If you have been asked to describe what a culture is, what would you say?

TM has some interesting descriptions:  "Culture is a virtual reality made of language."  "Cultures are boundary defining engines".

Is this guy as good as the hype says or what?

So I had a conversation with a guy who mentioned something peculiar indeed. The gist of it was that you could seperate the brain via surgery into two lesser connected halves, where each half is its own consciousness. I think this guy heard this from Sam Harris.

So if the brain can contain a consciousness which is not "yours", then who is to say how many "pockets of awareness" might exist in one brain all the time? If you aren`t conscious of them how could you ever know? They would coexist just like the two hemispheres of a split brain patient.

You might have heard the idea that when a person is hallucinating an "entity" might speak to them. Now this could just be one part of the brain talking to another part of the brain. This is a clumsy description, but it is more likely to the point than it being a spiritual entity making contact with you.

This entity may indeed be originated inside your own skull, but we can not rule out the possibility that this entity could be an independent consciousness. If this is true then certain altered states of consciousness may be a "blurring of the lines" between different instances of consciousness in one`s brain. If it is indeed possible to contact independent consciousness within one`s  own self, this would seem like something we should come to terms with.

For all we know, interactions between conscious "spirits" in altered states was the norm throughout our evolution, and only recently have we made the switch to individual selves located in our language centers.

Perhaps when one takes DMT and has the impression of their individual consciousness breaking through into a larger space inhabited by a proliferation of alien consciousness, this is literally what is happening within the brain. Perhaps the altered state brought on by DMT somehow temporarily erases the separation between "your" consciousness and all the other consciousness present in one`s brain.

@Kellais

I am not sure we are talking about the same thing. Probably my fault though:)

I will give it another go. I agree that you can come up with a "new" idea. There is indeed a difference between a direct copy of an idea and a creative use of concepts and language which undoubtedly will seem "new".

My point here is only that we are born into a world of pre- existing ideas/views etc, and through learning language we get to understand these pre-existing ideas/views. We can twist and turn as much as we like with semantics, but it all boils down to learning. We learn, which means we take someone elses wisdom and twist and turn a bit, and in the end make it ours.

As a consequence of this I see it as improbable that there is any room for "my" idea. We all borrow from each other by sharing the same language. "Me" is just the sum total of all the input that has been coming my way through different mediums, forming my persona.

For some weird reason I just love fantasy maps. Please post your favorite one here.

I will start with this one from Melissa Mcphails series "A pattern of shadow and light".

http://melissamcphail.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Map-of-Alorin-sm.jpg

Well i also look at views of other people But i am not sure one has to borrow them to not be a fundamentalist

I mean it literally though. I have no view or opinion which I can say is "mine". All my views are borrowed, always has been and always will be. I think that is the case for everyone. Unless you invent a new language, this must be the case:)

I think this thread is a support group for tsundoku - つんどく - Book Hoarder

Lol. Those Japanese folks also have a word for literally working yourself to death(do not remember it though). You die in your office so to speak.

Americans use "drive by shooting" as a supposedly different way of killing someone, which is also kind of funny.