Deeply Ingrained Concepts

Some concepts are so fundamental & deeply ingrained in Western culture that it's hard to see them—including Cartesian dualism, free will, individualism, and linear time. But new science and other cultures offer other ways to think about these things.

For example, here are some concepts:

1. That thinking takes place in the brain.

But scientists are helping us to understand embodied cognition, which suggests that thinking is distributed throughout the body and shaped by our sensory experiences.

2. That consciousness only happens with complex nervous systems

But modern botanical science and studies of colonial insects suggests that emergent behaviors and structures appear beyond our current understanding of information processing.

3. That the mind and the body are separate.

But this Cartesian dualism has been challenged by various philosophical and scientific perspectives, including monism, which posits that the mind and body are intertwined and inseparable.

4. That we act on the basis of free will.

But many philosophers argue that free will is an illusion, and that our choices are influenced by factors like genetics, environment, past experiences, and even gut bacteria which shape our brain activity and behavior.

5. That we perceive the totality of the world around us.

But we’re only aware of a thin slice of the electromagnetic spectrum, and many animals and plants can sense things we’re blind to, such as ultraviolet light, magnetic fields, or vibrations in the air.

6. That time is linear and absolute.

But modern physics has shown that time is relative, flexible, and dependent on the observer's frame of reference. Some cultures also perceive time as cyclical or fluid.

Read the rest for free on Substack  Art: "A Poet" by Ernest Meissonier

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Famous Artist's School Ad

Here's part of an advertisement from the Famous Artist School for their correspondence course.

The lobster shack with its seagulls, pilings, and boats demonstrates a lot of depth and overlapping, skills that beginning artists often lack. But this simple step-by-step sequence makes it look attainable.