Biosophics Anonymous Step #7: Humbled by Change

Welcome to step #7. What a journey it has been thus far. We have been working hard to wrap our heads around this new type of thinking, and for many of you, I am sure you are unconvinced or don’t see the point. Well, this is no surprise to those of us who have already been through all the steps. Free will is one of those addictions that seem impossible to shake at times. People talk about quitting smoking being tough, and it is. Heroin, kicking can be one of the most painful experiences a mind and body will be put through. This habit is no different from those two except for the fact that it is in our minds already. The illusion is so complete, and its effects so devastating to our perception of reality, we have a hard time coming to terms with how to exist without it. There is almost no support out there for us. Even those who might agree with out efforts will still point fingers and refuse to let go of events they wish attributed to their own or someone’s personality or behavior. “That person is toxic,” or “they’re just mean,” will come up in conversation or in a mind, and those folks will just run with the thoughts. We don’t judge them for their thoughts; we know the genesis of such shortcomings, as they were our shortcomings just a few short weeks ago.

Biosophics Anonymous Step #4: Taking Inventory

Finally, a step taken right from the AA list that needs no adaptation. Excited by this one, I believe this is one of the reasons for the success of AA throughout the years. Despite my dislike for short intro paragraph, getting right to the point serves me well today.

A Religious Illness

Are the religious fundamentalists of our time and throughout recorded history ill?  Research conducted over the last few decades may suggest as much.  It is well documented that religious fundamentalism is often used by violent criminals, societies, and abusive individuals as the motivation to behave in socially detrimental ways.  Whether the example is of Deanna Laney, who killed two of her children by bludgeoning them to death with a rock, or of Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik of the San Bernardino shootings in early December last year, the high cost of violent and abusive behavior seemingly motivated by a deep-rooted religious belief is, at this juncture, historical.

Biosophics Anonymous Step #3: Determinism for Shaping Cognitive Bias

Now that we’re off and running, it is time to start applying our new-found methods of seeing the world into action. The first two steps have readied our minds to start making hard changes. Our addiction to free will has led to potentially dangerous misunderstanding of the world around us and even of our own behaviors. That’s why we are participating in this program—better living through a more clear understanding of our own lives.

Biosophics Anonymous Step #2: Determinism is More Valid

Last installment, we went over step #1 of Biosophics Anonymous. Today we will add to this with step #2. This step will remind us that our brain is just as vicious of a deceiver as much as a boon to accurate observations, if not more so. When we condition ourselves to be more and more open to a deterministic view, we further open the door to freeing ourselves from the limited confines of our own minds and flawed subjectivity.

Biosophics Anonymous Step #1: Admitting You Have Problem

One of the largest and most troublesome issues facing modern life and the future of the species may very well be the mind itself. More than just a brain, the mind is also our output. What we say, how we behave, and the way we interpret the world around us. This has led to the failing of police systems, the joke of a government possessed here in the United States, and the problems of inequality and bigotry. How to change the world has always been a huge question of mine, which I believe needs an answer. So to further that goal, I have had an idea.

Immorally Integral

A mind is a terrible thing—to underestimate.  And, from the beginning of recorded history man has used one primary mechanism to make this mistake. We call it philosophy. A recent internet meme popped through my featuring four words: Philosophy, Theology, Metaphysics, and Science.  The meme used a “searching for a black cat in a dark room” analogue to highlight why the first three are flawed ways of seeking information, leaving science the sole winner in this comparison of thought. I happen to agree.  There was only one comment, that I saw anyway, successfully linking one methodology to Science, and it was philosophy.

Questioning Strength

So, I’ve complained and expressed a lot of hurt based on interpersonal relationships on this old blog. Not going to do that here today, but I do have a question to ask.

“What makes a strong person?”

Muzzle That Bitch

All this fierce debate, social media turmoil, and protest have the United States and the world on the edge of their seats. Everyone suddenly has a learned and fierce opinion on politics. When I say everyone, I mean those who didn’t previously have their opinions pinned to the top of a page or as a profile picture. Conservatives, liberals, anarchists, introverts and extroverts alike, all have many words, pictures (“memes”), and articles to contribute to the current civil scene. This is not intrinsically a bad thing. In many ways, the country I live in is now at its most divided and resolute I have ever observed. Information is coming more readily from peers than from the media for the first time in my life. Yet, there are the remaining issues which the US now faces head on, but I’m only going to address one of those—misogyny, or perhaps “male privilege” is a better word, so let’s go with that.

The Identity Trap

In the beginning, God makes man and woman. Allowing them to hang out in the garden and experience life without knowledge of themselves. Once this plan fails, a surprising common occurrence considering he already knows everything, God changes the future of his freshly crafted biology with more than a little anger in his message and punishments for disobedience: