Waking Life

There is a film that was made in 2001 called Waking Life. It is directed by Richard Linklater and most of the film is shot in Austin. It is about a young man who is searching for purpose and meaning. He has many philosophical discussions throughout the film. In fact, many of the people that are discussing in the film are professors here at UT. For those of you who enjoy thinking deeply about important questions, I highly recommend this film. I hope you enjoy these clips from it.

In the following scene, one of our professors here at UT discusses free will and determinism. This is something that has come up quite a bit in our class, especially in Vas. I strongly agree with the last few statements he makes.


This next scene talks about language.


When you watch this scene think about D-503 and the rest of the One State. The One State is just a sophisticated ant colony.

Slippery Slope of Eugenics

Sir Francis Galton was a cousin of Charles Darwin and a supporter of eugenics. He believed that society, by protecting the weak, was hindering the process of natural selection and, as a result, hindering the progress of the human race. He believed eugenics was the remedy. This is what Galton had to say about eugenics:

I propose to show in this book that a man's natural abilities are derived by inheritance, under exactly the same limitations as are the form and physical features of the whole organic world. Consequently, as it is easy, notwithstanding those limitations, to obtain by careful selection a permanent breed of dogs or horses gifted with peculiar powers of running, or of doing anything else, so it would be quite practicable to produce a highly-gifted race of men by judicious marriages during several consecutive generations.

If you have read my previous posts, then it is quite obvious what I believe about eugenics. I mean, does it bother anyone else that humans are compared to dogs and horses? Suppose that humans are animals and nothing more. Then free will is an illusion and you never really chose to read this blog. Morality is an illusion and Hitler wasn't necessarily "wrong" because wrong doesn't exist. In fact the only thing that can be said about Hitler's actions is that they were harmful. And since there are no Shoulds and Oughts then humans can act however they want. Why should I care about the human race. I am temporary and so is the human race. So forget eugenics, I will take care of myself. And I won't be "wrong" in doing so.
I believe that we have free will and I believe that morality exists. So there must be something else about humans. We are more than some long string of genetic code, don't you think?
Back to eugenics. Who would be doing the selecting? What criterion would be used to determine if I am eligible to make babies? It seems like a slippery slope. At the start only major genetic defects are targeted for elimination from the gene pool by the eugenics program. Then less severe defects like ADHD and scoliosis. Then things like learning disabilities are targeted... Then things like albinism. Then fair skin in general. Then light colored hair. Then curly hair. Then left-handedness. Then ...

Are we robots?

While reading Vas, I started thinking a lot about what is unique about Humans. Genetics and evolution keep showing up in the scientific snipits. There are so many philosophical questions that need to be asked. What makes us different from other animals? We experience things that other animals do not. We can have conversations like these (I would love to see a classroom of monkeys discuss the mathematical inconsistencies that were in We). Is it that we have a free will?

So I would love to start a discussion on this question:

If all reality is simply composed of matter and energy (materialism), then where does "free will" come from?

Assuming the anticedent (materialism), isn't the "will" just chemicals that fire in our brain, producing all consciousness and "choice" (really there is no choice; it is not in your control at all; it is not "free")? Aren't all of our actions determined by our genetic make up?

Even the emotion you feel now, while reading this, is determined by chemicals...your reaction, determined...your every action, determined.

I'm not talking about fate...

How does the rational (choice, reason, deduction...) come from simple material and energy?

If it turns out to be true that everything we do is determined by genes and neurons, then aren't we just a slightly more complex version of a robot?

These are just a few questions that I would love to discuss.