Update and Whatnot

Alright, so academia is still stomping a mudhole in my face, but I felt compelled to post a new blog on here since I'm still fond of the idea of having my own blog site. Here are the updates. I ran the Brew-to-Brew 44-mile relay on Sunday (yesterday), and I couldn't be more pleased in my teammates performances. They all took on more than they originally thought they would, and they did amazingly. Well done, all (if any of them actually read this blog). We had a runner drop out due to a pulled hamstring two days before the race was scheduled, so we were fortunate enough to have a generous friend who volunteered to take her place at the last minute.

Other than that, not much is worth mentioning. I can't imagine that my daily activities are so important that everyone on teh omg intarwebz wants to hear about it. So, on that premise, I'll move on to more pithy comments of human nature. Hard to go wrong there.

1. Sexual Bimorphism. What is up with the stark contrast between men and women? I know I'm speaking on averages, but nonetheless, that's a significant difference. For example, I show the average male a movie of heroic adventure, and he generally responds positively. Women are somewhat ambivalent towards the same film. How much of that is hormones and genetics (nature) and how much of that is social prescriptions (e.g. familial expectations, peer pressure, and observational behaviorism)? Just an interesting question I hope to come up with an answer to soon.

2. Demonization of Higher Thought. Why do some people demonize the idea of philosophy? Philosophy is based on simply the recognition that the human mind has a certain calculable capacity for error. Philosophy makes only the claim to improve that error dramatically to a more sustainable and reliable probability of success in reasoning. What is the downfall of making less errors when you think?

3. Friendship. Something I find amazingly intriguing is the dynamic of friendship. Some people adhere to other individuals with a tenacity that is uncharacteristic or, at the very least, abnormal to the personality in question. This phenomenon is my quick definition of friendship. Why and how do we choose who we are friends with? Furthermore, how and why do we choose to sustain these relationships? I want to know for pragmatic reasons just as much as philosophical reasons...

That's pretty much it. These aren't rhetorical questions. I really want an answer if you've got an opinion. Anyone?

Interesting Debate...

I attend a philosophy group that is colloquially called "Further Discussion." At any rate, there's a sophisticated exchange of ideas on the commentary of the newest post. Definitely check it out. And if you feel so inclined, leave a comment!

http://www.furtherdiscussion.org/