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Mysterian arguments
"Mysterian" thinkers give an important role to biological arguments and analogies.
Late philosopher Jerry Fodor argued that there are bound to be thoughts we are unable to think. Similarly, philosopher Colin McGinn claimed that all minds suffer from "cognitive closure" about particular problems. Just as animals will never understand prime numbers, so human brains are unable to consider some of the world's wonders.
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To consider if our small brains can really answer all conceivable questions and understand all problems, we have to understand the human's ability to make tools.
- Our sense organs cannot detect UV-light, ultrasound waves, X-rays, or gravitational waves. But we can equip ourselves with...
If mysterians claim that some problems will never be solvable, they have to show in some detail why no possible combination of mind extension devices will bring us any closer to a solution.
By spelling out the problem, you set in motion the very process that might lead to discovery.
Even if we do find the answers to the mysteries, we still have to understand the meaning of the answer. Quantum physicist Richard Feynman admitted that "nobody understands quantum mechanics." According to quantum mechanics, particles can be in two places at once or randomly come out of empty ...
What makes humans unique is that we are capable of cumulative cultural knowledge. Many human minds are much smarter than any individual brain.
No single scientist would be able to unravel the mysteries of the world. But by collaborating with peers, scientists can extend the scope of their ...
Despite the advances in science over the past century, our understanding of nature is still limited. Scientists still don't know what the vast majority of the universe is made up of or how consciousness arises from mere matter.
Some philosophers argue that we will never understand some thi...
Mysterians present the question of cognitive limits in fixed terms: either we can solve a problem, or we will never be able to.
A possibility that eludes mysterians is one of slowly diminishing returns. We keep slowing down, even as we exert more effort, and there is no point where progres...
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Understanding consciousness and how it fits in the universe is a perennial puzzle for decades. Some call it the holy grail of science.
Quantum physics is able to describe the atomic and subatomic level particles and their properties in ways never before understood, and science is begin...
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Some scientists think quantum mechanics can help explain human decision-making.
The same fundamental platform that allows Schrödinger's cat to be both alive and dead, and also means two particles can "speak to each other" even across a galaxy's distance, could help to explain perhaps the mo...
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Theory of General and Special Relativity are both immensely well known theories that discuss gravity in some aspect or another.
The chief difference that can be made between them is the level of completeness. But what exactly does each theory talk about?
General Relativity
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