Consilience

"In education the search for consilience is the way to renew the crumbling structure of the liberal arts". (Consilience, Page 13)

So far I've read until chapter 4 of the book and I'm really enjoying it. I normally read with a highlighter in my hand for highlighting the important stuff that I find as I'm reading, in this case, with this book, I highlight so many things, everything is important, everything is relevant.

What this book is basically about, is on finding success through the unity of the humanities and sciences through the liberal arts education, which is exactly what we are trying to achieve at the MPC.

"They were driven by the thrill of discovery. They agreed on the power of science to reveal an orderly, understandable universe and thereby lay an enduring base for free rational discourse. They thought that the perfection of the celestial bodies discovered by astronomy and physics could serve as a model fro human society. They believed in the unity of all knowledge, individual human rights, natural law, and indefinite human progress." (Consilience, Page 23)

A quote that I happened to highlight and we also discussed in our dialogue. The author is referring to the originators of The Enlightment and what they were in search of. I feel that it exactly describes our goals as human beings but more specifically as pioneers of the MPC.

What is human nature?

- To understand human nature we need to understand what are epigenetic rules.

- Epigenetic rules: "...comprise the full range of ingerited regularities of development in anatomy, philosophy, cognition, and behavior. They are the algorithms of growth and differentiation that create a fully functioning organism." CONSILIENCE Pg. 163

"In biology, and specifically genetics, epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by the mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence - hence the name epi - (Greek for "over" "above" "outer" "

- Genes and culture are linked

METAQUESTIONS SO FAR

- Are epigenetic rules the link between genses and culture?

- Are epigenetic rules culture?

- Are ethics examples of epigenetic rules?

- Is our rubric compose of epigenetic rules?

MORE NOTES...

- Epigenetic rules guide behavior

- "Epigenetic rules leave open the potentioal generation of an immense array of cultural variations and combinations" CONSILIENCE Pg. 210

- "Epigenetic rules are prescribed bygenes" CONSILIENCE Pg. 138

CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE BRAIN

- Reptilian brain gives us SURVIVAL AND REPRODUCTION

- Mammal brain gives us PLANNING

- Ape brain gives us REASON