Monday, March 6, 2006

Theory Of Knowledge Stuff

Oh, I get it.  This is the difference between obtaining the solution to a problem in some way or other, and actually solving a problem.

I.e., it is the difference between memorization and understanding.  E.g., you know and have memorized the formula for a circle, but do you know that the formula is actually true?  It is not just a random format for putting the numbers and variables.  No, it actually works.  Or, memorize chemical formulas as opposed to actually understanding how these molecules, or rather how these element atoms interact with each other.

Another way of explaining is, you know how to obtain the answer in some way somehow such as a roundabout manner, versus, you know how to figure out the answer yourself.

For e.g., take a barometer up to the superintendent, tell him you will give him a shiny new barometer if he tells you the atmospheric pressure.  Versus using the barometer reading to calculate the pressure yourself.
A real life example, my cousin knows "how" to get to Times Square from Bronx by subway/train, but she doesn't really know _how_ to get there by road directions, or doesn't really know what the exact distance, location, direction is.  Like for road directions, or if those roads are blocked, an alternate route to get there.

Ohm, the places we could go with this!!  E.g., if an individual is taking LSD or other hallucinogenic drugs, this is dangerous and deadly.  But will it increase one's knowledge, intelligence, understanding of the universe?  (Would one be able to have a certain commune with this universe?)

Unfortunately, the answer is yes.  Hallucinogenic drugs speed up the relay time of neurons, synaptic clefts, neural junctions, and therefore processing time required by the brain.  It is possible for potent drugs to greatly enhance human cognition.

But at what price?

Human beings, by the laws of natural universe, are not supposed to acquire (obtain, arrive at) knowledge that quickly.  The price to pay is that it ravishes your body, mind, makes one psychologically trashed.  Remember the episode of The X-Files where Mulder somehow came under the ingestion of a great amount of reality-altering drugs.  They commented that his "mind is very awake, it's more awake now than it's ever been."

as far as being sickness, as far as getting sick...  well, think of it this way. the immune system reacts w such vigorosity, intensity, violently, only bc it thinks the aggravator is dangerous. the stimulus is not _really_ dangerous.  allergies, immune system, - the immune system could just keep the allergens and not try to reject/impel them. if the immune system would just calm down n not overreact, then their woudlnt be any problem at atll. that's actualyl quite true for many ofhter things that make us sick.  the fact of being sick, is not the foreign microbe _actually_ making us sick, it's the immune sytstem reaction to try to inject/impel it.  fever - that's the body's reaction to try to kill the micrboe. if the body smply didn't do that, then we owoudn;t get sick. also  anothether example - that chemistry reaction w putting different elements salts thorugh flame - iut's not the chemical _reaction_ casuing the color change in the flame, it's the going back down to a less excitabel level that's causing the color change.

so the immune system could simply be encouraged and guided not to react to allrgetns.  well, cound't that be true for _every_  little thing that make s us sick? coun;t the immune sytem simply not react atl all to anything - flus, cold, other causes of sickness, and coundnlt that be the same thing?  if you do not thik you are sick, then you are not sick.

by the way, not to mention that, as "men in black" taught us, knowldge and beleif could be true for a long time for absolutely everyone.  and then could be proven much later to be false.  1500 years ago, people KNEW the earth was the center of the universe, the sun orbited the earth.  500 years ago, people KNEW the earth was flat.  and they all KNEW there were no more human beings in existence beyond the ones they had already seen.  (before the invention of superduper sailing ships, and airplanes.)