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Free Will? Were You Meant to Read This?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/science/22tier.html?_r=1&ref=science

Here is something to get your thoughts flowing. Yesterday was Tuesday. I didn’t teach until 14:30 (that’s the 2 o’clock hour) which left quite a bit of time in my day for meandering through the NYTimes. Sent this out to a friend, who also shared it with a friend. And as per the norm on Tuesdays in China, I met up with those friends for bowling. Here’s something you don’t see everyday. A group of 20-somethings, putting back Tsingdao beer, hitting 5 strikes in a row, betting on who has to pay for foot massages, and discussing the morals/possibilities/shortcomings/limitlessness of Free Will vs. Determinism.

We had some deep and thought provoking ideas being passed around and challenged during the night but the thing is – you’ll never know. Because there will never be a society on earth that has determinism as its one and only base of behavioral judgement. There will always be the memory of your parents and their parents and the lessons and rules and ideas they were taught and abided by which oppose determinism at its very core. So no matter what is actually true, we as a world will act as though our choices matter. Which is really the answer to the question. If a majority believes, and a majority behaves, and a majority teaches – that must mean its true…right??

Wait, it this like that phrase my mom used to throw at me about all my friends jumping off a bridge? Obviously I don’t think that something is right just because other people do. hm…

I also believe people are inherently good. However, it was shoved in my face that neither of these schools of thought support that theory one bit. Either people are scared to be punished and are therefore good, or people have no responsibility for their actions and are therefore less than good.

I can’t quite wrap my head around the idea snowballing in my mind, but what if behavior wasn’t the main loss/gain in this tricky philosophy puzzle. No higher purpose that will combine all human lives into a meaningful neat ending tied up with a bow (which I can hardly believe will ever happen). But maybe, instead of an overall determinism, each day you have a determined purpose. So that you smile at someone so that they can see kindness, you trip so that you remember to be conscious of your body, you fail so that you can endure greater letdowns, you break a heart so that the person can value when it is treasured, your friend dies so that you can learn suffering and loneliness. In this way every person is able to learn the vast possibilities of the human soul. I can get behind a lifetime of learning.

I was so vehemently opposed, and frankly horrified, by the idea of a world in which determinism reined because that would mean that the things I value most in human beings – generosity, perseverance, grace, integrity, kindness – are not things that would be worth developing in a person’s self because their life and every aspect would happen as it would. I cannot and will never see the way that a society of that likeness could survive even a decade, but this smaller, simpler idea (the occam’s razor of determinism, if you will) has been allowed to open my mind a fraction and see the less fatalistic side of my opponent. And I must say it doesn’t look as monstrous as I imagined.

What do you think?

2011: 03/23
CATEGORY: Friends & Family
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Escape by Reading

One of my very favorite things to do is find a book that I can totally disappear into. I love when the words in that first chapter grab hold and don’t let go. It makes sleeping, eating, TV, exercise, and even working irrelevant to survival. All I am interested in is words, more words to fill my head full of images and pictures.

I spend a good amount of my time in book stores. Plopped down in aisles ranging from imported magazines to classics to bestsellers. I know where all the book stores with English sections are in Shenzhen and have located a good number in Hong Kong as well. There is just something about books. All the possibilities that hide between the covers. The number of subjects people are inspired to write about. How the words fit together to pull me into their story. And the best thing about being in China is that there are not only the authors from America but best sellers from England, Japan, Australia, and South America cover the shelves as well. In the past few weeks I have gone through a streak of international authors who all wrote some amazing modern literature; from Japanese Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood to Dominican Junot Diaz’s The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. But my favorite of this binge has been a novel by Markus Zusak called The Book Thief.

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/books.html

In addition to being about WWII, one of my very favorite topics, Mr. Zusak’s style of writing is illustrating, visual, graphic, and textured. I was talking about this new favorite book to a friend who was asking me to describe why I enjoyed it so much. It was hard for me to explain to him because a) He’s a journalist, and an English major who has been taught how to analyze and categorize books and b) what I liked most were the images the words created in my head. I had to carefully think about the theme of the book when he asked (I even needed some examples) and I couldn’t quite pin down the story’s purpose.

Here is my conclusion: When I like a book it is usually because I can let go of my analytical thoughts and let the colors of the story lead me through. Many times I cannot remember the exacts words or passages I liked most but I have distinct images in my head left over from the reading. The theme of The Book Thief can be summed up as – words contain all the power, pleasure, and pain that you could ever want them to. They are words and they can do anything.

I don’t know what kind of reader you are but I solemnly swear that this book is unlike any you have read before and will if nothing else entertain your imagination.

My Favorite book of the year

2011: 03/22
CATEGORY: My Events
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My One and Only Political Post

Theoretically I can choose to write about anything I find interesting since this is, in fact, my blog. I generally try to share my views and opinions on issues that will not alienate readers. Not to mention I’d prefer to avoid subjects that I have limited experience working with in the real world. In this one case however, I have followed the media coverage and public opinion with avid interest and feel it deserves mentioning.

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My peers are feeling abandoned. They had been given hope, and a purpose that invited individualism and creativity in a media(professional) outlet that otherwise squashes those characteristics. President Obama won a historic majority (66%) of the 18-29 year-old-voters in the 2008 election by encouraging engagement in growth and progress. And believing in the ability of the youth to make their mark. Not since 1952 has there been such a surge in political activism among the generation of tomorrow. College campuses became the center for the call-to-action; Demanding to be heard, demanding to be educated.

An area of life that had been all but disregarded by the young demographic because of the difficulty to make a single voice heard was suddenly generating passion in the previously ambivalent. The declaration of political science majors skyrocketed, identifying yourself as an activist became something to boast of at parties. The more you knew and were contributing to a campaign trail the more impressive you were to your coworkers, classmates, and adults. And it was so nice to be respected and sought for their opinion on the political issues of the day by professors and parents. It was so obvious that the older generation’s time had passed and now it was time for the young to make a statement.

18 to 29 year-olds were emotionally invested. They caught the sentiment. This was the chance they had waited for. Hopes for a revival of democracy, a chance to play a bigger role in the political agenda. From humble origins the 0 Generation rose as campaign heads; they had structure, movement, belief, prominence, education, and influence. A very heady combination. And they used it to the best of their abilities. But what of the real-world? Daily governance is hardly the emotionally engaging and intellectually stimulating arena that is campaigning. What difference do they make once the battle is won? They have used their inexperience to the most profitable end, but they want more. This wasn’t just about the win. It was the chance to be taken seriously, to earn “face” in their social and professional community.

This is the catch. Once again, they are greedy. Oh, America’s youth most definitely are interested in the benefit of humanity, the greater good, if you will. We grew up with Harry Potter and the incredible selflessness and sense of right has been impressed on us as the most honorable of characteristics. So why then have the hard efforts, the nights spent educating themselves on policies and procedures, the days patiently explaining those concepts to the masses, fallen to the wayside in the months following the general election?

The Democratic party certainly hit a sweet spot with the young voters and were very successful in developing their advertising skills and creating a force to be reckoned with in terms of momentum and excitement for change.

But when the polls closed is when they may have inadvertently created some bitter enemies. What is the old saying? ‘The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference’. On polling results, in interviews, on college campuses, the generation that was ready two years ago to throw all of their support into recruiting and educating the world in order to make a difference are now talking about waiting out the mid-terms to see what they have to work with when the time comes to choose sides.

The momentum waned, when the young needed it most. Needed to feel the reward for their hard work and the promise of their future in the outcome. The election of 2012 could have been in the bag for the Democratic party had they taken a little more care in the after-shocks of the country’s involvement. If there had been a little more time spent on giving attention to the media outlets appealing to the teenagers and twenty year-olds so that they really did feel assimilated into the world of politics, it would take so much less effort to re-engage their support.

But what does it tell you about the evolution of our democratic structure, to say that had the President taken on extra engagements at colleges and TV shows and video addresses a whole generation would be more interested? I am the first to be incredulous at the high standards President Obama is being held to during his two years of holding office. Two years. George W. Bush we waited out patiently for 8 years. But President Obama we give an ultimatum to after 2?

It seems like such a simple task to reach out to those constituents who provided the margin of success for the Presidency in 2008, but would you have thought of it? Or would you have been in a rush to prove yourself to a widely displeased public by diving headlong into your campaign promises? Why should it be an outside force that motivates the interest of the young to stay the course? Is it not the generation that claims to be independent, self-reliant, self-sufficient, stubborn, and eager to distinguish themselves from every other person in the world? You know what? Sometimes you have to suck it up. You have to realize that you are a drop in the bucket and that the true joy in life is using what little influence you have for a purpose recognized by yourself as a worthy one.

Rather than withdraw from the world that has shown you no favors, stand up and show that it wasn’t a one time phenomenon, that this generation is the tipping point and will continue to make the decisions that count. Rather than punishing the system for ignoring you, make it impossible to be ignored.

2010: 11/01
CATEGORY: Uncategorized
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Little Brother Changing the World

First of all; Read this…

WWU researchers say they could dramatically cut cost of solar power

JOHN STARK – THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

BELLINGHAM — A team of Western Washington University researchers have developed a new approach to solar electricity generation they say could eventually cut solar power to 1/10th of its current cost.

The team recently won a three-year grant of $970,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue their research.

Brad Johnson, chairman of WWU’s physics department and a member of the university’s Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center team, said it’s too soon to estimate how quickly the new solar panels could be ready for mass production.

But he and his colleagues are confident their new approach is well beyond the “what if” stage. The team already has applied for one patent in connection with the project, and more applications may be forthcoming.

The new solar panel technology has cleared what scientists call the “proof of concept” phase, demonstrating that their approach really works. That enabled them to win the grant.

“Now we actually have to try and gather some of the details that make the whole thing possible,” Johnson said. “At this point there’s a basic idea that makes it very sound. … There is some new science to be done.”

Team member Stephen McDowall, an associate professor of mathematics, said solar researchers have been trying to develop something like this for about 30 years.

Another team member, physics and astronomy assistant professor Janelle Leger, said the next phase of work being funded by the grant will attempt to create actual working prototypes.

Leger observed that while it is already possible to generate significant amounts of power from conventional silicon-based solar panels, the cost makes it impractical on a large scale. The WWU researchers believe they can change that.

The new system they envision will rely on plastic polymers containing special dyes that capture solar energy for transport to silicon chips that turn it into electricity.

While conventional silicon solar panels collect energy only from the red portion of the sunlight spectrum, the new approach uses the entire spectrum, which enables it to convert more sunlight into electric power.

The new approach also would be much more effective on cloudy days, creating more potential for solar power in places like Western Washington.

“It’s a local solution to a local problem,” said team member John Gilbertson, assistant professor of chemistry.

David Patrick, professor of chemistry and director of the research center, called the new approach “a chemical lens to capture the light.”

Besides the potential for revolutionizing green power, the WWU project also will provide exciting opportunities for graduate and undergraduate science students.

“Undergraduate involvement in research is a cornerstone of the Western experience,” Patrick said.

Grad student Tristan Butler, at work in the research center lab, agreed.

“I transferred here as an undergrad largely because of the opportunities in the chemistry department for undergraduate research,” he said.

Yep…my little brother, who I wrestle with on the living room floor, share a bed with on the Eve of Christmas, tease about girls, fight over who gets the last raspberry in the fruit salad, and generally just treat like my brother, is a major player in developing solar electricity generation for the masses. Which means his contributions will benefit humanity. People will use the results of his hard work and labor far down the road into the future. I am just so proud to say that he is part of my family.