Beneficent Parentalism: Philosophy:

Not merely precise, but seamlessly perfect!

This content area will establish the undergirdings of Beneficent Parentalism.  This developing philosophy is not a last frantic play by a beleaguered football team.  It is not a hail Mary in the last seconds of a game between rivals.  Beneficent Parentalism is a cognizant and entirely sober assimmilation of contemporary knowledge which decisively pits age-old philosophical antagonists against each other.  The antagonists are free-will and determinism.  This content area will present physics-based knowledge and historical realities which give unpresidented credence to a thoroughly determined universe.  That I am a non-credentialed person means you will have no crutch.  I have no titles to speak of, honorary or earned; no PHD, MA, MD, or Roman numerals after my name.  Actually, I have either a BA, or a BS, neither of which enhances my believability!  The one is the sound a lamb makes.  The other is what shovels are used to get rid of!  If you must have a crutch and are unable to discern Truth for yourself, there is no sense going any further.  However, if you are adept at digging, sifting, panning and smelting your own gold, my being a nobody won't cause any problems!  It's a massive mountain and the gold within has barely been touched.

1.  Introduction: quotes from a Time Magazine article by a Harvard professor, Steve Pinker, followed by a challenge for social science sectors to account for contemporary brain science research.  For more articles by credentialed individuals go to Philosophy Content Page 2.      Benjamin Libet: a 1983 study determining that brain function precedes conscious awareness by           .327 seconds.      Chun Siong Soon:  a study released in April of 2008 determining that brain function precedes           conscious awareness by an astounding 7 to 10 seconds. [added; December 9, 2008]

2.  Consciousness: an essay addressing the dichotomous nature of Self-awareness.  A MUST READ ESSAY.

3.  Free-Will:  an essay which focuses on the deficit nature of the free-will paradigm.

4.  Benevolent Determinism; aka. Hard Determinism:  an essay examining the characteristics of both paradigms, free-will and benevolent determinism; the implications and consequences of both.

5.  Not Just Precise, But Seamlessly Perfect:  an essay examining the impeccably precise nature of the universe.      Self-Correcting Universe: an essay exploring Knowledge, Truths, and cultural social systems;           the role they play in the phenomenon of universal self-correction.

6.  If Wishes Could Make It So:  an essay responding to Evan Harris Walker's book, The Physics of Consciousness, and Robert Paster's book, New Physics and the Mind.  Though I am not credentialed in the field of quantum physics, I attempt to discuss the assumptive nature of their presentations.

7.  Anatomy of a Decision:  a series of essays addressing brain function presented in rather simple, layman-friendly, terms.  The idea for this presentation first occured to me in the late eighties, early  nineties; a period when my observations as an elementary teacher, a colleague, a father, a spouse, a member of a fundamentalist religious organization, a creative artist and spiritual pragmatist had already coalesced into a deterministic mindset.  At this point I had already accepted brain function as a mathematic laws of physics driven cause and effect continuum.  As brain function is incorrigibly tedious and profoundly beyond the cognitive capabilities of all but an exclusive few, it seemed necessary to simplify it in a manner that would be faithful to the process and yet understandable.  Whether or not this has been achieved is up for grabs, but this was my intent.

8.  Digesting a Whopper!  This is a more concise three page analysis of what hard determinism is and how it functions.  This piece takes the definition, mathematic laws of physics given meaning throught the cause and effect continuum, and addresses its meaning in small size bites.  It approaches the subject from another direction.

9.  Hey, Old Man!  This is a good transition piece.  It uses prose to express the physics-based philosophy of Beneficent Parentalism and then addresses its psychological implications.  It was inspired by an Individualized Education Plan Committee meeting (IEPC) involving one of my fifth grade students.  The first half deals with the physics and philosophical concepts while the last half deals with the psychological implications.  On a personal note, the last ten to fifteen years of my teaching career were traumatized by this knowledge.  Knowing what I knew caused me to experience mammoth failure on a daily basis. Other teachers were blissfully unaware that within the traditional educational structure we were in effect abusing children; child abuse on a daily basis. It broke me, as it should have.  I'm actually pleased that I was unable to capitulate and ended up breaking down emotionally and mentally.  No sane person could live such a reality without being destroyed.  In a situation like this, the healthy and wholesome reaction to the educational structure we place our precious children in day after day and year after year is insanity.  Abusing children on a daily basis should drive a sane person mad!  I consider it an honor that the administration had begun the process of firing me by the time I retired.  I figured that finally, I must be doing something right! It is my opinion that I am just now beginning to earn my thirty-three years of teaching salary; I am just now working for the good of my thousand or so children; those who were misfortunate enough to experience abuse while in my care.  I Love them and I regret I had to learn at their expense.  My eyes are hot.  Enough said.

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