TED Community » Danielle Swain

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An idea worth spreading

"What will the world be like without monsters? The monster is ourselves our hope and fear. We created it and it killed us in our sleep... The monster does not remember its beginning because it began with us. It was born within our history. We talk things into reality to convince ourselves that we exist. And now the most vicious blow of all, to kill a creature by proving to it that he is a figment of our imagination."
From the movie 'No Such Thing'

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• A comment on Talk: Young-ha Kim: Be an artist, right now!

  Feb 20 2013: After watching this I made a video... http://youtu.be/fOaHgEHhaNI ... Thanks Young

• A reply on Conversation: How do we prove an answer

  Feb 18 2013: Light is electromagnetic radiation the photon is the basic unit of any EMR. Photons are particles. Particles are physical. Therefore light is physical... I am off for sabbatical and will be away for a time. I enjoyed our discussion and I wish you well.
  Kind regards

• A reply on Conversation: How do we prove an answer

  Feb 18 2013: My reasoning: ‘Inference to the best explanation’ since there is no empirical evidence direct observation or experiments that can prove the survival of consciousness or a “soul” after the death of the body ‘inference to the best explanation’ is the logical way to come to a reasoned answer. What are some the explanations?
  
  Consciousness is nonphysical it can transcend the body
  
  There are eternal ides and forms that are not physical like a perfect circle or justice thy can only be grasp by consciousness. Only something eternal and nonphysical can grasp something eternal and nonphysical. Consciousness is nonphysical it can grasp ideas and forms that are eternal therefore consciousness is eternal.
  
  After our death our parts still exist. Our consciousness is part of us so it to still exists.
  
  Our consciousness recognizes eternal ideas and forms even without every experiencing them. Our consciousness acquired this experience before our life in an eternal realm.
  
  Our physical brain manifests consciousness though it may take on properties of the nonphysical a blow to the head a lobotomy drugs or bran damage can severely affect consciousness.
  
  I will quickly run through them to explain why I picked the last one as the best explanation. I do not think I have to be eternal to grasp an eternal idea. I do not have to be a cat to know a cat. It is true that before my birth and after my death my atoms exist, but as for my parts my heart, my liver will stop working unless they are transplanted and still they only get one chance at that. My mind can extrapolate on ideas and forms I have never experienced in this life. This leaves me with the last explanation
  I brought up this question because it is very compelling. The question has been around for a long time in one form or another. Many great thinkers have pondered this question all their lives without coming to a solid or sound answer. I have no solid answer. Something of faith my be needed to gain peace with the question.

• A reply on Conversation: How do we prove an answer

  Feb 17 2013: I am being miss quoted... the quote should read " Some may conclude I cannot recognize a truth because I disagree with them or there logic." George Carlin once said "The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." Same holds true for quotations.
  
  But I am starting to get your gist.
  
  Okay here is a question: Will my conciseness survive the death of my body?
  I say no. Now prove me wrong.

• A reply on Conversation: How do we prove an answer

  Feb 17 2013: Hi ya Casey ... not sure what you mean by "my personal logic" I mentioned Geometrical and mathematical logic; Platonic logic and Aristotelian logic. There are many systems of logic. Any claims I may make to have a "personal logic" most likely was derived from some system of logic long thought of before my birth. Some may conclude I cannot recognize a truth because I disagree with them or there logic. Others may conclude I cannot recognize a truth because they do not like me or what I say. I will go back to my first question: What is the question?

• A reply on Conversation: How do we prove an answer

  Feb 17 2013: @Ed Schulte ... I would say that Shakespeare was a play-writer and had a talent for drama and wordplay, and a great bard he was. I studied him in High School. If I said in my geometry class "a straight line cannot be drawn between to points because Shakespeare says it is so" I would have been bounced out of the class and sent to the dean of students for being a wiseacre.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: How do we prove an answer

  Feb 17 2013: What is the question? Is the answer empirical or theoretical? A empirical answer is easier to prove than a theoretical answer, and theoretical answers can be impossible to prove.
  In the area of theoretical questions one can use Platonic logic or Aristotelian logic and come up with proof for completely different and opposing answers. It can get very confusing.
  This may help in the discussion:
  In complicated geometric or mathematical questions "proof involves reasoned, logical explanations that use definitions, axioms, postulates, and previously proved theorems to arrive at a conclusion about a geometric statement. A good proof has an argument that is clearly developed with each step supported by:
  Theorems: statements that can be proved to be true
  Postulates: statements that are assumed to be true without proof (for example, an angle has only one bisector)
  Axioms: self-evident truths or the basic facts that are accepted without any proof (for example, a straight line can be drawn between any two points)" from chegg.com a very interesting academic website.
  My background is the Arts most of the answers I seek have little or no proof and are fluid in nature, changing shape with a blink of the eye