The Big Question
If we only use around 10% of our brain, is it plausible the "final frontier" is the vast reaches of our mind? We have so much discovery, new corners in the depths of the ocean, an uncharted planet outside the borders of our solar system. But with all these dots slowly being connected with lines maybe the picture is our comprehension of the dots and lines. What if our ability to understand and capture the limitless reaches our imagination would completely redefine everything we've previously known.
How much of our brain's potential are we using?
How can we optimize our brain's capabilities?
11/17/11
Thinking Outside the Box
Plato's philosophy illustrates man's struggle for enlightenment, being shackled by the false perceptions of society that inhibit us from seeing things in their true form. He has a simple dialogue where he explains his allegory of "the cave" and very neutral responses take the reader through his extended metaphor. On the other hand, Sartre believes that every man's worst enemy is himself, not society's standards, beliefs or perceptions but by their own flaws they are individually restricted in understanding. He uses detailed conversation to create a sense of separate struggle and perception for each character as if to give a taste of a few small puzzle pieces that when put together, have created their own hell. You come to slowly get a picture of how personalized Sartre's hell is, breaking the stereotypical idea of a burning cavern with a river of lava and unimaginable torture used to create only the most horrific experience for all of eternity. This hell is defined by the people you are trapped with, the ones that drive you crazy, you can't find peace and there is no way to get around the unpleasant contrasting feelings that clash constantly as your trapped in a room with no exits, maddeningly reflective of a circumstance that could easily be experienced on earth, but here it last forever. Could Sartre be implying that in life we place ourselves in hell, in situations that we would like nothing more than to get away from, but what do we do to avoid it? the monotonous job, unhappy marriage, leaky house. Our state of mind remains in this neutral state taking it all in, no physical situation should be an excuse for not receiving enlightenment. However, in Sartre's existential analysis of the individual, we see them faced with the choice to define themselves, or be defined by those around them. Plato's allegory parallels this in the aspect where once the individual is enlightened and attempts to share this knowledge and clarity of thought with others, he can either rise above their disbelief and close-minded perceptions, or fall to their blind words and let go of what he now knows and conform to their ideals allowing them to define him.
11/28/11
Big Question Abstract
I started reading the studies of Allan Snyder a professor at the Australian National University, he has recently been looking into autism and its connection to creative/ artistic genius. He believes that in shutting off a certain part of the brain we can in fact tap into our creative genius. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (most commonly used in treating depression) he switches off the frontal temporal lobe and in doing this, has increased the creativity of test subjects. He hopes that in time anyone will be able to tap into their creative genius. Autism, considered a "mental malfunction" can in some cases direct the mind down the paths of artistic genius while not being able to access basic thought processes. I plan on following his research in order to better answer my question about unlocking the brain's potential. Allan Snyder believes that shutting off one part of the brain will unlock the other, however, what if his is accomplished and we can gain access to creative genius without being able to also use our brain's frontal lobe. This would be like growing wings at the cost of your eyesight, where would you direct your flight, avoid obstacles or appreciate your ability? If we can discover a way to unlock that unused creativity and maintain basic logic and comprehension than this would definitely be an amazing key to accessing the brain's full potential.
1/18/12
No comments:
Post a Comment