All Life is Problem Solving – Karl Popper
Since the development of personhood which I contend begot at the signing of the Magna Carter (1215) or common laws and reached zenith in the American Civil Rights, we have had the evolutionary tension between the self-cultivating person and the needs of the common or community, given the tribes and slaves that gather under one flag and now the globe. Augmented with societies burden of carrying individuals who are deemed mentally incapable or apparently unproductive. In many nations after WWII, it is now called Human Rights, which is still being debated, in blood also.
A development of scientific tools saw leaps in the 1960’s and on, in order to prove or disproof many spectialive philosophies of science or what are known as a priori knowledge. Three great events occurred empirically, one – understanding life under the laws of thermodynamics (Chaos and Order); two – the Working Theory of the Mind; and three, the actually experiments of DNA and biological evolution, proven.
One of the biggest postulation put to rest was that babies were born sponges, now we know; they are already engaged with an active mind, to be intellectually nurtured up to adulthood. That intelligence is 40% inbred and the rest based on education, personality and life experiences.
Two – that change in behavior can modify genes and be passed down to next generation, a better understanding of natural selection or adaptation.
Evolution Shown
Three – That this thing we called life is not center around the human and everything must die and give to another life form. The species’ called human came from other species’, defeated two offspring, and probably will split again or evolve closer to the machine and further from the animal. Yet, the basic human ontologically will remain with all its quirkiness and with the dominance of unconsciousness, till our total end into the impregnated void.
There are much more exciting proven and disproven working theories, especially in Cosmology, but I choice to keep to these because of a growing debate about us the Human race and solutions to serious problems in our present future.
We play-out again this person verse, now, the common globe, as we played out the Libertine (Libbers) verses Calvinist (Determinist); now it is Personhood verses Technologists. Enhancements….Happiness!??
Yet I agree with Karl Popper there has to be something between Chance and Determinism; as a scientist on the Universe series puts it, our species has been an awesome achievement given the Sun will be brighter in 1/2 billion years. To be continued.