What is a cause?

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Photo license: CC BY 2.0

What is a cause? Here is my definition:

A cause is something that gives rise to something else

I believe that causation is an observable concept. Causation is a relationship between two separate phenomena where one phenomenon gives rise to the other. For example, if you take a shower, it will cause you to smell good. In this regard, you can observe the causal relationship between showering and smell.

I also believe that causation is a subjective concept. There's not a clear line between a cause and a non-cause. For example, imagine a pineapple sitting on a chair. What caused the pineapple to be sitting there? Because I was using the pineapple to create a still life painting. Why was I creating a painting? Because there was a painting contest. Why was I in the painting contest? Because my teacher encouraged me to join. This process can turn into a never ending regression of causes. In this regard, it's subjective whether or not something is a cause.

I believe that a constructive way to view causation is to make a list of causes that are most relevant. Making a list of the most important causes will lead to greater understanding of the particular instance. Deciding which causes are most important is subjective, but I believe it's a useful way to think about causation.

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

What is a pattern?

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Photo license: CC BY-NC 3.0

What is a pattern? Here is my definition:

A pattern is something that recurs consistently

I believe that reality is filled with many patterns. Some patterns are observed while others are unnoticed. I also believe that a pattern doesn't need to be observed to exist. As human beings, we automatically search for consistencies to help us understand reality. Knowing patterns is essential for many diverse applications.

I believe that pattern recognition is one of the major goals of knowledge. For example, the equation, E=MC^2 is a pattern that was first discovered by Albert Einstein. Another example is the phenomenon that it takes about 365 days for the Earth to rotate around the sun. This pattern occurs consistently otherwise the seasons on Earth would be distorted.

What about a set of tiles making a pattern? I believe that my definition works for this if you consider the process of tile creation and tile placement as a phenomenon. The moment that a tile is placed out of order, the pattern is broken.

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

What is understanding?

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Michael Jastremski

Photo license: CC BY 1.0

What is understanding? Here is my definition:

Understanding is the condition of knowing the core nature of something

A person can have surface-level knowledge about something, but they won't have understanding until they know its fundamental essence. Beyond knowing why something is a certain way and how it interacts with other things, a person with understanding will know the relative hierarchy of what's most central to it.

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

What is memory?

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Leonardo da Vinci

What is memory? Here is my definition:

Memory is the faculty that enables an entity to store and retrieve information and data

I like to think of memory and the subconscious as opposite sides on a continuum. Memory is the established information while the subconscious is non-established information. There is not a strict line between memory and the subconscious. For example, as time passes, knowledge about past events becomes less clear and we might remember fewer details. This transition out of memory is very gradual and there is not a clear moment when a piece of information becomes subconscious.

I believe we establish information in two main ways: in our mind and in written form. Using our mind (via memory), we can access and store a large amount of information and data. Similar to taking an object off of a shelf, we can look into our mind and grab a piece of information to help us operate in reality. The other method of storing information is to write it down in physical reality. This includes books, pictures, handwritten notes and computer files. In this regard, computers also have a memory.

Although we can't describe every sense we encounter, I believe that the mere attempt to put these things into words helps establish them in our memory. Language makes our thoughts clear and without words we are living in a whirlwind of senses.

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

What is intuition?

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Jessie Eastland

Photo license: CC BY-SA 3.0

What is intuition? Here is my definition:

Intuition is the process of forming beliefs based on unclear reasons

I believe that intuition comes from the subconscious mind. In our daily lives we absorb a large amount of data, but we're only aware of a small portion. Most of this data is stored in our subconscious memory. I believe that sometimes our subconscious memory speaks to us through intuition. This occurs when we form beliefs based on feelings and unclear reasons.

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

What is consciousness?

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Johann Amos Comenius

What is consciousness? Here is my definition:

Consciousness is the faculty that enables a being to be aware of experience

Some people believe that consciousness is merely chemicals and atoms, but I disagree with that opinion. Instead I believe that the fundamental process of consciousness is invisible to the physical world. Although, neuroscientists might be able to narrow their focus down to a single process in the brain and call it 'consciousness', I doubt that this would provide an explanation for how it works. Even if neuroscientists do further research and identify an even more microscopic process, the mystery would still remain. For this reason, I believe something non-physical and transcendental is necessary for consciousness to work.

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

What is a word?

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Rod Allday

Photo license: CC BY-SA 2.0

What is a word? Here is my definition:

A word is a symbol consisting of letters, phonetic sounds or conventional gestures

I believe that words are portable concepts. For example, think of the word 'wall'. To establish the word 'wall', we can point to multiple examples of walls and say 'wall'. After this process, the word 'wall' becomes an established tool to convey the concept of a wall. Saying the word 'wall' is much easier than pointing to the concept it represents.

Another common way to establish a word is to provide a definition. A definition is a statement of the meaning of a word. This method is only possible once we have already established a large variety of other words.

I believe that words are necessary for us to express complex ideas. Complex ideas are usually the combination of multiple concepts. To express a complex proposition, we could physically point at multiple things but this would be unclear and slow. Words enable us to skip the step of pointing, allowing us to express complex ideas much easier.

License: CC BY-SA 4.0