Grand Design 2-1

Connections List
 * Grand Design 2-2
 * Human Metaphysics
 * Qualia

Stephen Hawking "Grand Design" Netflix. Season 2, Episode 1 "The Meaning of Life"

Points: Descartes - the mind exists. Hawking says the mind exists separate from the body (as Descartes argues) but I see no evidence for this aside from qualia >> God stuff.

Our brains - defined as pure physics. Possibly deterministic depending on: Hawking says they're unpredictable so far (=deterministic) like the weather. Our brains making a complex unpredictable decision = free will
 * Actual quantum randomness
 * God/human spirit intervention

All brains receive different inputs (a fairly safe assumption) and are interpreted by our brains. >> qualia. Fun point - our vision only sees clearly an area the width of your thumb at arms length. The rest is filled in by the brain.

There are limits to our knowledge (the matrix, a table flying away only when we're gone). However we must just live with our current models (use pragmatic truth). Hawking calls this a Concept-of-Model dependent reality

Meaning is another aspect of our mental models. I interpret - sum of data (emo dat), broad heristic variables, constructs which make processing faster. End objectives are developed by evolution and do not exist in and of themselves. >> heavy relative truth - we assign meaning to the universe. (it has no inherent meaning). My perception, model, and meaning assignments in the universe are different from yours and no less valid, (evolution and accuracy aside).