Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Atom Brain Or Is Psychology Science Or Science, Psychology, hah?
Psychology presumes the existence of a brain, and presumption is a very
unscientific thing to predicate a science on, isn't it? Puzzling
development. It forces us to consider two important questions. First,
where does science come from? Short answer is it comes from the brain.
The brain composes science. There is no long answer.
Second question: how does a thing that composes science compose a science of itself? To answer this, we must determine what science is. Here is a detailed chart:
The above is derived from the philosophy of Empiricists, an impressive list of thinkers that begins with Aristotle and winds up around John Stuart Mill. I believe Hume did the lettering and Berkeley added the pretty colors. It took them 2000 years to produce this chart, so be careful with it.
The Scientific Method is a logical sequence of six procedures: identification of a problem, research, hypothesis (educated guess), experiment (fun part because it can include explosions), analysis (seeing what blew up) and conclusion. I shall discuss this Method because one can streamline the process with minimal sacrifice of empirical protocol. It is done semantically and one needn't trouble with technical knowledge of the universe beyond basic grammar. So I can do it.
Here's how. You take the first empirical step, Purpose, and figure out that it means stating a problem. In language, that's called a question. Example: Do I have a brain? Then you skip down to the sixth and last step, drop interrogative punctuation and transpose the subject and verb. You get the following declarative sentence: I do have a brain. That's known as a Conclusion.
Now that we've scientifically proven the existence of the brain, we could use the same method to pursue the logical second question, a question --I might add-- asked by every inquisitive kid in the 1950s: Can I have an ATOMIC BRAIN please? We could use empiricism but this works too:
Ok, it's movie poster. Me and my brother, Frankie, went to see this film in 1956 or 7 and haven't seen it since but it left an impression. I remember it was about a mad scientist and some guys. Mad scientist used mad science to stick atomic brains in the guys. Then the guys would lumber around crashing through walls and doors to get victims who'd fall on the floor and yell. It was a great film!
Frankie and I went home and drew big stitches on our foreheads. We lumbered around the yard and crashed into things. We'd go, "sshhkkkrrrrssshhh!!! That's a wall! We got ATOMIC BRAINS!" The cats and chickens were afraid of us. They ran like hell.
Now I hear psychologists and physicists have reached theoretical confluence. It is possible the human brain exploits some form of quantum coherence. This is promising, not only in redefining memory as a sensory perception of subjective pasts --real time travel-- but in more deliberate investigation of various types of telepathy. This is not merely progress; it's a new possibility of existence.
My brother and I, however, would recommend stitch marks more erasable than ballpoint pen ones.
Second question: how does a thing that composes science compose a science of itself? To answer this, we must determine what science is. Here is a detailed chart:
The above is derived from the philosophy of Empiricists, an impressive list of thinkers that begins with Aristotle and winds up around John Stuart Mill. I believe Hume did the lettering and Berkeley added the pretty colors. It took them 2000 years to produce this chart, so be careful with it.
The Scientific Method is a logical sequence of six procedures: identification of a problem, research, hypothesis (educated guess), experiment (fun part because it can include explosions), analysis (seeing what blew up) and conclusion. I shall discuss this Method because one can streamline the process with minimal sacrifice of empirical protocol. It is done semantically and one needn't trouble with technical knowledge of the universe beyond basic grammar. So I can do it.
Here's how. You take the first empirical step, Purpose, and figure out that it means stating a problem. In language, that's called a question. Example: Do I have a brain? Then you skip down to the sixth and last step, drop interrogative punctuation and transpose the subject and verb. You get the following declarative sentence: I do have a brain. That's known as a Conclusion.
Now that we've scientifically proven the existence of the brain, we could use the same method to pursue the logical second question, a question --I might add-- asked by every inquisitive kid in the 1950s: Can I have an ATOMIC BRAIN please? We could use empiricism but this works too:
Ok, it's movie poster. Me and my brother, Frankie, went to see this film in 1956 or 7 and haven't seen it since but it left an impression. I remember it was about a mad scientist and some guys. Mad scientist used mad science to stick atomic brains in the guys. Then the guys would lumber around crashing through walls and doors to get victims who'd fall on the floor and yell. It was a great film!
Frankie and I went home and drew big stitches on our foreheads. We lumbered around the yard and crashed into things. We'd go, "sshhkkkrrrrssshhh!!! That's a wall! We got ATOMIC BRAINS!" The cats and chickens were afraid of us. They ran like hell.
Now I hear psychologists and physicists have reached theoretical confluence. It is possible the human brain exploits some form of quantum coherence. This is promising, not only in redefining memory as a sensory perception of subjective pasts --real time travel-- but in more deliberate investigation of various types of telepathy. This is not merely progress; it's a new possibility of existence.
My brother and I, however, would recommend stitch marks more erasable than ballpoint pen ones.
13 comments:
- Hmeinson, I was compelled to remove backlinks from your excellent comment:
"Mesmerized article written on this blog with other relevant information. It is straight to the point that how we can improve our skills as well as how we can be represented to a new stream of professionalism. Manly Psychologist."
I appreciate your interest and hope your psychology will always be "Manly", if that's what you want.
New comments welcome below
Wise Geo, you have helped me gain without pain that to which I attained but now I'm suffering from brain drain.
ReplyDeleteBruce, I believe it is when we realize we suffer brain drain that we're on the road to recovery.
DeleteAn atomic brain with a red button.....I think there are already a lot of those out there.
ReplyDeleteDelores, red buttons on submarines and missile silos have a laxative effect on me. I try not to think about them --I suspect that was what the poster model on the floor was thinking about as she lay yelling.
DeleteI think your final conclusion was the really, really important one here :)
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the time when scientists can tell us how the brain works in a much more fact-based way than they have to date. There are so many mysteries right in our heads. Actually I probably won't be around by the time they achieve this, but perhaps my children or my grandchildren will.
0_Jenny, I doubt atomic scientists can keep up with the normal, unenhanced progress of kids' brains. I sure can't.
DeleteI'm still chuckling! Great advice about the stitch marks. Sorry, had to chuckle again thinking about what the cats and chickens must have thought! And what in the world was the woman in the red dress in the poster all about. I missed that film, somehow, but if it ever shows up on a schedule, I'll have to take a look. Wonder what the AEC thinks about it all.
ReplyDeleteDear Tom, I believe the woman in the red dress was hired to pose for all mid'50s monster movie posters. AEC split into ERDA and NRC 20 years later. I suspect they created an undisclosed 3rd commission to deal with atomic brains.
DeleteGeo - there are times when I don't comment on your blog simply because your knowledge astounds me.
ReplyDeleteKind Jon, your comments are always welcome. I try to learn stuff all the time but never really wanted an atomic brain. The concrete cooling towers I'd have to wear on my head interfered with my social life --especially during meltdowns.
DeleteI never considered an atomic brain. I've considered other kinds of brains. Alien brains, edible brains, reconstructed brains, your basic deconstructed brains, and my favorite, leftover brains and reincarnated brains (are those the same or only similar?)...and now atomic brains. So many brains, so little time.
ReplyDeleteMio caro Consigliere, I believe every sort of brain you mention shares my cranial vault. They do not keep reliable track of one another, except when they all fall in love with something at once --and there's always time enough for that.
DeleteOhhh yes, Bewitched Brains! Time flies and yet stands still for eternity. Been there. Still there.
DeleteOh my, oh my, oh my! Geo, your brain is a wonderful thing, atomic or not, and I am in awe of your writing abilities and thought processes. I am now going to google empirical protocol. I will learn something today, but may not remember it tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteDear Arleen, Thank you for the compliment! I'm usually skeptical when I think my brain is exceptional --then I think about which of my organs tells me this: the brain, trying to curry favoritism over heart, kidneys, lungs, liver etc. But to have you say it is truly wonderful. I have consulted both brain and heart and they concur that you are YOU are wonderful.
DeleteAtomic brain, eh? I can think of some people who seem to have atom-sized brains... does that count?
ReplyDeleteAnother fun post, dude. I'm sorry I missed it the first time around, but I sure am glad you left the original comments with it. I liked a lot of those bloggers who gave up blogging. (And I'm verrry glad you stuck with it.)
I see you're a "typical" male... your comments about experiments being fun because of the explosions, and the analysis being about why something blew up made me laugh. The boys I tutored in chemistry felt the same way.
Too bad you don't have a pic of you and your brother with the stitch marks inked on your foreheads...
Dear Susan, thank you! Frankie and I washed the stitch marks off our heads when we grew up and had to get jobs. I guess it made us look more mature.
DeleteGeo:
ReplyDeleteManly psychology AND atomic brains..... makes me think you may find reading about the “Organizational Hypothesis” interesting in biology. It’s basic tenet is that estrogen is required to produce a male-typical brain design.
PipeTobacco
Organizational Hypothesis is a guess by better minds than mine, Prof., but I'd imagine a group women could settle issues by discussion while an numerically equal group of men, given the same issues, would simply become morons. My beautiful, intelligent wife told me that.
Delete