Jun 20, 2017 04:33 AM
(Jun 19, 2017 01:03 AM)confused2 Wrote: [ -> ]I was rather disturbed by the youtube where a rat brain was used as a neural network to control a simple robot. In the actual clip I think just a few cells were used but following the theme it gets worse and worse. Once you decide something (in this case rats) has no value you're on a slippery slope - where are you going to draw the line? Does (for example) Syne have any value? I don't think it is my responsibility to choose whether or not Syne has a value. The consequence of the absence of responsibility (and the complete lack of control) is that my quality of life is mostly (99.999%) determined by things outside myself and beyond my control. With age I seem to have (almost) completely lost the interest and ability to 'look in'. There's so much fantastic stuff 'out there'. I have a pair of seagulls nesting about 10 feet from where I am now. I'm lucky but with a slice of bread you can be anywhere and get some of the best friends you're ever likely to make. There's birds on roofs and in bushes. There's probably rats most places too but I'm not going to suggest making friends with them - even though I rather like their company (my wife must never find this out though). There's beauty everywhere. The sunrise is free but you have to be up early to see it.
Confused, you have given us thoughts, but not much in the way of feelings. How do you feel about many things being out of your control? Have you always thought so much was out of your control? Do you remember thinking and feeling differently? The big question for this thread is where do you feel whatever you feel? Are you aware of a physical feeling or is everything just thought?
Whoops I see you already answered part of my questions, but I am going to ask you think about the feelings anyway.
Quote:Intuitive indeed - so, like with eyeballs, I can see what is out there more clearly.
The OP is about feelings - emotions - a sort of internal weather. My claim (which I stand by) is that I have less internal weather than when younger and I pay less attention to the internal weather that remains.
Sunrise has a carpe diem quality that Sunset conspicuously lacks. If you can watch the Sun rise then the rest of the day is your oyster. I generally find it is a rather hung over little oyster but I don't think that entirely detracts from the sentiment.
I have found since I have started discussing feelings, I am more aware of my feelings. A few times I have found it interesting that I was experiencing uncomfortable feelings that I didn't want, and found that curious. Sometimes disagreements make me enjoy a discussion even more, and sometimes a disagreement leaves me feeling very irritated. If several people are saying I am wrong, and no one agrees with my side of an argument, I feel awful. However, if just one other person is arguing my side of the argument, I find myself enjoying the argument again.
In the past, I think I was more prone to just reacting to my feeling, instead of being curious about my feelings. I don't think I would want to be a brain in a vat, limited to thinking, and not feeling. When you watch the sun rise are you aware of a physical feeling?