Final

1. Name: Zhenyu Jia

2. Your midterm or overall grade as provided by the professor: A-

3. List all of your posts you have done for the entire semester:

(Week 1 & 2)

1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?

The great wisdom of Socrates ultimately led to his tragedy. He was killed for being a great philosopher at that time. Philosophy requires Socrates to constantly interrogate the systems and religions that are held up as truth. Once he questioned the validity of the gods “And do you really believe that the gods, fought with one another, and had dire quarrels, battles, and the like, as the poets say, and as you may see represented in the works of great artists?” (Lane, pg.10). As a citizen, Socrates was called upon to uphold what he saw as illusory imagery to unite the city-state as a community. The contradiction between the philosophical imperative and the civic duty led to “two charges were brought against Socrates- one that he did not believe in the gods recognized by the state, the other that he had corrupted the Athenian youth by his teaching” (Lane, pg.2). When Socrates began to teach his ideas, a young man named Metellus thought he was corrupting his young friend, even though he had never met Socrates. His students wanted to help him escape and convince him that his charges were unjust. However, Socrates ”neither denies nor confesses the first accusation but shows that in several instances he conformed to the religion of his country and believes in god more than he fears man. The second charge he meets by cross – examination of his accuser… charging him with corrupting the youth “(Lane, pg2). He spent his last day having a conversation with his friends, having a speech about “the soul is immortal” (Lane, pg.78). Socrates implied that the moral arguments followed throughout his life told him that it was wrong to run away. Socrates implied that the moral arguments followed throughout his life told him that it was wrong to run away. Socrates considered his death to be insignificant. He has lived his whole life in self-examination and helping others to examine themselves. Then Socrates chose to drink the poison and face death.

2. Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion?

The conflict between science and religion is a conflict between practice and authority. Religion interprets the world through the Bible, claiming to be the absolute truth and believing in an eternal, omnipotent and omniscient God. Meanwhile, Science seeks universal laws in nature through observation and experimentation, and uses these laws to explain the world. Science does not require absolute correctness; on the contrary, it develops out of countless mistakes.

In short, religion requires people to understand the divine will of the Creator and obey his will; Science allows people to think freely and to approach the truth through continuous research. Thus, the conflict between science and religion is also a conflict between freedom and order. The book Just Odd explains how miracles happen. In the eyes of religious people, miracles in life are the will of God and the proof of his existence. On the contrary, certain magical chants work because they are small probability events that follow Littlewood’s Law of Miracles (Lane, Just Odd, pg.4). It indicates that the conflict between science and religion is caused by different views of looking at the world. This also shows that both science and religion are trying to explain this world in their own ways. “However, no matter how you define it, slice it, categorize it, blend it, intuit it, the fact remains that Reality is a Mystery, and nobody apparently (not me, not you, not Einstein) knows what that Reality is”(Lane, On Being Unknowing, pg.39). Unfortunately until today people are unable to understand the whole of this world.

(Week 3)

1. Why is understanding physics and the general rules of the universe so important in doing philosophy?

To understand the nature of the world, it is necessary to understand how the world works through the laws of physics. The development of science has broken through the limitations of human cognition in the past and has provided a more comprehensive understanding of the world we live in, which is what philosophy needs. Philosophy and physics sometimes discuss the same objects, such as time and space, the basic composition of matter, etc., but the methods and ideas are very different. In order to ensure the correctness of the research, the philosophical theory must be consistent with the correct scientific theory. Likewise, some problems that cannot be explained by physics (such as quantum phenomena) need to be thought about through a philosophical lens. “In other words, quantum mechanics is a statement about reality itself and what it is saying is that there is no world “out there” apart from our observations of it. Our observations, in other words, are part and parcel of what we observe” (Lane, pg.13). If the act of observation can change the state of the object being observed, this shows that we have never been able to recognize things as they originally were. Quantum physics is derived from the summary of experimental phenomena, and this process has impacted many people's worldviews. The famous quantum physicist Bohr once said that "it does not make sense to operate with a conception of reality other than one that can be described in sentences concerning our empirical knowledge" (Lane, pg.21). In general, the relationship between philosophy and physics is complementary. The two of them are indispensable in the pursuit of truth.

2. What is eliminative materialism?

Eliminative materialism argues that every phenomenon can be explained by physics, biology, and other rational approaches. Through scientific advances, we are able to replace outdated concepts with more advanced and accurate terminology. It will go on and on and will not meet the end. There are several examples that are mentioned in the video eliminative materialism. Almost everyone now realizes that electricity exists and knows how to use it. Yet long ago, people believed that lightning came from Thor. During the time of the Black Death, Europeans generally believed that the disease was a punishment sent by God. But as biology continued to advance, viruses and bacteria were discovered. It was the understanding of the cause of disease that led to a remarkable improvement in human health. In addition, a group of eliminative materialists believe that the world of mind does not exist. For example, they hold the view that all thoughts come from electrochemical reactions in the brain. In this extremely materialistic worldview, physics is dominant, followed by the other natural sciences, and psychology is ignored. The biggest problem with this is that humans don't really understand the brain because of the limitations of science. Many eliminative materialists also ignore the fact that a concept, even if it does not refer to a specific thing, is difficult to abolish as long as it is widely used in our daily lives.

(Week 4)

1. Why is the theory of evolution so important in understanding how human beings behave?

Evolution is currently the best explanation of human origins. fourteen thousand years ago, Homo sapiens, our ancestors, were teetering on the brink of extinction. But humans rose from humble beginnings like other species, eventually displacing other ancient human populations that already existed, such as Neanderthals. In the long years only human beings can spread throughout the Earth, go to the moon, and later to Mars. Unbelievable as it may be, human history is a miracle that can be explained by the theory of evolution. Extreme climate and environmental changes fuel our creativity, which in turn leads to technological advances. All of the great talents of humans today were etched in our genes tens of thousands of years ago.

Likewise, a strong capacity for adaptation is another gift that humans have acquired in their evolution. "organisms evolve over time due to differential reproductive successes and how such advances, preserved over time, tend on average to convey an adaptive character fitted for longer survival and thus suitable for increased fecundity" (Lane, Pg. 8). This means that no matter what happens in the world, we have the means to adapt. This will become part of our culture and will be passed on to our children and grandchildren like a gene from one generation to the next. The continuation of human civilization is also a miracle. In the cruelty of nature, “Over 90% of all creatures that have ever lived died childless, but not a single one of your ancestors suffered that fate.” (The Magic of Evolution). It also reflects the strength of human creativity and adaptability.

2. Which questions do you think evolutionary theory cannot answer?

Evolutionary theory is still a hypothesis and not a complete theorem. The biggest problem is that mankind has not found decisive evidence so far, such as fossils in a transitional state in human evolution. “In general, in order to document transitions between species, you specimens separated by only tens of thousands of years (e.g. every 20,000-80,000 years). If you have only one specimen for hundreds of thousands of years (e.g. every 500,000 years), you can usually determine the order of species, but not the transitions between species. If you have a specimen every million years, you can get the order of genera, but not which species were involved. And so on” (Lane, p.g164). Transitional fossils are fossil organisms that retain the life forms of both their ancestors and their evolved descendants. Their absence has led to the inability of evolutionary theory to show us the full picture of human evolution. Even though evolutionary theory has sound arguments for the existence of natural selection and evolutionary processes, the current state of knowledge about consciousness and spiritual consciousness still has some limitations that cannot be explained by science. Warwin-Wallace once confused and “felt that human consciousness was of such a high order of organization that natural selection was inefficient to explain it” (The Darwin-Wallace Debate). In Addition, evolution attempts to explain the fundamental question of the development of the existence of life, then the question about the origin of life is unavoidable. If evolution does not point to the ultimate question: the origin of life, then all arguments are only sketchy and without foundation.

(Week 5 & 6)

1. Explain the virtual simulation theory of consciousness.

The virtual simulation theory of consciousness states that our perceived reality and consciousness are just simulations created by the brain. In other words, we can never prove that the world is real, nor can we prove that we are conscious. The film “The Disneyland of Consciousness: Exploring the Animatronic Image” uses several examples to reveal the fact that with modern advanced technology, humans mistake inanimate objects for conscious people. In addition, “Is the Universe an App” explained that neuroscience proved that "what we see, hear, touch, and smell are the results of how our central nervous system processes both external and internal stimuli and then reconstructs a virtual environment in which we react accordingly" (Lane, 106). Disneyland uses this feature to confuse people's nervous systems through lighting, sound effects, and visual effects to create a virtual world. Since the brain is a more delicate organ than any artificial instrument, the illusions it creates will be so real that no one can distinguish them. As said in “A Glorious Piece of Meat: An Overture on Consciousness” that “Consciousness talks about neurons, but neurons don't talk about consciousness”. This means that our neurons are just mechanically sending signals like gears, but don't have the ability to tell what's true from what's false. All intelligent life can only perceive the outside world through the senses and simulated signals transmitted by the brain, which means that the conscious body itself cannot distinguish whether these simulated signals are from real or virtual.

2.How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it for our genetic survival?

The brain creates different simulations in different situations to trick us to improve our chances of survival. In the book “The Library of Consciousness" by Andrea Diem-Lane, and David Christopher Lane, it states “...that show quite clearly how consciousness operates as a virtual simulator and how easy it is to be taken in by such simulations” (Lane 9). In times of danger, the brain will quickly make judgments and release fear signals to remind people. The brain also tricks us when we are on the verge of death. The book indicates that “It may well be that whenever the body-brain is under severe stress (such as when one has a heart attack or is in a car accident), consciousness elicits an ultimatum package of patterned meanings, drawn specifically from one’s own unique biographical/psychological history, to encourage one to live and resist dying. This may be similar to an adrenaline rush …” (Lane 11). In a near-death experience, the brain creates a scenario that we want and uses it to motivate us to live. For example, a Christian may see God, or a father may see the image of his son. These are key reasons to keep humanity from embracing death in the most difficult of times. Thus, without exception, all those who claimed to have experienced near-death experiences eventually survived. I agree with “The Library of Consciousness” that “Self-reflective awareness, in other words, doesn’t arise within a sterile vacuum, but is the result of a long history of survival successes, since those who didn’t withstand nature’s cruel and unrelenting competitive game are no longer genetic contenders” (Lane 8). The trick of the brain is not just a game, but one of the most precious treasures that human beings have acquired in the long and cruel natural selection process.

(Week 7)

1. Do you think artificial intelligence will be a significant problem in the future?

If artificial intelligences have the ability to evolve themselves, they will eventually become a significant problem. It took human beings hundreds of thousands of years to go from the hunting age to the agricultural age; thousands of years to go from the agricultural age to the industrial age; and only two hundred years to go from the industrial age to the atomic age; after that, it took only a few decades, we have entered the information age. Intelligent civilization has a terrifying ability to accelerate evolution. In the book "Einstein's Wastebasket" by Andrea Diem-Lane it states "The human mind and the computer will be indistinguishable, Kurzweil contends, except with the caveat that the computer version will be so much faster (10 million times faster than the brain's electrochemistry) and much more capable of processing data” (Diem-Lane 3). This passage demonstrates that there is an unimaginable intelligence gap between artificial intelligence and humans, and that this unparalleled intelligence will allow artificial intelligence to evolve in a very short period of time. The self-evolution of artificial intelligence is so fast that in the not too distant future humans will not be able to understand them, and will even be controlled by them instead. Excessive industrial development has allowed the elite of humanity to control the major resources of society, with 10% of the population now owning more than 90% of the wealth. And in the future artificial intelligence will replace the human elite to completely dominate human society. Therefore, I have a pessimistic attitude towards AI and the future of humanity.

2.How has technology impacted your life?

Technology, a word of the times, does not seem unfamiliar to our ears, because the environment we live in is the era accompanied by technology. As an international student, the presence of airplanes has facilitated my travel to the other side of the world to study. Not only that, the advent of the Internet has given me the opportunity to learn knowledge from all over the world and to communicate and learn with people from all over the world. The Internet has penetrated every area of society and influenced all walks of life. From concept to behavior, from tradition to innovation, from work to daily life, many fields have undergone radical changes due to the application of Internet technology. When the economy meets the Internet, it is like adding the wings of development. If the economy leaves the Internet, it will also be difficult to advance. Internet technology is constantly developing new industries while eliminating many traditional industries. The Internet has also greatly improved the operational efficiency of society and reduced costs, so that many tasks can be done efficiently with less time through the Internet. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to mark our era as the Internet era.

While the Internet has brought benefits to people, there are also many worrisome things. Due to the connection between the Internet and the economy, there are false advertisements, bad information, pictures, floods, illegal businesses, and fraudulent websites. The Internet is highly addictive and takes up too much of people's time. Einstein’s Wastepaper Basket states that “Already it is estimated that young adults spend nearly ten hours a day or more in front of a screen—from computers to phones to gaming devices” (Diem-Lane 22). In short, while enjoying the benefits of technology, we must also beware of its negative effects.

(Week 8)

1. Why is Faqir Chand's experiences important in understanding the projective nature of religious visions and miracles?

People seem to experience visions or miracles when their lives are in great danger or when they are on the verge of death. Faqir Chand's experience gives us an insight into what really happens when a person experiences a vision or miracle. Among the many life experiences he shared, he spoke of a vision he had while serving in the military that saved his life and the lives of many others in his crew. Once in a battle, Chand and the other soldiers realized that they would all die if they were attacked again before ammunition supplies reached them. He, like the others, was afraid for his life. In the book "The Unknowing Sage“ Chand states "In this very moment of fear the Holy Form of Hazard Data Dayal Ji appeared before me and said, ‘Faqir, worry not, the enemy has not come to attack but to take away their dead. Let them do that. Don't waste your ammunition’"(Lane 14). After following the instruction he successfully saved all his crew’s lives. He realized that everyone will have their own vision according to their belief at that very moment. He later concluded that If a person has a strong faith in his God, his God will appear to him and help him in times of need “My faith was strengthened, and I concluded whosoever remembers God in whatever form, in that very form he helped his devotee” (Inner Visions and Running Time). The film “Near Death Experiences: Neural Projections and Staying Alive” provides a few examples such as a high school student who saw a beautiful bicycle instead of a religious figure in the near-death state. This is because the visions that can be seen at the moment of death depend on the individual's own beliefs and experiences. "This helps explain why Christians having NDE’s tend to see Jesus at the end of the tunnel and not Lord Krishna and why Sikhs may see Guru Nanak and not the Virgin Mary. That NDE’s are culturally variable is instructive, even if there may well be core elements common to all—from tunnels, lights, and inner sounds" (Near Death Experiences).

2. What is meant by the phrase, "philosophy done well is science; philosophy done poorly remains philosophy."

Philosophy and science are essentially the same, answering different questions through the formulation of propositions, rational thought and rigorous proof. In the ancient Greek period, philosophers took the whole world as an object of study. However, since the rise of natural science in the 17th century the central problem of philosophy has shifted from the nature of the world to man's knowledge of it. Philosophy discussed infinity and continuity before mathematics, philosophy discussed the atom before physics, and philosophy discussed the elements before chemistry. Philosophy is the precursor of the natural sciences, and it provides the direction for human research and the accumulation of knowledge.

On the other hand, Philosophy is too vague to be compared with the precise scientific disciplines. Whenever science makes a new discovery, philosophy has to stop and listen. The strength of science lies in its ability to provide quantifiable evidence to support its theories, and it is like a microscope that is continually discovering new laws of nature. Philosophy, on the contrary, is the telescope of mankind, through which we can see the infinite wonders of the universe. Perhaps every time we arrive at a new place, we use a microscope to observe and study it. But facing the infinite universe we still need a telescope to show the way.

4. Have you done all of the reading (be honest and transparent):

I have finished all the required readings.

5. Have you watched all of the films that are required (again, be honest and be transparent).

I have finished all the required films.

6. Provide a detailed explanation for why consciousness evolved as a virtual simulator and what advantages it gives Homo sapiens over other animals.

Consciousness evolved as a virtual simulator is the result of natural selection to “ better map out future competitive strategies and thereby increase its survival rate” (Lane 9). The book “The Library of Consciousness” reveals the cruelty of nature that “Self-reflective awareness, in other words, doesn’t arise within a sterile vacuum, but is the result of a long history of survival successes, since those who didn’t withstand nature’s cruel and unrelenting competitive game are no longer genetic contenders” (Lane 8). Throughout the history of biological evolution, sentient organisms have been able to react to the surrounding scenes and adapt to their environment in this way. And the virtual simulation of the environment by consciousness is crucial because “we had to make quick on the spot judgments about an unusual sight or noise or smell in order not to get attacked by a predator” (Lane 9). In consciousness we can experience a wide range of possibilities, and the way to survive is to be alert to those potential risks and project the possible benefits.

One of the benefits it brings to humans is the vision seen in near-death experiences. The book continues with “It may well be that whenever the body-brain is under severe stress (such as when one has a heart attack or is in a car accident), consciousness elicits an ultimatum package of patterned meanings, drawn specifically from one’s own unique biographical/psychological history, to encourage one to live and resist dying. This may be similar to an adrenaline rush …” (Lane 11). Our brains create these fantasies and trick us, but at the same time give us a reason to live.

7. Is the Universe an app? What does the author mean by such a phrase?

The author uses the phrase “Is the Universe an app” to suspect that this universe is just a simulator. In fact, we cannot use our brains or consciousness to prove that the world is simulated, just as we cannot use mathematics to disprove mathematics. Our perception of the world is based on external stimuli, and our central nervous system can process signals, but has no ability to distinguish between true and false signals. As explained in the book The Universe is an App, what we see, hear, touch, and smell are the results of how our central nervous system processes both external and internal stimuli and then reconstructs a virtual environment in which we react accordingly" (Diem-Lane, Lane 106). From the studies of neuroscientists, it can be noted that the brain itself is also just a virtual simulator. For example, there is no color in the world, there are only electromagnetic waves of different frequencies, yet the brain adds a property to these electromagnetic waves: color. In other words, color is something processed by the brain, something that does not exist in this world. Therefore, humans are not equipped to understand the reality of the world.

I would argue that this universe is most likely a simulation. The universe is full of various constraints that make it similar to the physics engine running on a computer. The speed of light is the fastest speed of motion, signifying that the computational power of this simulator is limited; The smallest unit of length is the Planck length, signifying that the memory of the simulator is limited; The shortest time is the Planck time, which represents the interval between each operation of the simulator. Therefore, the world could be a simulator built out of code, and we could very well be just a program running on a supercomputer.

8. What is the Neural paradox?

The Neural paradox argues that “one is judged not by the experience itself but rather by one's “beliefs or opinions about his experience” (Diem-Lane, Lane). One's beliefs or worldviews affect every experience because they exist before the experience occurs. In the article, John Lilly states that “In the province of the mind, what is believed to be true is true or becomes true, within certain limits to be found experientially and experimentally. These limits are further beliefs to be transcended. In the province of the mind, there are no limits” (Diem-Lane, Lane). In summary, the authenticity of unusual events depends on the people who experience them.

The brain is so powerful that it often tricks us into believing things are real, and vice versa. Some mental illnesses such as schizophrenia can cause patients to see the world in an abnormal way. Schizophrenia can cause hallucinations, delusions, and some extremely disorganized thinking and behavior that interferes with daily life and can lead to disability. Instead, sometimes the brain filters out details that make us believe something never happened. We live in the neural paradox that “the recognition that the mind is a simulator par excellence doesn’t liberate us from its unceasing simulations, since even that recognition is part and parcel a simulation as well” (Diem-Lane, Lane).

Works Cited:

Lane, David, and Andrea Diem-Lane. “The Neural Paradox.” The Neural Paradox, David Lane and Andrea Diem-Lane, https://www.integralworld.net/lane50.html.

9. What is the law of accelerating returns and how does it relate to the future of A.I.? Detail your answer.

The law of accelerating returns states that the speed of technological development will make extremely rapid progress in a short period of time. In my previous answer, I laid out the history of technology development: It took human beings hundreds of thousands of years to go from the hunting age to the agricultural age; thousands of years to go from the agricultural age to the industrial age; and only two hundred years to go from the industrial age to the atomic age; after that, it took only a few decades, we have entered the information age. Then, during the first two decades of the 20th century, we saw more technological progress than the entire 19th century. Raymond Kurzweil also supports this idea that “The 19th century saw more technological change than the previous 900 years.” It is surprising that human civilization has a terrifying ability to accelerate technological development.

As one of the hottest technologies of the modern era, almost every country and tech giant company is researching and developing AI technology. In recent years, these technologies are changing human society at an unprecedented speed. It is undeniable that artificial intelligence will indeed bring huge benefits to human society in the short term, but their evolutionary speed will eventually be completely out of human imagination. As “creatures“ more intelligent than humans, they will use faster time to become the master of the world.

10. What is the Disneyland of consciousness? How does it relate to the ancient concept of animism?

The film “Disneyland of consciousness: Exploring the Animatronic Image” uses various examples of visitors to Disneyland to illustrate how people are fooled into believing that inanimate objects are actually conscious beings. We will not only be deceived by Disney's lighting and special effects, we can not distinguish between the dream world and the real world. "Only when we wake up, do we acknowledge that everything that occurred in the dream was simulated by us", the film explains.

Our consciousness is a fantastic virtual simulator that we are trapped in a mirage created by the brain. The core argument of panpsychism is well understood: it is not that plants and trees have consciousness, nor that there may be a deity in a stone. Rather, it means that consciousness may be something more fundamental than life. Unfortunately, “we don’t have full and complete access to our own mind”. Our consciousness may be only a small part of the whole in this world.

11. Why does Patricia Churchland advocate eliminative materialism? Also, why does she believe that consciousness is a product of the brain not an immaterial substance?

Patricia Churchaland held the belief that if we could fully understand our brain, then we will be able to understand the nature of consciousness. She advocated eliminative materialism because the theory argues that all phenomena in the world, including mind and consciousness, are reducible to physical motion. Thus human consciousness is not some unexplained philosophical problem but a scientific one.

In the interview “Patricia Churchland on Neurophilosophy” when she is asked if we are just made of cells and molecules, she replies ”Yes. When I say that the mind is the brain, when I say that vision is just a function of the brain, that’s what I mean. There is nothing other than the cells and the way they’re put together”.

As a neuroscientist, Churchaland believes that human consciousness is essentially just a chemical reaction produced by cells and molecules in the brain. Taking it a step further, she points out that subjective feelings we feel, such as love, are just interactions of neurons.Taking it a step further, she points out that subjective feelings we feel, such as love, are just interactions of neurons. Therefore, pure emotion and morality will eventually be eliminated.

12. What can virtual reality tell us about how we will live in the future? What is meant by the “Avatar Project”?

Professor Andrea Diem-Lane in her book “The Avatar Project” said: “We are witnessing an informational tsunami that is unprecedented in human history. The digital revolution is such that almost all aspects of our lives are changing” (Diem-Lane 1). The development of virtual reality has been a popular topic for several years, but it has not become an indispensable part of daily life as people expected. However, the author of the book gives high praise to the development of VR that “The implications of VR are more profound than we might at first suspect” (Diem-Lane 30).

The term “Avatar Project”refers to the VR technology that will bring a revolutionary impact on both society and individuals in the future. VR can make society more efficient and save consumption. If most things can be done online, unnecessary traffic and social resources can be saved. At the same time, VR can also replace the functions of some offline entertainment scenes, and it is more scalable; For individuals, VR can enrich the spiritual world. As the book states that “in the near future it seems exceedingly obvious that anyone will be able to enjoy a simulated “astral” trip without resorting either to prolonged meditation or ingesting psychedelic drugs” (Diem-Lane 32). Of course, while developing VR, we should also be alert to the negative effects it brings. The dependence of human beings on VR in general may be a problem that cannot be ignored in the future

13. Why does Ray Kurzweil believe that in 2045 there will be a singularity? Be sure to explain and detail your response. Do you agree? Why? Do you disagree? Why?

A technological singularity is a hypothetical point in time. At that point, the growth of technology becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, leading to dramatic changes in human civilization. In 2005, Dr. Ray Kurzweil of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published a 500-plus page book, The Singularity is Near, in which he proposed an extension of Moore's Law, known as Kurzweil's Law of Accelerated Return. The theorem states that all technological development since the emergence of mankind has grown exponentially. That is, at first technological development is small, but once information and experience are accumulated to a certain base, development begins to grow rapidly, in the form of exponential, and then in the form of exponential exponential growth. Because technological development is modeled exponentially, and because the statistics now show that we have entered an explosive phase with a high enough base, the calculations of such a model indicate that in the middle of the 21st century, the technological capacity of mankind will reach infinity, and this point of infinite technological capacity is called the technological singularity.

Any rational person may have noticed that this is just an ideal mathematical model. Reality is always full of surprises, and using a mathematical model to predict them is too idealistic. I like this idea a lot, but as a rationalist, I would argue that the technological singularity is not always achievable. This model is based on the premise that human development can be infinitely accelerated, so is it possible for human development to be infinitely accelerated? Will there be any obstacles in between that lead to deceleration, or even unbridgeable obstacles that lead to complete stagnation? We have no way of knowing these. In the end, I believe that the technological singularity is not the end, but a new beginning.

14. What is the Wolfram Conclusion?

Wolfram’s conclusion is the principle of computational equivalence. This essentially is the argument that there is nothing fundamentally special about human beings. In the video “The Wolfram Conclusion: A New Kind of Science and the Principle of Computational Equivalence”, it points out that “There is no difference between the level of computational equivalence that is achieved by humans and by all sorts of other systems in nature and elsewhere”. This means that the human brain is at the same level of complexity as other systems.

One argument that sets humans apart from other creatures is that humans have a mind. When humans say they have consciousness, it can be proven through brainwave tests or MRI that indeed humans have conscious activity. But the truth is that each of us can only experience our own consciousness and cannot prove that others have the same consciousness as we do. Now scientific experiments can also confirm that dogs or rats can also show awareness of brain wave characteristics. The neural material basis responsible for the generation of consciousness is also present in other animals and is not unique to humans. Basically, we can conclude that consciousness is not unique to humans either, and that there is nothing special about humans in this regard.

15. What does the “Chandian Effect” mean? How can it be applied to other religions? Give examples.

The Chandian Effect is defined as “the experience of certainty”. It is based on this experience that we can distinguish between reality and illusion. Our perception of the real world is derived from the brain's expectations of things. When people are exposed to something, the brain makes a guess based on their previous experiences and knowledge base, and then "labels" it. The brain is constantly estimating our surroundings, and the result of that estimation is perceived as "reality". When this internal "fact" review process goes awry, people become disillusioned.

The Chandian Effect is a great theory to explain religious visions. People always see what they want to see. People believe that there are supernatural forces in the universe because humans are rationally incapable of tolerating things happening randomly. We feel good when we believe that supernatural forces punish the bad guys.

16. Explain the moral behind the little booklet, The Temptations of Prince Agib. How does it relate to the Garden of Eden story in the Bible?

The moral b ehind “The Temptations of Prince Agib” is about the endless human desire and the way to control it.. During the evolutionary process as the brain and the level of intelligence developed, human beings became more and more capable of changing their environment. With that comes more and more temptations, and the temptations of growth lead to inflated desires. In the story, the prince Agibhas the key to open hundreds of closets that can provide him with endless food and drink, but only the closet with the red and gold door cannot be opened. Every ordinary person experiences numerous such temptations in his or her life, and we must recognize that greed is human nature. What is important is how we resist this endless temptation and refuse to open the closets with red and gold doors.

The same story happens in the Bible. God created Adam and Eve in His own image and placed them in the garden of Eden. In there they could have enjoyed endless joy and peace, but in the end they were cast out because they accepted Satan's temptation. At the core of these stories are the dangers of inflated desires. In order not to be destroyed by endless temptations, “We need to learn to accept to a large measure that there are many events and things in life that are beyond our control” (Lane). There are some things that we cannot predict and control, but we must never surrender to our nature and destiny.

17. List five philosophers from the Circle of the Wise that you find most persuasive? Use two answers from each philosopher to underline your position.

The five philosophers I chose from the Circle of the Wise are: Wallace Matson from U.C Berkely, Guy Sircello from U.C Irvine, Morton Backner from Pomona College, David Keplan from U.C Los Angeles, and Frank Arntzenius from U.S.C.

To the question “What do you think happens to us after death”, I agree with Arntzenius, Beckner, Kaplan, Matson and many philosophers’ answers that there is nothing after death. In the world after death there is no heaven or hell, with brain death everything will end.

To the question “Does God Exist”, I agree with many atheist philosophers, such as Matson, Beckner, Sircello, and Wollheim that the answer is negative.

To the question “Are Science and Religion Compatible?”, I agree on Sircello’s replied. Although science and religion conflict with each other, they are both different ways of looking at the world. I agree on Wolheim’s idea that science offers explanations but religions can not.

To the question “Do You Think Artificial Intelligence Will

Equal or Surpass Human Intelligence?” I hold the same point as Kaplan that we could use the Turing test to determine if intelligence will be the same as mankind.

To the question “Which five philosophy books would you bring with you to a deserted island?'', I agree with Matson that “Schopenhauer's World as Will and Idea would console me for being out of the rat race”.

18. What is the Remainder Conjecture? Do you agree or disagree with its implications?

The Remainder Conjecture holds a materialist view that suggests we should explain things in the simplest way possible. As the film explained that we first need to “exhaust any and all physical explanations first before succumbing to what Paul Kurz called ‘the transcendental temptation’.” Supernatural theories are only allowed to be accepted when they cannot be explained by means of natural sciences such as physics and chemistry.

"The Remainder Conjecture states that human beings spend their entire lives in a never-ending search for the answers to this world. Yet we can never know the truth about everything in this world. One day we will meet something completely unexplained and science will reach a dead end. If we eventually discover that consciousness is immaterial, for example, then science will eventually push itself to the edge, and in the process reveal the unexplainable

19. What happened in the movie Inner Visions and Running Trains?

The movie “Inner Visions and Running Trains” tells the story of Faqir Chand's unusual experience. Faqir Chand's experience gives us an insight into what really happens when a person experiences a vision or miracle. Among the many life experiences he shared, he spoke of a vision he had while serving in the military that saved his life and the lives of many others in his crew. Once in a battle, Chand and the other soldiers realized that they would all die if they were attacked again before ammunition supplies reached them. He, like the others, was afraid for his life.

In the film"Faqir Chand: Inner Visions and Running Trains“ Chand states "In this very moment of fear the Holy Form of Hazard Data Dayal Ji appeared before me and said, ‘Faqir, worry not, the enemy has not come to attack but to take away their dead. Let them do that. Don't waste your ammunition’".

After following the instruction he successfully saved all his crew’s lives. He realized that everyone will have their own vision according to their belief at that very moment. He later concluded that If a person has a strong faith in his God, his God will appear to him and help him in times of need “My faith was strengthened, and I concluded whosoever remembers God in whatever form, in that very form he helped his devotee.”

20. If you did any extra credit, please provide a 200-word essay on each giving your own analysis. You can do more than one extra credit reading/film and gain points.

I have not done any extra credit.