta memorize that one and use it on the golf course!

[mogui]

Originally Posted by Roy White

Here's a Gem from Moby Dick...

"The liquor soon mounted into their heads, as it generally does even with the arrantest topers newly landed from sea, and they began capering about most obstreperously."

I gotta memorize that one and use it on the golf course!

My heart soars like a hawk!

[RWood]

Its great to soar like an eagle
But weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

[mogui]

Chinglish is a naturally occurring language intermediate between Chinese and English. Chinese learners of English speak it until the absorb more English culture. It is the grammatical filter of Chinese, plus common ways of expressing ideas in Chinese, all translated verbatim into English. It is quite charming.






And finally, enumerating the social risks to travelers in China, this T-shirt.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by mogui

Having a vast appreciation of the process of evolution and all that it has achieved, I find it easy to view that generative process as intelligent. But that which we call life is a product of that process. Not all of it is conscious, though we can argue about the nature of consciousness. Maybe it is a sensate awareness of self -- how it feels to be me. We can wonder how far down the phyla this awareness goes. My hunch is that it is restricted to the mammalian brain. Can we claim the universe itself is conscious? I suspect not.

I wouldn't make the same assumption, myself... I believe some non-mammals have consciousness (birds and fish, for instance). And remember, there is no exact or accepted definition for "consciousness, " so it's a highly debatable state anyway.

As far as the universe "itself" being conscious: My body is made up of cells, so I share the traits of the cells that make me up, even though I am not directly aware of the things the cells do. The universe is made up on things like me, so it shares the traits of the "me"s that make it up, even though it is not directly aware of what the "me"s are doing.

(And I stop there, because anything I add just breaks down the logic...)

[TadW]

Originally Posted by mogui

And finally, enumerating the social risks to travelers in China, this T-shirt.

Hilarious

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

And remember, there is no exact or accepted definition for "consciousness, " so it's a highly debatable state anyway.

My personal working definition of sentience (which is close) is being aware of your own mortality. But that's a bit self-serving, because it lets me explain to teen-agers how they're not sentient yet, which can be fun.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by NatCh

My personal working definition of sentience (which is close) is being aware of your own mortality. But that's a bit self-serving, because it lets me explain to teen-agers how they're not sentient yet, which can be fun.

Since I know people who essentially believe that they will live forever through Jesus Christ, I'm not sure that's a good definition...

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Since I know people who essentially believe that they will live forever through Jesus Christ, I'm not sure that's a good definition...

Nit-picker. I meant physical mortality, and you know it.

[kovidgoyal]

What happens in a few centuries when we overcome physical mortality?

[NatCh]

Well, if that should happen, I'll be safely dead long before, and I won't have to worry about revising my tongue-in-cheek definition.

[kovidgoyal]

Unless some evil people decide to freeze and revive you.

[NatCh]

Nah, cremation for me.