So .... not unlike Archimedes, I suppose, I was soaking in a bath last night. (I mean, warm water is warm water, whether appearing in 21st-century Colorado or in ancient Greece, right?) Though rather than pondering ways to measure the volume of irregularly-shaped objects, I was reading Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination. At least this was the plan. But on this particular evening, for …
Science & Spirit
Practice Notes: Objectivity & Subjectivity
I recently shared a couple of love poems written by A.R. Ammons. But this poet is best known for poems which reference scientific laws and theories of various sorts. For instance: Substantial Planes It doesn't matter to me if poems mean nothing: there's no floor to the universe and yet one walks the floor. ~ A.R. Ammons Science & Poetry What I appreciate …
[Read more...] about Practice Notes: Objectivity & Subjectivity
Bachelors & Buddhas: On The Validation Of Scientific & Metaphysical Claims
If we define “bachelor” as “an unmarried man” – then the statement “Every bachelor is an unmarried man” is true by definition. Given how we’ve defined our terms, it simply cannot be false. It is necessarily un-falsifiable. Hence, it really doesn’t make sense to call such a statement a “theory” or a “hypothesis.” It’s not something that can be proved or disproved empirically. It’s not a matter …
[Read more...] about Bachelors & Buddhas: On The Validation Of Scientific & Metaphysical Claims
Practice Notes: The Jade Plant
I have a Jade plant that I very much love. I purchased it around four years ago, when it was just a small plant—four inches tall, or so. Now, it’s a good fourteen inches tall and wide, quite regal! I can say, with confidence, that over the past four years this Jade plant has grown—has increased in size, at least fourfold. Stealth Growth But have I actually perceived it growing—directly—with …
Reliability & Self-Evidence
The Reliability of the Scientific Method In his book, Reality Is Not What It Seems, physicist Carlo Rovelli offers this beautiful description of the essence of the scientific method: The answers given by science, then, are not reliable because they are definitive. They are reliable because they are not definitive. They are reliable because they are the best available today. And they are the best …
Lemon, Lottery, Black-Eye: Exploring Connections Between Thought & Action
I’ve been contemplating anew the relationship between thoughts (i.e. internal talk and imagery) and actions (i.e. events within the physical body and external world)—curious, in particular, about causal mechanisms and the role of something we might call choice, intention, will or volition in actualizing (or vetoing) such causal connections. To tease out some of the possibilities, let’s consider …
[Read more...] about Lemon, Lottery, Black-Eye: Exploring Connections Between Thought & Action