I find really hard to believe that the brain would harm itself. If it has done something, it has to be for good, or at least for better. — ithinkthereforeidontgiveaf

The cosmic process of evolution is based on the variable stability of system structures. Humans evolved from highly variable (yet sufficiently stable) atomic, molecular and then DNA structures, to develop a highly variable brain/nervous system structure. Next step is a highly variable structure of mental processes, in search of the most efficient and effective, universally relational system. It’s always a risk in allowing for greater variability, and there will at least appear to be much more failure than success. Fortunately, evolution no longer needs to be a matter of life and death.

:ok:

You really like when masks tell the truth don't you? — ithinkthereforeidontgiveaf

Apologies if I downplayed your angst. I should've known better! Just to be clear, the bottomless pit, that's my current address! :snicker:

I didn't meant an accusation. What I tried to say is that you usually encapsulate your arguments using linguistic masks. That's cool. Reminds me of the way Nietzsche writes.

It’s always a risk in allowing for greater variability, and there will at least appear to be much more failure than success. Fortunately, evolution no longer needs to be a matter of life and death. — Possibility

In fact that makes a lot of sense to me. Could you cite your sources? I would like to investigate more about it.

How would you define that immunity? — ithinkthereforeidontgiveaf

Primarily, the inability to be distracted or immunity to the desire to seek distraction. Distraction is such a basic experience or activity for people's experience, it might be more accurate to say that life is distraction and a person is the distractions that they seek.

Boredom is a particularly domestic human trait in that boredom for wild animals might be the pinnacle of achievement. If an animal is not bored, then it is probably fighting for its life.

However, it is also likely boredom is an evolutionary advantage as it forces animals that are in no danger to maintain a certain readiness of action. So we see animals playing and seeking distraction especially as they grow more intelligent.

Almost any activity will become tedious at some point - especially in the pursuit of some worthwhile goal to the pursuer - so an immunity to being or seeking distraction from a pursuit will lead to its accomplishment.

I also think that boredom has at its core a fear of the base meaninglessness, loneliness and despair of existence, especially the contemplation of the likely unhappy, uncomfortable and humiliating end of that existence that awaits us all. The "eventual and inevitable solution to all my problems" as I like to call it.

So, can't really blame anyone for desiring distraction from that. Philosophical depression or existential despair which is separate from clinical depression probably (though both psychoanalysis and psychopharmacology are able to treat it) is related to philosophical pessimism. On the other hand, though, I find the pessimistic and cynical point of view to be very encouraging paradoxically. Events rarely turn out as bad as I expect them to be. In fact, possibly because there are so few real pessimists in the world, people tend to cooperate to ensure that even though outcomes are never optimal, they are at least not downright awful.

It goes back to that great line in ANNIE HALL:

“I feel that life is divided into the horrible and the miserable. That's the two categories. The horrible are like, I don't know, terminal cases, you know, and blind people, crippled. I don't know how they get through life. It's amazing to me. And the miserable is everyone else. So you should be thankful that you're miserable, because that's very lucky, to be miserable.” — Woody Allen

Danke!

It’s always a risk in allowing for greater variability, and there will at least appear to be much more failure than success. Fortunately, evolution no longer needs to be a matter of life and death.
— Possibility

In fact that makes a lot of sense to me. Could you cite your sources? I would like to investigate more about it. — ithinkthereforeidontgiveaf

To be honest, this is an idea that I’ve been piecing together from an understanding of the temporal process of Darwinian evolution in a broader, multi-dimensional context. If you recognise that the process of consolidating ‘random’ variability with relative system stability (survival) described in Darwin’s process has a temporal qualitative structure, then you can see that the same basic, atemporal process exists in the formation of other dimensional structures, including atoms and carbon-based molecules.

Carlo Rovelli in ‘The Order of Time’ had suggested that it’s more accurate to understand reality as consisting not of objects moving in time, but of interrelated events. He also gave an intriguing interpretation of QM in terms of information systems in ‘Reality is Not What it Seems’ (Ch.11). This ‘dimensional’ shift in awareness made a lot of sense to me, not just in terms of QM, but in terms of how, as conscious beings, we don’t simply respond to but rather anticipate experiences (as four-dimensional systems), and then relate this prediction to real-time observation/measurement. Lisa Feldman-Barrett proposed a similar process in ‘How Emotions Are Made’ that looked at the system stability aspect of this, but she also touched on neural diversity ‘issues’ such as autism, depression and anxiety that got me thinking back to the evolutionary process...

you do know you need to let me understand what you mean, right? Do you forbid me to have empathy or something? Your laughter makes nothing suitable here.

Can I consider this man, Agent Smith, a trashcan commenter? Nietsche is much better at expressing his craziness than him.