URL: http://www.bigquestionsonline.com/columns/michael-shermer/stephen-hawking%E2%80%99s-radical-philosophy-of-science

The models generated by biochemical processes in our brains constitute “reality.” None of us can ever be completely sure that the world really is as it appears, or if our minds have unconsciously imposed a misleading pattern on the data. I call this belief-dependent realism. In my forthcoming book, The Believing Brain, I demonstrate the myriad ways that our beliefs shape, influence, and even control everything we think, do, and say about the world. The power of belief is so strong that we typically form our beliefs first, then construct a rationale for holding those beliefs after the fact. I claim that the only escape from this epistemological trap is science. Flawed as it may be because it is conducted by scientists who have their own set of beliefs determining their reality, science itself has a set of methods to bypass the cognitive biases that so cripple our grasp of the reality that really does exist out there. ~ Michael Shermer Author of The Believing Brain.

I am very intrigued by many of the ideas put forth in this article. The beginning ties anyone with a seeking mind in with the beautiful description of how we receive and interpret the environment through our senses and brain.  However, I must disagree with the author slightly in that I do not think our brains have the incredible crippling bias that Shermer references.

Science is extraordinary. Yet what runs science but human minds? When I look at reality I have to think that most of what I see is fairly accurate. From a philosophical standpoint we must come to the conclusion that we can never know exactly what reality is without altering that reality or without some degradation of the information we are getting about it. But I choose to assume that what my senses take in are as close to the truth as I may ever come. And in fact I can rely on my senses pretty well. Things behave in patterns that I have learned over my life. Other people can verify for me that there is in fact a computer screen in front of my eyes!

What I am getting at is that I am not a scientist nor are most people. Yet we can use logic and reason along with our senses and memory to make a pretty good working model of the world and that is what people have been doing for millenia. Observing and comparing notes. I am not trying to go on an attack on science. However, scientists study things that may or may not have a direct impact on our daily lives. Yet you and I can study and observe and make some logical conclusions about the world we live in that might make a vast difference in how we view our own realities. I look to science for guidance but I also consult a whole host of sources in order for me to make a a choice and apply it in my life.

It really all comes down to belief. Beliefs have the power to cloud our view of reality or tune us into it even more deeply. Even science has its doctrine. So I believe that it is even more important than science to focus on our own beliefs and realize that they are what inform our reality most yet that we can choose to have our observations shape them. One can either mold reality to their beliefs or allow reality to inform and inspire their thoughts and beliefs.

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Or, at least, this is true if you live in the United States. But outside the States is a major global revolution led by underground humanitarian and ecologically friendly organizations. In his book  Blessed Unrest, Paul Hawkin uses the term “Interdependence Revolution” to describe this movement. Hawkin uses the metaphor of the human body and its interdependent array of various bacteria. This system of bacteria not only relies on each species and member for survival they also “recognize self and non-self, [just as] the movement identifies what is humane and not humane” (Hawken)

The knowledge of this revolution makes me excited because it could truly mean that the drastic change we have been waiting for is literally right around the corner for us. If these organizations can shut down the WTO convention they clearly have some power to affect real progress. It is often said that the revolution is always going on and that we just need to find it and join it in progress. With over 200 million organizations worldwide, it seems like the options to help are nearly endless.

Original Article

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Here is a list of potential topics that we feel are fruitful and relevant to today’s society and each could stand on their own as a show topic  Please use these topics as a guild to choose from when filling out the form below.

• Censorship & Free Speech
• Abortion
• Addiction
• Advertising
• Animal Right
• Apathy
• Art & Saint Louis
• Artificial Intelligence
• Big Business
• Black Markets
• Catastrophe & Change
• CBT & REBT
• Children & Technology
• Class-ism
• Community
• Consumerism
• Cradle to Cradle
• Credit & Debt
• Design vs Utilitarianism
• Divorce
• Economics
• Education vs. Indoctrination
• Efficiency vs. Equity
• Enlightening
• Environmental Issues
• Ethics & Morality
• Euthanasia & Aging
• Evolutionary Psychology
• Extremism & Nationalism
• Food
• Free Trade
• Freedom of Information
• Genetics
• Globalism
• Governmental Roles
• Graphic Design
• Housing
• Human Enrichment
• Human Rights
• Human Trafficking
• Immigration
• Inspiration
• Intellectual Copyrights
• Internet Privacy
• Legalization vs. Prohibition
• Life & Loss
• Mainstream vs. Underground
• Marriage vs. Partnership
• Media & Politics
• Modern Culture Violence
• Modern Day Ritual
• Modern Gender Roles
• Modern Mythology
• Modern New Media
• Modern Publishing
• Money
• Movies & Theater
• Nano-technology
• Narcissism
• Nuclear Weapons
• Obesity
• Opinions vs. Facts
• Parenting
• Permaculture
• Pollution & Big Business
• Pornography
• Privacy
• Psycho-Pharmaceuticals
• Psychology of Design
• Racism
• Real Grass Roots Change
• Recycling
• Relationships & Marriage
• Relationships
• Relationships
• Religion & Government
• Religion vs. Spirituality
• Restorative Justice
• Sex & Media
• Sexism
• Slow Living
• Social Justice
• Social Media
• Social Obligation
• Social Responsibility
• Social Taboos
• Space Exploration
• Sports
• Stereotyping & Profiling
• Technology
• The Tipping Point
• True Altruism
• Truth
• Universal Health-care
• Urban Ecology
• Virtues of Selfishness
• VR vs. RW
• War
• What is a good life?

Tags: Abortion, Addiction, Advertising, Altruism, Animal, Animal Right, Apathy, Application, Art, Art & Saint Louis, Big Business, Black Markets, Business, Care, Catastrophe, CBT, Censorship, Change, Child, Children, Children & Technology, Class-Ism, Community, Consumerism, Copyrights, Cradle, Cradle To Cradle, Credit, Culture, Debt, Design, Design vs Utilitarianism, Details, Divorce, Economics, Education, Efficiency, Enlightening, Environment, Environmental, Environmental Issues, Equity, Ethics, Euthanasia, Evolutionary, Evolutionary Psychology, Extremism, Extremism & Nationalism, Facebook, Food, Form, Free, Freedom, Gender, Genetics, Globalism, Government, Government Media, Government Religion, Governmental, Graphic, Graphic Design, Grass, Grass Roots, Guest, Health, Housing, Human, Human Enrichment, Human Rights And Liberties, Human Trafficking, Immigration, Indoctrination, Information, Information, Inspiration, Intellectual, Intellectual Copyrights, Intelligence, Internet, Internet Privacy, Justice, Legalization, Legalization vs. Prohibition, Life, Life & Loss, Loss, Mainstream, Man, Markets, Marriage, Marriage Relationships, Marriage vs. Partnership, Media, Media & Politics, Media Economics, Modern, Money, Morality, Movies, Movies & Theater, Myspace, Mythology, Nano, Nano Technology, Narcissism, Nationalism, Nuclear, Obesity, Obligation, Opinion, Parenting, Partnership, Permaculture, Personal, Pharmaceuticals, Politics, Poll, Pollution, Pollution & Big Business, Pornography, Prohibition, Psycho, Psychology, Psychology of Design, Publishing, Questionnaire, Racism, Real Grass Roots Change, Rebt, Recycling, Relationships, Relationships & Marriage, Religion, Religion & Government, Request, Responsibility, Restorative, Restorative Justice, Rights, Ritual, Roles, Roots, Saint Louis, Self, Selfishness, Sex, Sex & Media, Sexism, Slow, Social, Social Media, Social Obligation, Social Responsibility, Social Sciences, Social Taboos, Society, Space, Speech, Spirituality, Stereotyping, Taboos, Teaching, Technology, Technology Class, Theater, Tipping, Today, Trade, Trade Freedom, Trafficking, True Altruism, Truth, Twitter, Underground, Universal, Universal Health Care, Urban Ecology, Utilitarianism, Violence, Virtues, War, Weapons

In the interest ensuring good clean fun for all we have created “The Way” as a set of guidelines for us and our guests to follow. Basically the Ten Commandments of the FPR podcast. But our commandments are not carved into stone tablets.*

1. Listen and Hear
2. Be yourself, and think out loud
3. Share Constructively
4. Be positive, and have fun.
5. No personal attacks or slander.
6. Focus on the issue, not the person.
7. This is not just story time, have a point.
8. Reference facts when possible.
9. Be solution focused.
10. Always seek actionable engagement of others.

* – Subject to change by Webmaster, The Gods, Executive Order, Decree from on High, Whim, Psychiatric Prescription, & Magic Spells.

Tags: Active, Engagement, Ethics, Focus, Human Interest, Information, Listen, Person, Philosophy, Positive, Self, Share, Solution, Solutions, The Way

The United States is unusual among the industrial democracies in the rigidity of the system of ideological control – ”indoctrination,” we might say – exercised through the mass media. ~ Noam Chomsky

The Free Person’s Roundtable is a virtual community forum and podcast available on iTunes that aims to affect real-world change through dialogue and discussion.  The FPR podcast is a platform for public opinion that features free-thinking and progressive-minded people defining and commenting on the issues that they see as relevant in their lives and their very own visions for a better future. The topics discussed will include anything that has impact on our daily lives from education, religion, environment, technology, to health care, media, society, or art — the basic “A to Z’s” of life. We will also throw in some entertainment and fun because in the end we need to laugh along the way.

By discussing issues close to our hearts and daily lives, we hope to uncover the real sources that are negatively impacting our lives and discover alternatives.  When we try to come to solutions through unfiltered and uncensored dialogues, we open the door for new ideas.  By featuring the free persons of our podcast thinking freely for themselves, we hope to get people engaged, first in dialogue, and ultimately in actively improving their communities.

Media for the Rest of Us – Joining the New Paradigm

The media is too concentrated, too few people own too much. There’s really five companies that control 90 percent of what we read, see and hear. It’s not healthy. ~ Ted Turner

Recently, major media news has become increasingly political, corporate, destructive, and divisive.  Too often, big media censors our radical ideas labeling them as too outrageous for the mainstream.  Yet, some of those very same radical ideas, the truly original and innovative ones, can vastly change and help heal society.  In the current media system, we are reduced to being taxpayers, voters, viewers, workers, or just commodities. Rarely are we ever considered to be an intelligent, independent, and free thinking people with solutions.

FPR believes, we are all very able individuals capable of examining problems in our communities and acting independently to solve those issues at a grass roots level.  The FPR podcast is designed to create that forum for: we, the creative, self-aware, and independent people to partake in constructive, informative, and enlightening discourse.

Correspondents

We promise to always work completely independent of any mainstream major media market, without the help of any politicians, or be controlled by any big corporate investments. Come and join the new paradigm of democratized media. ~ The FPR Hosts

Dru: Describes himself as an Anarcho-Syndicalist with Georgistic tendencies. Dru is a resident of the Midwest by way of an upbringing on the East coast. He was taught at a young age that having a stand is better than having your opinion made for you, and that it is your responsibility to hold the powers that be to the light.

TBA: Looking for a new host… if you are interested, contact Dru.

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“This series is about how those in power have used Freud’s theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy.” – Adam Curtis

Tags: Adam Curtis, Century, Consumerism, Crowd, Democracy, Freud, Google Video, Mass, Season One, Self, Tobacco Industry, Video