{"id":72050,"date":"2019-03-26T19:44:30","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T01:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=72050"},"modified":"2019-03-26T19:44:30","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T01:44:30","slug":"physics-is-pointing-inexorably-to-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/03\/physics-is-pointing-inexorably-to-mind.html","title":{"rendered":"“Physics Is Pointing Inexorably to Mind”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A 2013 view of the Rancho La Brea tar pits in Hancock Park, near 5900 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I find some of the new thinking that\u2019s going along these lines absolutely intriguing:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysics Is Pointing Inexorably to Mind:\u00a0So-called \u201cinformation realism\u201d has some surprising implications\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is mind an accidental by-product of random physical processes, a chance epiphenomenon, or is it a fundamental reality?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t come as a surprise to many that I\u2019m inclined to believe that intelligence is irreducible, absolutely basic. \u00a0Not derivative, but primary.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t remember<\/em> the first time that I visited the La Brea tar pits. \u00a0For some reason, they\u2019re among my earliest memories. \u00a0I grew up in greater Los Angeles, and my parents took me to the tar pits many times when I was small. \u00a0Thereafter, I visited them on several occasions as part of school field trips. \u00a0And then, while living in California and, later, when returning home to visit my parents, my wife and I took our young children several times to visit them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, of course, the most fascinating creature represented there at the tar pits, from the standpoint of a young boy, was \u2014 without question \u2014 the saber-toothed tiger. \u00a0And what a wonderful scientific name he had! \u00a0Smilodon.<\/i>\u00a0 Or, even better,\u00a0Smilodon fatalis.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And now there\u2019s new information about the toothsome ancient feline:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSaber-toothed cats were fierce and family-oriented: A freshly detailed picture shows\u00a0Smilodon<\/em>\u00a0helping the injured and the young\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of these will strike you as much more important than others, but they\u2019re all interesting:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTop 10 science anniversaries to celebrate in 2019: This year\u2019s noteworthy nostalgia includes births, deaths, expeditions and tabulations\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t recall whether I\u2019ve already shared this interesting item here. \u00a0It\u2019s helpfully clear and well illustrated:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA deeper understanding of the Grand Canyon:\u00a0After 100 years as a national park and eons as a geological wonder, the American icon continues to reveal layers of its past and of the landscape ahead\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of my great regrets is that, although it\u2019s not very far away from where I live, I\u2019ve visited the Grand Canyon on only a handful of occasions. \u00a0(I\u2019ve also flown over it multiple times.) \u00a0Oddly, I\u2019ve been to the pyramids of Egypt, and to the North Shore of Oahu, much more often than I\u2019ve visited either the South Rim or the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. \u00a0I hope to remedy that a bit in future years.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 I find some of the new thinking that\u2019s going along these lines absolutely intriguing: \u00a0 \u201cPhysics Is Pointing Inexorably to Mind:\u00a0So-called \u201cinformation realism\u201d has some surprising implications\u201d \u00a0 Is mind an accidental by-product of random physical processes, a chance epiphenomenon, or is it a fundamental reality? \u00a0 It won\u2019t come as a surprise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n"Physics Is Pointing Inexorably to Mind"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    I find some of the new thinking that's going along these lines absolutely intriguing:   "Physics Is Pointing Inexorably to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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