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Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/20/2011 8:55:48 PM   
juliaoceania


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Status: offline 		My question is basically do you think that human consciousness is a meaningful thing? Or do you think that human beings just create meaning out of nothing? If we create meaning, isn't that somehow meaningful in and of itself?

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/20/2011 9:05:29 PM   
jlf1961


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Status: offline 		I am still questioning if humans are an intelligent species.

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/20/2011 9:13:28 PM   
Hippiekinkster


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quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

If we create meaning, isn't that somehow meaningful in and of itself?
Now, THAT'S a real tail-chaser.




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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/20/2011 9:16:17 PM   
juliaoceania


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Status: offline 		So, I am thinking I can put you down in the "not meaningful" column



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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/20/2011 9:17:23 PM   
juliaoceania


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Hippiekinkster


quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

If we create meaning, isn't that somehow meaningful in and of itself?
Now, THAT'S a real tail-chaser.





It was intended to be


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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/20/2011 9:52:17 PM   
Louve00


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Status: offline 		Overall, I believe it's all in the eye of the beholder, so to speak.  A thing might have meaning to some and might have no meaning at all to another.  I think awareness plays a part in it, as well as being interested in a thing.  I found an interesting article (without it going to far over my head lol) about human consciousness.  I don't know if you agree with all its points or not, but it certainly looks at the subject from a lot of different angles.

http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/consciousness/human-consciousness.asp


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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/20/2011 10:32:38 PM   
Kirata


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Louve00

I found an interesting article (without it going to far over my head lol) about human consciousness. I don't know if you agree with all its points or not, but it certainly looks at the subject from a lot of different angles.

I only just started reading the article, but it's already wrong...

The fact remains that the brain is the only organ that does not grow new cells to replace those that are lost.

That is simply not true. I'll hope for better further along.

K.

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/20/2011 11:36:14 PM   
wigg769


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quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

My question is basically do you think that human consciousness is a meaningful thing? Or do you think that human beings just create meaning out of nothing? If we create meaning, isn't that somehow meaningful in and of itself?



You've hit the proverbial nail on the head with your question itself.  Life is paradox. People create meaning to give a purpose to that which has none.  Otherwise, our cognitive thought tells us there's no point in living.  This itself a beautiful thing.  My thought is 49% of life should be spent finding beauty in everything.  The other 51% should be spent laughing at it.

To quote the great Tom Robbins; "What is the meaning of meaning?".  What does it take for something to be meaningful? And what does that even mean?  What dictates what is important and what isn't?  No one can definitively say one way or another.  In my personal opinion, every person develops their own meaning.  Whether this is in art, or family, or consciousness is just a matter of the individual.  It's what makes life as a human being beautiful and interesting.  We are the same, but different. We are paradox.

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 12:19:43 AM   
lickenforyou


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quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

My question is basically do you think that human consciousness is a meaningful thing? Or do you think that human beings just create meaning out of nothing? If we create meaning, isn't that somehow meaningful in and of itself?


I think that's exactly right.


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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 4:53:28 AM   
Moonhead


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quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

I am still questioning if humans are an intelligent species.


+1.
The only evidence we have that we're self aware is pretty circumstantial, and it's not inconceivable that we're biased in our judgement about that one.

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 6:48:30 AM   
Louve00


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Kirata

I only just started reading the article, but it's already wrong...

The fact remains that the brain is the only organ that does not grow new cells to replace those that are lost.

That is simply not true. I'll hope for better further along.

K.


That is an enlightening fact!  My mother had a stroke and died, crippled from it, over a decade ago.  While some pathways of the brain did re-route itself and she did eventually speak (but in a monotone sort of way), she was left with the senses of a very impaired, impulsive woman, when previous to her stroke she was alert and logical and very practical.  She never did walk again.  (But she always got a kick out of yawning because the reflex made her arm move lol). 

It's good to know we've advanced in that area. 


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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 6:49:37 AM   
erieangel


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Status: offline 		Oh we are intelligent, we just aren't the most intelligent species on the planet, IMHO. Also, dumbness has somehow come into vogue.

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 7:11:26 AM   
Musicmystery


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quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

My question is basically do you think that human consciousness is a meaningful thing? Or do you think that human beings just create meaning out of nothing? If we create meaning, isn't that somehow meaningful in and of itself?

The key problem is the word "think." We are not our thoughts, but yet we tend to strongly identify with them as self. This both masks consciousness and channels thought into self-serving reflections taken as "reality."

It's why so many approaches to consciousness stress meditation. First, we have to get off the merry go round.

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 8:49:37 AM   
Moonhead


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Status: offline 		That's a related problem, though: are we rational animals, or animals that can rationalise their hardwired instinctive behaviour to make themselves look more in control in hindsight?

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 8:52:54 AM   
LillyBoPeep


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Musicmystery


quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

My question is basically do you think that human consciousness is a meaningful thing? Or do you think that human beings just create meaning out of nothing? If we create meaning, isn't that somehow meaningful in and of itself?

The key problem is the word "think." We are not our thoughts, but yet we tend to strongly identify with them as self. This both masks consciousness and channels thought into self-serving reflections taken as "reality."

It's why so many approaches to consciousness stress meditation. First, we have to get off the merry go round.


A+ !!


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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 10:09:52 AM   
kdsub


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Status: offline 		This has been discussed in a thread recently…I think there are only two states of the universe…consciousness and everything else. One cannot exist without the other.

Our material bodies and brains allow us to tap into consciousness and by doing so allows the material universe to be perceived.

It is hard to wrap our brains around the concept but if their were no consciousness anywhere in the universe there would be nothing to perceive the material world and it would simply not exist.

Personal opinion of course but it seems logical to me anyway.

Butch

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 2:43:42 PM   
JstAnotherSub


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Status: offline 		Not even sure if this is even what you are asking, but no need to let ignorance stop me from posting at this point!

I think "we" all create our own reasons for living.  If we didn't, life wouldn't be near as much fun.

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yep

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 3:01:46 PM   
juliaoceania


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From: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Moonhead


quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

I am still questioning if humans are an intelligent species.


+1.
The only evidence we have that we're self aware is pretty circumstantial, and it's not inconceivable that we're biased in our judgement about that one.



For all I know you are all just an illusion, and the only thing I can know for sure is that I exist...

Oh the zen of it.

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Once you label me, you negate me ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Reality has a well known Liberal Bias ~ Stephen Colbert

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 3:03:03 PM   
juliaoceania


Posts: 21383
Joined: 4/19/2006
From: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Status: offline 		They are finding that brain cells can grow in adult people, under the right circumstances. But this is rather new and I wouldn't be surprised if you were unaware of it...

If you google it, you can read about it,... interesting stuff

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Once you label me, you negate me ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Reality has a well known Liberal Bias ~ Stephen Colbert

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

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RE: Human Consciousness - Meaningful or Meaningless? - 6/21/2011 3:05:42 PM   
juliaoceania


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quote:

It's why so many approaches to consciousness stress meditation



Quieting the mind can lead to some interesting observations about how we often get in our own way.

I tend to shun approaches that concentrate too much on abandoning one's ego too, not because I do not think it is completely useless, but it creates resistance... how can we abandon it, and doesn't that create a desire in and of itself?

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Once you label me, you negate me ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Reality has a well known Liberal Bias ~ Stephen Colbert

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Eleanor Roosevelt

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