Ed Lantz

Ursula: “The fine-tuning trope carries the implication of there being a fine tuner. I for one prefer the concept that in at least one universe of the multiverse, the fundamental constants happened to be such that stable matter could exist and complexify, and in at least one patch of that universe, conditions were such that stable carbon-based…[Read more]

Hi Ursula – Carbon is formed in stars through a “triple alpha” process which was previously unknown and thought to be improbable. Hoyle recognized that there had to be a way for carbon to form and hypothesized a quirky resonance  that would allow it.  Some use this as evidence that the anthropic principle has predictive power. This from Wi…[Read more]

Hi Ursula – Carbon is formed in stars through a “triple alpha” process which was previously unknown and thought to be improbable. Hoyle recognized that there had to be a way for carbon to form and hypothesized a quirky resonance  that would allow it.  Some use this as evidence that the anthropic principle has predictive power. This from Wi…[Read more]

<p>Hi Karen – Yes I love that quote from Sir Fred Hoyle because it sums up the intuitive impressions of a number of physicists and cosmologists. There is also this notion that the universe (including numerous physical constants) seems to be “fine tuned” for life as we know it. There are an array of physical constants which, if varied even sli…[Read more]

<p>Hi Karen – Yes I love that quote from Sir Fred Hoyle because it sums up the intuitive impressions of a number of physicists and cosmologists. There is also this notion that the universe (including numerous physical constants) seems to be “fine tuned” for life as we know it. There are an array of physical constants which, if varied even sli…[Read more]

<p>Ursula, thanks for passing along the critique of your neuroscientist colleague. However it doesn’t seem fair to have him/her critiquing from the sidelines anonymously.  I’d like to directly address your friend. Can you get him/her to join our thread, perhaps? Otherwise it is a “hit-and-run” conversation. Anyway, I’ll clarify some nuances of my…[Read more]

<p>Hi Duane,</p><p><br />  <br /> Thanks for the kind words. Yes, it can be a lot to take in!  It would be great to chat sometime. I’m based in downtown LA. – E</p>

<p>Karen, glad you found my comments on entropy useful.  Thermodynamics can be confusing but it does boil down to some very basic concepts. The term entropy is also used in information theory. Interestingly, the more random a signal appears, the more information is potentially contained in that signal. So when we probe quantum information and see…[Read more]

Duane writes: “…I have one, core question that keeps nagging at me: Can something be consciousness without being alive? If something is conscious then can it be considered “alive”? What connection do you see between these two?” Excellent question!  This line of thinking challenges our notion of what life is. I do not have a snappy answer, but…[Read more]

Karen Chaffee: “Ed, you may have explained this, but is there a way to experience the material you put in your domes without traveling to one, which is not going to happen for me in the next week, with finals, etc, etc” Well there are nearly 1300 digital domes in the world. Here is a compendium – perhaps there is one near…[Read more]

Hi Duane, I get that you are not a physicist which is fine. I’ve studied physics but am not currently practicing this profession. I think these discussions are extremely helpful. It feels like we’re sharpening our intellectual arguments and points of view by mirroring and reflecting with one another. Jennifer has assembled an amazing and diverse…[Read more]

Ok, I know that quantum consciousness may be a heavy topic for some… It’s an important one, however, and one that I expect will feature prominently in the future. Ramifications of the QC hypotheses are vast, extending into evolution, neuroscience, cosmology and more. I’m here to address questions or comments and am happy to help explain any dif…[Read more]

Hi Duane, here are some comments on your assertions:   “1) Ability to capture and utilize energy from the environment. — The universe appears to emerge and then maintain itself by capturing energy from non-visible/trans-visible sources. Both atomic structures of matter-energy and the fabric of space-time appear to be involved in a process of con…[Read more]

Hi Duane, here are some comments on your assertions: “1) Ability to capture and utilize energy from the environment. — The universe appears to emerge and then maintain itself by capturing energy from non-visible/trans-visible sources. Both atomic structures of matter-energy and the fabric of space-time appear to be involved in a process of co…[Read more]

Elisabet writes: “Unless people see how assumptions define a science, Western science will continue to maintain its hegemony unless overthrown by a paradigm shift, and I’m not into that conquest model any more….especially as we so need the checks & balances there could be among sciences seeing each other as legit. I do not want to replace Weste…[Read more]

Elisabet, I commented in an earlier post: here is where I lose you, Elisabet: >Autopoiesis (continuous self-creation within a context) shall be adopted as the core definition of life. Since galaxies, stars, planets, organisms, cells, molecules, atoms and sub-atomic particles all fit this definition, this implies that, using this definition, li…[Read more]

<p>Great work on the definitions, Jennifer and Jim!</p><p> </p><p>I do have one general exception, primarily to Jim’s Evidence Based Statements section. It has to do with the attitude that many of my scientist colleagues have towards phenomenology or subjective observation. Its the insinuation that subjective phenomena lack empirical status and a…[Read more]

Hey Jennifer – would love to help you get your stories into the dome space! There are over 1200 digital domes globally, many in colleges and regional schools districts as well as science centers and museums:  http://lochnessproductions.com/lfco/lfco.html The term “evidence-based” was adopted primarily by the medical community to denote t…[Read more]

Hi Jennifer. Thanks for your encouragement! You are right, of course, about definitions. Some are easy to define (i.e. hypothesis, theory, evidence-based).  Some seem obvious but are hard to nail down precisely (life). Others are nebulous and subject to opinion (paradigm).  And other terms are used in so many different contexts that they are a fla…[Read more]

<p>Ursula: “It’s not remotely the case that scientists are in “complete and utter denial of the inner realms of experience.” If you go here http://religious-naturalist-association.org/human-nature-mind-and-culture/ you’ll find clicks to 2 good books, Self Comes to Mind and Consciousness and the Brain, that should get you started. The wiki entry on…[Read more]