Daniel Dunne, Dublin, Ireland: February 2005

Friday, February 25, 2005

Political Attitudes test

http://www.moral-politics.com is fun. After 2 multiple choice questions it deduced that I am a 'moderate socialist'. I have to say I'm impressed. It goes on...

"Moderate Socialism is the variation of Socialism that blends NonConformance and Interdependence in moderation. People in this category will tend to have have balanced and moderate opinions about loosening the moral order (gay rights, ecology, drug legalization,...) and about expanding collective initiatives (social programs, industry regulation...)"

Peak Oil, End of Suburbia, Brrr

On Monday I got to see the film "The End of Suburbia" at Cultivate in town. It seems that regardless of global warming we have a bit of a crisis on our hands. You can get the gist of the film from this helpful presentation on peak oil. Not a happy scenario. The BBC have an article on peak oil here . I wonder are they all being overly pessimistic. I mean, Ryanair wouldn't but all those planes if the future was this bleak would they? Ah cosy denial.

I'm going to wrap up, turn up the heat and watch the Simpsons now.
I can only take so much bad news. I need chocolate, coffee, tea...and worse. When is this cold snap going to end. When is global warming going to kick in. Sometime soon please!

Friday, February 18, 2005

Fresh perspectives at UCD Labour Week

Labour in UCD is on the up again, running a successful Labour week for the first time in many years. Well done to Dermot Looney, Paul, Chris and all the comrades whose names I can't remember. As part of the week, last night featured an open discussion entitled "Future Perspectives of a Left-Led Ireland" which featured an very interesting exchange of views. From the coal-front of council politics Aidan Culhane (Labour's leader on Dun Laoghaire Rathdown county council) outlined a practical project of social democracy. His speech is available online. John Baker of the UCD Equality Studies centre, argued the case for a strongly egalitarian coalition, as outlined in the book 'Equality - From theory to action' pubished by the centre. Professor John Horgan of DCU, once a Labour TD in Dublin south, gave an interesting, witty and affable historical perspective on the situation. The contributions from the floor reflected deep reflection on the future of the left in Ireland, and pleasingly, evidence of deeply held left values. There were also excellent contributions from an ICTU representative, one from the Dean campaign, and a stirring attack on neo-liberalism by Cian O Callaghan, the party's officer charged with developing youth.
The week is rounded off tomorrow with a Labour Youth special delegate conference on the EU constitution. If I can get myself up before midday I might just make that. If they let in the over 35s that is!...

Added later: On Saturday February 19th a special delegate conference of Labour Youth called for a No Vote on the EU constitution. Concerns about privatisation, neo-liberalism, fortress Europe and militarisation were expressed by delegates calling for a No Vote. Pronsias De Rossa M.E.P. and Michael Mc Loughlin (secretary of the Labour International Affairs Committee) failed to convice the delegates, a majority of whom accepted the arguments of Brendan Young (Democracy and Public Services in Europe) and Roger Cole (Peace and Neutrality Alliance).

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Moore's Law and the Soul

Before Christmas I read the wonderful How Mumbo-jumbo Conquered the World by Francis Wheen (see also: Francis Wheen's top 10 modern delusions.) It's good to see irrationality attacked head on, and with such aplomb. But one must also be wary of the reductionism which author Ken Wilber has termed 'flatland'. Is it such a new age concept to maintain that the interior dimension of consiousness is real in a more than mechanical way? Take for instance the scientists whose views were canvassed for the Science section of last Thursday's guardian. Can men of such intelligence really believe that because..
'The amount of computing power you can buy for £1,000 doubles every 18 months. It's hardly speculative to declare that by 2020, your desktop will have more operational horsepower than a human brain...[].. with the right arrangement of hardware and software, you really can build a thinking machine. Not just a device that beats everyone at chess: a machine that can write fiction, do physics research, or be amusing at parties'(Seth Shostak, senior astronomer, Seti Institute, California) .
Surely rather than building an amusing fiction writing physics researcher, they should concentrate on a gorgeous woman, like in Weird Science (or Rachel in Bladerunner)!

But seriously...according to Stephen Pinker:
Thinking is neural computation; wanting and trying are neural cybernetics (feedback systems, like your thermostat). All this means that humans are not special in having an essence that is separate from the material universe.
It may well be true that all consciousness is based on matter, but to reduce consciousness to matter is to reduce us to our exterior dimension. One is reminded of the argument that near-death experiences are bogus because you can see stuff happening in the brain at the same time. Following this argument the last kiss I shared was not real either. This is not to argue that there is anything 'after' death. It is simply to point out rank reductionism. To be aware of yourself is to notice how mysterious the phenomonen of consciousness is. See an old summary of Wilber's model of the universe as we know it here: http://www.imprint.co.uk/Wilber.htm
Then again, maybe we are all replicants after all:

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams ... glitter in the dark near Tannhauser Gate. All those ... moments will be lost ... in time, like tears ... in rain. Time ... to die."