OddHat Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings Extelligence? The quality of our extelligence plus the types of brain needed to develop that extelligence are what actually makes us different from other animals. The mass of cultural material that allows a soft, hairless ape like myself the power to know the words and thoughts of those separated by ten thousand miles or three thousand years, and thus to perform miracles the mightiest elephant, dolphin, gorilla or chimp can't even conceive of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings The quality of our extelligence plus the types of brain needed to develop that extelligence are what actually makes us different from other animals. The mass of cultural material that allows a soft' date=' hairless ape like myself the power to know the words and thoughts of those separated by ten thousand miles or three thousand years, and thus to perform miracles the mightiest elephant, dolphin, gorilla or chimp can't even conceive of.[/quote'] Interesting, thanks. Given a lack of understanding of how tool usage becomes "instinctual" (back to the whole free will discussion) for other animals (not just primates but ants, just for example), I would wonder/doubt that while extelligence is much more extremely developed in man, that it is unique to man. We don't have cultural ephemera of course to visibly signify/prove the existence for non-humans, but learning is still a mystery in many ways, and sociobiology still quite an undeveloped field. The implication of extelligence is not merely cultural (of course, or they would have just used the word culture), but social and possibly environmental, so it would seem a body of knowledge that could just as easily apply to other species. Though fairly useless to us at this point given our extremely limited ability to really communicate on their level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings I would wonder/doubt that while extelligence is much more extremely developed in man' date=' that it is unique to man.[/quote'] Of course extelligence isn't unique to humans. Our extelligence is quantitatively and qualitatively different, but every time a momma cat teaches her kittens how to use the litter box you're seeing extelligence in action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings More what? In my case, Characer write ups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings I think I'm just being a negative asshat and would like to apologize to OldMan. Whose advice is right. (PS and anyone else I may have inadvertantly been a negative asshat to) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings What if you were a positive Asshat, huh? You gonna 'pologize for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings What if you were a positive Asshat, huh? You gonna 'pologize for that? I miss you, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings Intellectual reasoning gets you killed in bars. And rightly so. ... which is one reason I don't go to bars much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings I still don't get what the heck people are talking about when they talk about a purely intellectual reason to act. Without desire, there is no action (see: Sex). You can act with muted desires, repressed desires or conflicted desires; without desire, you sit silently until you starve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings I still don't get what the heck people are talking about when they talk about a purely intellectual reason to act. Without desire' date=' there is no action (see: Sex). You can act with muted desires, repressed desires or conflicted desires; without desire, you sit silently until you starve.[/quote'] You can call it a rationalization, but I'm referring to (as you said it yourself) the more lofty goals, philosophies, related to why do anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings You can call it a rationalization' date=' but I'm referring to (as you said it yourself) the more lofty goals, philosophies, related to why do anything.[/quote'] So pick a random philosophy and use it to rationalize your actions. They're mostly marsh gas and ways of bargaining with thunderstorms anyway. Personally, I like "When hungry, eat, when thirsty, drink, when tired, sleep." Works fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings So pick a random philosophy and use it to rationalize your actions. They're mostly marsh gas and ways of bargaining with thunderstorms anyway. Personally, I like "When hungry, eat, when thirsty, drink, when tired, sleep." Works fine. And how's that going to memorialize you in our extelligence? Oh, wait, yes, the Tales of OddHat, the Great Eater, Drinker, and Sleeper of All History! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings Oh' date=' wait, yes, the Tales of OddHat, the Great Eater, Drinker, and Sleeper of All History! [/quote'] A man's gotta dream, baby. I can also fart like the wind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings A man's gotta dream, baby. I can also fart like the wind. I can Fart like Barbara Streisand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings I can Fart like Barbara Streisand. You're cuter than she is, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings Spirutality handles that stuff for me, but if forced to live by rationalization alone, perhaps one could be motivated by the long term. A man may not master this world in his life time, but he may better it. If he can arrange it better for his offspring, maybe they can arrange it better for theirs. If there is not meaning yet, then perhaps eventually, collectively, they can construct it. Perhaps one could live so that,one day, on a much improved Earth, a future man could look out at the sunrise and smile ,and say "I have a lot to live for." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings Spirutality handles that stuff for me' date=' but if forced to live by rationalization alone, perhaps one could be motivated by the long term. A man may not master this world in his life time, but he may better it. If he can arrange it better for his offspring, maybe they can arrange it better for theirs. If there is not meaning yet, then perhaps eventually, collectively, they can construct it. Perhaps one could live so that,one day, on a much improved Earth, a future man could look out at the sunrise and smile ,and say "I have a lot to live for."[/quote'] Future man will have his fully immersive VR Orgasamatic. Motivation will not be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings Future man will have his fully immersive VR Orgasamatic. Motivation will not be a problem. Ah, a member of the First Hedonistic Church of Sensation I see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings Ah' date=' a member of the First Hedonistic Church of Sensation I see. [/quote'] Nah, just projecting Internet porn to the next stage. I actually subscribe to the belief that, without a G_d, from a Cosmic point of view nothing matters; meaning, such as it is, is subjective. It comes out of fulfilling our desires, include passing on our genes and ensuring that the carriers of our genes continue to do so. That includes building a society that will protect and nurture our descendants. Unchecked hedonism, like unchecked competitiveness or unchecked subordination to the group, is contra-survival, and therefore to be avoided. Extelligence comes into play by influencing how and why we make our choices, and offering us a wider range of tools for survival. Extelligence or plain old mental illness can also lead to people finding meaning by sitting on a mountain top until they die of exposure, but that's humans for you. As the Ultimate Question is untestable anyway, the conversation doesn't mean much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings A man may not master this world in his life time' date=' but he may better it. If he can arrange it better for his offspring, maybe they can arrange it better for theirs. If there is not meaning yet, then perhaps eventually, collectively, they can construct it. Perhaps one could live so that,one day, on a much improved Earth, a future man could look out at the sunrise and smile ,and say "I have a lot to live for."[/quote'] "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." – John Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy' date=' geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." – John Adams[/quote'] "At which point, some bugger who has been studying war will roll on in and kill the little smeggers." - Deleted sentence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings I must get pleasure out of arguing about the rules of this game' date=' comic books, politics, and other issues that have nothing to do with my actual life, otherwise I wouldn't spend so much time doing it. Or I may just be wasting tremendous amounts of time.[/quote'] Time Spent with me is never wasted. I only wish Oddhat knew that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy' date=' geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." – John Adams[/quote'] The founding fathers could talk some serious intellectual smack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings "At which point' date=' some bugger who has been studying war will roll on in and kill the little smeggers." - Deleted sentence.[/quote'] . We so should have written the constitution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archermoo Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Re: Musings on Random Musings The founding fathers could talk some serious intellectual smack. I always liked: A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. But that was said by someone that isn't even real... (Lazarus Long - Time Enough For Love (Robert Heinlein)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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