Political Forum?

[Hertz van Rental]

What about human nature? Embedded into our DNA.

Ah, the old 'nurture or nature' argument.
It is always a mixture of both - some responses are inherited and some are learned.
But I do believe DNA occurred in it's present form a long time before we invented Photography - otherwise birds and frogs would have cameras too :mrgreen:


Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we can't be original, only that any originality is just the result of a combination of influences.
Think of rolling two dice. There are only a finite number of combinations and the odds of rolling each can be calculated. Throwing a double-six has exactly the same chance of happening as throwing any other double - so why do we feel satisfaction when we throw a double six, and disappointment when we throw a double one?
And all things being equal we believe that we can affect the outcome by talking to the dice.
Why?

 

[usayit]

I voted no... Even though I like talking hot button topics and am certainly guilty of participation here. I wouldn't want to wish that responsibility on any moderator.

I think the current way is fine.... allow them to emerge but lock it down when it over shadows the topic of photography.

 

[ferny]

Ah, the old 'nurture or nature' argument.
It is always a mixture of both - some responses are inherited and some are learned.
But I do believe DNA occurred in it's present form a long time before we invented Photography - otherwise birds and frogs would have cameras too :mrgreen:


Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we can't be original, only that any originality is just the result of a combination of influences.
Think of rolling two dice. There are only a finite number of combinations and the odds of rolling each can be calculated. Throwing a double-six has exactly the same chance of happening as throwing any other double - so why do we feel satisfaction when we throw a double six, and disappointment when we throw a double one?
And all things being equal we believe that we can affect the outcome by talking to the dice.
Why?

I'm interested, do you beleive in fate and that our laves are mamped out and we are simply actors. Or do you think what happens happens and that the future is untold? Or perhaps something else.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

I think the way we behave and how we respond to things come from forces outside ourselves so in some ways I think our lives are partly mapped - a bit like a computer program: we can only function within it's limits but we still have a degree of freedom.
This is how it is in animals - but unlike animals we humans can observe and assess our own behaviour and then, through a conscious effort, change it.
Nothing is written - but we do have to observe the rules of grammar

 

[ferny]

I'd spent all day walking in the hot sun and on some rather vicious rides. I was asleep by 7pm last night. Go easy on me!

 

[hourglass]

If you want to see a good example of Marxist reading at work then read Roland Barthes or his followers. :mrgreen:

Cultural Studies, anyone? Just in case: there is an essay by Stuart Hall called "Cultural Studies and its Theoretical Legacies", in which he also reflects upon the influence of Marxist ideas on various theories developed in the 20th century and to which extent they might be still valid or "useful" today. Maybe that's a good starting point, but I'm not too sure, actually.

Sorry to interrupt, just my two cents.

 

[Senor Hound]

I think the way we behave and how we respond to things come from forces outside ourselves so in some ways I think our lives are partly mapped - a bit like a computer program: we can only function within it's limits but we still have a degree of freedom.
This is how it is in animals - but unlike animals we humans can observe and assess our own behaviour and then, through a conscious effort, change it.
Nothing is written - but we do have to observe the rules of grammar

I've always wondered if we looked deep enough biologically whether or not we'd find what makes us self-aware. Everything mental can be explained, IMO, except for that. Its the one thing that really is unaccounted for, yet makes all of the difference. Anyway, your post got me thinking about that.

And cultural studies is the genre I enjoy looking at. I didn't know what the name of it is, so now when I go to the library, I can look in that section to find the viewpoints and opinions of others. As I believe with politics (segway), I think we would all be better off by turning off our mouths, turning up our ears and eyes, and just attempting to understand the mindset behind other people's opinions. So many horrible things happen around the world (wars, murders, affairs) because people are incapable of, or unwilling to, see things through others eyes. If everyone on this forum were willing to take on some different perspective and question their own belief system, and then respond to others by means of civil questions rather than arrogant, stubborn rebuttals, a political forum would work on here. This, is really my only complaint against other people, as someone who values empathy greatly. But I guess when it comes to complaining, I should just get in line or take a number.

*Senor hound takes a tag with number 234,461,523 out of the red dispenser, only to hear the intercom sound, "Now serving complaint number seven... number seven..."

Edited to add: I do understand the irony of my statement by saying others lack perspective, and then going on to say that wars, murders and affairs are horrible. Although almost mutually agreed on, I understand that even these points can not be agreed upon totally. But I have taken that into consideration (perspective), questioned it, and come to the conclusion I still find them horrible, which is all I'm wishing others to do for certain events in their lives. A true conclusion can only reached after a period of research, that's all...

 

[Ben-71]

Senor Hound

I was thinking more along the lines of something which
would be more difficult to find any Marxist ideologies in,
like a macro of a flower or something. ​

​

Well... –

"Taking this Macro of a flower is a waste of the country's resources,
which belongs to all of us, because you wasted time that you should
have used for work for the benefit of all (you shot it at 09:32AM!), by
PP you wasted electricity which belongs to all, and you caused some
wear to the Nikanon camera that you use.
This means that another Japanese camera would have to be imported
sooner, so you've just made us poorer and the capitalists richer, and
this leaves me no choice but report you.
I do like the shiny, deep red color of the flower though." ​