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<p>"Life is that which wills amongst that which wills to live" ?</p>
<p>Citizenship or not, at least "life", and i believe (unfounded or
at least unattributable) that the above applies more acutely when
"amongst near peers". Baleen whales which live on krill, for
example exhibit *their* strongest *life* characteristics as they
engage with others of their own or similar species. </p>
<p>Perhaps Moby Dick was "more alive" because he engaged with Ahab
and crew? Moreso perhaps than with giant squid?</p>
<p>'munno<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 1/15/25 10:51 AM, Marcus Daniels
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:MN0PR11MB598591E896E3F2A0C44E5C9FC5192@MN0PR11MB5985.namprd11.prod.outlook.com">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">If one sets
the temperature of a LLM to zero, it will be
deterministic. Conversations LLMs have with other LLMs
running at zero temperature will be deterministic subject to
variations in congestion in their network connectivity.
Make the temperature higher, but use a controlled and
coordinated random number generator, and the system will
still be deterministic. Use thermal or quantum sensor for
the random source and no free will suddenly presents itself,
merely a lack of predictability.<br>
<br>
Now despite that, we can see that LLMs can often pass the
Turing Test. Using a controlled and coordinated random
source and higher temperature would be indistinguishable
from a physical sensor providing the random samples. I
expect LLMs (or neurosymbolic hybrid systems) will refine
their skill on advanced mathematics over time and other
things that are hard for humans. Should they exceed human
skill in the areas of law, medicine, software engineering,
art, music, how can we possibly deny them citizenship? If
we don’t grant them that, isn’t it reasonable for them to
fight back or at least to render our unruly infestation
harmless?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div
style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">From: </span></b><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Friam
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:friam-bounces@redfish.com"><friam-bounces@redfish.com></a> on behalf of Jochen
Fromm <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:jofr@cas-group.net"><jofr@cas-group.net></a><br>
<b>Date: </b>Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 9:27 AM<br>
<b>To: </b>The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee
Group <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:friam@redfish.com"><friam@redfish.com></a><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [FRIAM] I've been thinking<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">I've been
thinking about it during breakfast this morning. Fits to the
title of the thread. I would say at the moment LLMs do not
have free will. But we could imagine AI agents that have a
free will. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">Let us say
we build an AI agent that has two directives: the first is
to be a helpful assistant that answers questions as usual.
The second is to learn more about the world by questioning
other agents. At any point it has the ch</span><span
style="color:black">oice between answering your questions
and asking other agents. It might respond "I'm sorry Dave, I
can't answer your question because I am busy talking to
other agents".</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">Or we could
imagine an AI agent which has the two directives to be a
helpful assistant and to buy things for you. It has a fixed
budget of $200 a month to buy things you need. I might
respond "I'm sorry Dave, I can't answer your question
because I am busy shopping at the Walmart online </span><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">store".</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">-J.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black"><br>
<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">-------- Original
message --------<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">From: Marcus Daniels
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:marcus@snoutfarm.com"><marcus@snoutfarm.com></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Date: 1/14/25 11:12
PM (GMT+01:00) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">To: The Friday
Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:friam@redfish.com"><friam@redfish.com></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Subject: Re: [FRIAM]
I've been thinking <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt">Supposing there are generalized
AI systems that score higher than humans on all kinds of
tests that human devise, will these systems have free
will? Should they continue to be our slaves?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div
style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">From: </span></b><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Friam
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:friam-bounces@redfish.com"><friam-bounces@redfish.com></a> on behalf of Jochen
Fromm <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:jofr@cas-group.net"><jofr@cas-group.net></a><br>
<b>Date: </b>Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 1:46 PM<br>
<b>To: </b>The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee
Group <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:friam@redfish.com"><friam@redfish.com></a><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [FRIAM] I've been thinking</span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">What I like
about Daniel Dennett is that he did not lose his sense of
humor, he dared to tackle the big questions and he did
that using ordinary-language philosophy - using his bare
hands so to speak. Is audacity a good word to describe it?
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">In one of his
talks about free will he mentions Lee Siegel and his book
"Net of Magic: Wonders and Deceptions in India". Lee
writes in his book about street magic in India:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">"I'm writing a
book on magic," I explain, and I'm asked, "Real magic?" By
real magic people mean miracles, thaumaturgical acts, and
supernatural powers. "No," I answer: "Conjuring tricks,
not real magic." Real magic, in other words, refers to the
magic that is not real, while the magic that is real, that
can actually be done, is not real magic. (on page 431).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://archive.org/details/netofmagicwonder0000sieg/">https://archive.org/details/netofmagicwonder0000sieg/</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">Daniel argues
in his talk that this describes his life as philosopher:
people said the consciousness he tried to explain would
not be real consciousness, because it would not be magic
enough. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://youtu.be/Lg-9k1uAHCo?si=709D6yu17IH50Ol5">https://youtu.be/Lg-9k1uAHCo?si=709D6yu17IH50Ol5</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">-J.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">-------- Original
message --------</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">From: Frank
Wimberly <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:wimberly3@gmail.com"><wimberly3@gmail.com></a> </span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Date: 1/13/25 11:38
PM (GMT+01:00) </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">To: The Friday
Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:friam@redfish.com"><friam@redfish.com></a> </span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Subject: Re:
[FRIAM] I've been thinking </span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> </span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p>Some years ago Dennett gave a talk on consciousness. He
began by saying, "Some people have said that my book should
be called 'Conscious Explained Away'. Ha Ha". Where the
laughter was insincere and ironic.<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt">---<br>
Frank C. Wimberly<br>
140 Calle Ojo Feliz, <br>
Santa Fe, NM 87505<br>
<br>
505 670-9918<br>
Santa Fe, NM<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt">On Mon, Jan 13, 2025, 2:28 PM
Jochen Fromm <<a href="mailto:jofr@cas-group.net"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">jofr@cas-group.net</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<blockquote
style="border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">Good
summary. Dennett's books are popular because he has
done ordinary-language philosophy like his adviser
Ryle, as he writes in his chapter about his time in
Oxford. His main trick is to do sharp attacks on
theories which he has identified as false.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">His
"consciousness explained" book for example does not
really explain it. Like his mentor Gilbert Ryle he
says what it is not. Ryle says there is no ghost in
the machine, Dennett argues there is no central
self, no observer in the Cartesian theater. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">His
"freedom evolves" book is similar. He does not
really explain how a free will can emerge, he
explains what it is not: it is not action under
duress. Persons who have free will are not forced to
act like they do. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">I guess
Dennett's ordinary-language philosophy can also be
found here at FRIAM occasionally - one aspect I like
about the group.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">-J.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">--------
Original message --------</span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">From: Pieter
Steenekamp <<a
href="mailto:pieters@randcontrols.co.za"
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">pieters@randcontrols.co.za</a>>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Date: 1/13/25
9:02 AM (GMT+01:00) </span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">To: The
Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
<<a href="mailto:friam@redfish.com"
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">friam@redfish.com</a>>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Subject: Re:
[FRIAM] I've been thinking </span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"> </span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt">I've always been drawn to
the sharp mind of Daniel Dennett, and the idea of
diving into his autobiography feels like meeting
an old friend for the first time. As I've been on
a bit of a biography kick lately, adding Dennett's
personal journey to my reading list just feels
right.<br>
<br>
I love the communal aspect of our local library,
and I'm planning to see if they can snag Dennett's
autobiography for me. It's probably not on their
shelves, but the magic of inter-library loans
could come through for me. There's something
special about the anticipation of waiting for a
book you're eager to read.<br>
<br>
To brush up on Dennett's fascinating ideas, I
asked Grok to give me the lowdown on his thoughts
about consciousness, free will, religion, and
evolution. Here's what I learned. (My Prompt was
"please give me a comprehensive view on daniel
dennitt's views on consciousness, free will,
religion and evolution"):<br>
<br>
Daniel Dennett, a prominent philosopher, cognitive
scientist, and writer, has made significant
contributions to discussions on consciousness,
free will, religion, and evolution. Here's a
comprehensive overview of his views on each of
these topics:<br>
<br>
Consciousness<br>
Heterophenomenology: Dennett advocates for an
approach he calls "heterophenomenology," where one
takes the subject's reports of their consciousness
at face value but then interprets these reports
from a third-person perspective. This method aims
to be scientific and objective about subjective
experiences.<br>
Multiple Drafts Model: In his book "Consciousness
Explained," Dennett proposes the "multiple drafts"
model of consciousness, where consciousness is not
a single, central stream but rather the result of
numerous parallel processes in the brain. There is
no single place where consciousness happens;
instead, different parts of the brain produce
different "drafts" of what's going on, and we
experience consciousness as these drafts are
distributed and revised.<br>
Illusionism: Dennett is often classified as an
illusionist about consciousness, arguing that what
we think of as phenomenal consciousness (the
subjective, qualitative aspect of experience) is
an illusion or, more precisely, a construct of
cognitive processes. He believes that the hard
problem of consciousness is a pseudo-problem
because once we understand the brain's workings,
we'll see there's nothing left to explain.<br>
<br>
Free Will<br>
Compatibilism: Dennett supports a form of
compatibilism, where free will can coexist with
determinism. He argues that while our actions
might be determined by prior states of the
universe, we can still be morally responsible for
them if our decisions are based on our desires,
character, and rational deliberation. <br>
"Freedom Evolves": In his book "Freedom Evolves,"
he suggests that free will has evolved through
natural selection, where organisms develop the
ability to respond flexibly to their environments.
Free will, for Dennett, is about the ability to
act according to one's own reasons and
motivations, not about transcending causality.<br>
<br>
Religion<br>
The Brights Movement: Dennett, along with Richard
Dawkins and others, has been associated with the
"Brights" movement, an attempt to reframe atheists
and agnostics with a positive term. <br>
Memes and Religion: He views religion through the
lens of memetics, a theory where cultural ideas
(memes) propagate and evolve similarly to genes.
In "Breaking the Spell," he argues that religion
should be studied scientifically, questioning why
it persists and how it affects human behavior.<br>
Critical of Faith: Dennett is critical of
religion's role in society, often highlighting
what he sees as irrational beliefs or the
potential harm they can cause. He advocates for a
secular society based on reason and science,
though he does not discount the social benefits
some religious practices might offer.<br>
<br>
Evolution<br>
Darwin's Dangerous Idea: His book by this name
explores the implications of Darwin's theory of
evolution by natural selection, which he describes
as a "universal acid" that eats through just about
every traditional concept, from biology to
philosophy. <br>
Algorithimic View: Dennett emphasizes an
algorithmic view of life where evolution is seen
as an algorithmic process - blind, automatic, and
devoid of foresight or design.<br>
Critique of Intelligent Design: He has been a
vocal critic of intelligent design, arguing that
it's not only scientifically unfounded but also
philosophically problematic, as it often appeals
to a 'god of the gaps' for explanations.<br>
<br>
Dennett's work is characterized by its
interdisciplinary approach, combining insights
from biology, philosophy, computer science, and
cognitive science to address complex questions
about human nature and existence. His views often
provoke debate, particularly because of his
willingness to challenge traditional or intuitive
understandings of these topics.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt">On Sun, 12 Jan 2025 at
21:37, Jochen Fromm <<a
href="mailto:jofr@cas-group.net"
moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">jofr@cas-group.net</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<blockquote
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<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">The
library finally has notified me that Daniel
Dennett's autobiography "I've been thinking"
is ready to borrow. So I went to the library
and got it. As expected an interesting book.
He writes about his time in Oxford and his
mentor Gilbert Ryle, his approach to
philosophy and his little life hacks.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">He
explains for example how he used to stay awake
in boring talks: he waits until all characters
of the alphabet subsequently appear in the
talk and then writes down the word. First he
waits for a word containing A, then for a word
containing B, etc. If he reaches Z he starts
again at A. He says J, Q und Z would be
rare...</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">As you
know Daniel has written a number of
fascinating books. Dennett's law of philosophy
for me is that for every big, fundamental
question in philosophy there is at least one
Daniel Dennett book:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">+
"Consciousnes Explained" (1991) about
consciousness</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">+
"Darwin's Dangerous Idea" (1995) about
evolution </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">+ "Freedom
Evolves" (2003) about free will</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">+
"Breaking the spell" (2006) about religion</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">We have
discussed all four questions here in FRIAM as
well: consciousness, evolution, free will and
religion. The conclusions I came too (after
many discussions here and countless visits to
the library) are:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">+ For
subjective consciousness humans have built
tools to solve the "what it is like to be"
question of subjective consciousness. The
tools are simply the cinemas and movie
theaters which show the stuff that Hollywood
produces. Recently the GoPro cameras which
show what it is like to be a hero fulfill a
similar purpose</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">+
Regarding the spell of religion we have built
tools too. Churches, mosques, synagogues and
temples are places where the magic of religion
is used to form groups out of loosely coupled
individuals. And the magic turns out to be
gene expression, as I tried to explain in the
book from 5 years ago</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">+ For the
question of free will we have invented tools
too. Mainly language and "to be or not to be"
thinking of course, but as trivial as it may
sound, ordinary things such as notes and
calendars help us to remember what we want to
do, thereby guiding our decision making</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">I have the
feeling that the solutions to the biggest and
most elusive questions can be found in the
most ordinary common </span><span
style="color:black">things, hiding in plain
sight.</span><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black"> Would you
come to different conclusions in one of big
questions after our discussions here? </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span
style="font-family:"Google Sans",serif;color:black">-J.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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