Philosophy Wire: Majorana, Being, One

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-12-23]: One of the biggest discoveries of 2012 was the discovery of the mysterious Majorana fermion, which was detected in a nanowire according to Dutch nanoscientist Leo Kouwenhoven. [source: 1, 2] These fermions are in the verge of matter and anti-matter: they are the anti-particles of them selves. As mysterious as the physicist who predicted their existence (Majorana disappeared during a boat trip leaving no trace at 1938), these particles may actually be the key to our understanding of the cosmos. Opposites being One. The essence of Being.

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Philosophy Wire: Changing constantly and yet, being "You"...

All of our cells seem to be the same from a genetic point of view. Yes? No. A new study claims that the majority of the cells in our body have from small to great differenced in their genes, due to changes in the genome as the cells divide. [source: web news] The question of what is the thing that makes us "us" becomes more and more difficult as nre discoveries are made. With a constantly changing brain (see "brain plasticity" in Google or "brain" tag in Harmonia Philosophica portals), being made more out of bacteria and microbes than "normal" cells (see "Human body is 90% microbes and bacteria. Who is in control?"), which anyway have each a different gene pool... Difficult to see what makes me "me". Or too easy?

TIP: We are not made only out of matter. So something immaterial makes us to be "us"...

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Philosophy Wire: Do literature heroes actually exist?

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-04-22]: An author of a popular book is accused that what he has written is just lies, created by his imagination [source: CNN News]. What defines what is real and what is not? Can we talk about something "not existent"? If we had not "discovered" that the author lied, the facts he mentioned in his book would remain "true" for us forever... Does Mickey Mouse exist? But we have many books written about him... Does the "X" person who lived in ancient Egypt, for whom we know nothing, exist? How can really such a person "Exist"? Can we think of something that does not exist? Parmenides said no... As Feyerabend said, at the times of Homer there was no distinction between "real" and "fictional" things - everything just "Were" (see Harmonia Philosophica) What about you? How much do you believe that your favorite literature hero "exists"?

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Philosophy Wire: Obama, Jobs and the insignificance of technology

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-02-18]: The president of the US held a dinner with various people who are all important in the technology sector, with Steve Jobs being among them. [Source: web news] Unfortunately, we still continue to think of technology as the only possible version of the notion of “progress”. However no technology can never replace the magic personal interaction that makes us who we are. Real progress has to do with our potential as humans and being humans is not pressing touch screens. “Be yourself”, Nietzsche urged us. Today we have forgotten how to be “us” more than ever…

Related articles for further reading : The Dark Side of Technology, Religion and Science unification - Towards religional science

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