A recent conversation with a psychologist friend of mine brought up the importance of our very human version of neurobiology, and how little we still understand about the complex neurobiological processes that are responsible for behavior and our ability to interact with our fellow cognitive creatures. While much has been discovered about the mechanisms of … Continue reading Mind Matters
Since there is so much conversation going on these days about Artificial Intelligence and what we might expect in the coming years as scientists and researchers advance in constructing ever-more complex machines, I thought it might be a good time to consider not only what it means to be "intelligent," but also what importance the … Continue reading What It Means To Feel
An extraordinary opportunity to travel to Center City Philadelphia this weekend made it possible to fulfill a longtime wish from my younger days to view in person some of the actual original works of Winslow Homer. As a much younger man, full of optimism and the creative spirit, I had thought to become an artist … Continue reading American Watercolor Exhibit
Winter has finally begun to lose its grasp on the world around me, and as it wanes, I find myself in a fairly predictable state of mind for this time of year. It generally feels like a sort of aching melancholy or some leftover winter suppression or vagueness in my personal emotional experience of life, … Continue reading Knowledge and Emotion
“Quantum mechanics is the best theory we have for describing the world at the nuts-and-bolts level of atoms and subatomic particles. Perhaps the most renowned of its mysteries is the fact that the outcome of a quantum experiment can change depending on whether or not we choose to measure some property of the particles involved.” … Continue reading Shen Yun–Ancient Chinese Wisdom and Quantum Physics
January has flown by at the speed of light it seems, and I have only today been able to find an opportunity to sit quietly at my desk and contemplate this posting--the first of the new year. It has been a tumultuous time for us all here in America over the past several months, and … Continue reading Writer’s Are Often At A Loss For Words
I can feel you. I know you are there. I want you to be there. I think that's the reason it keeps happening. At some point, we both reflect on those moments, and it brings us somehow together. Your face said everything. Just for a moment, it all came rushing back to you--all those moments--they … Continue reading Forever One – A Reverie
Title: Self Awareness: Size: 21.5” x 30.5”x 1.75": Media: acrylic, oil, collage & assemblage: Surface: canvas over masonite & board with wooden framework: copyright 2009 Lisa L. Cyr, Cyr Studio LLC, http://www.cyrstudio.com "The only right and legitimate way to (a mystical) experience is that it happens to you in reality and it can only happen … Continue reading Inner Worlds Within Worlds – Redux
The air is bitter cold. The distance between warmth and cold confusion is brief, And only marginally tolerable; The wind stings my cheeks As I make my way to you. I would face a thousand stings To arrive at your door. The door swings wide. As I … Continue reading Reverie
Contemplating David Gelernter's new book, "The Tides of Mind," for weeks now hasn't helped me much with my own "struggles of mind," but it has opened new avenues of thought, which is always a welcome development. In particular, his imagery of a "spectrum of consciousness," with descending and ascending layers from being wide awake and … Continue reading Tides of Mind
John's Consciousness 