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Wisdom Builder

Three Tidbit Stories

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Computer Science
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Computer Science.

3 random tidbit stories in about 3 minutes.

1.

Computer Science Term.

Existence.

Existence refers to whether or not a thing exists. It is the basic question of being: is this real, or is it only imagined. A tree exists. A fossil exists. A planet exists. But other claims are harder. Does a soul and divine realm exist? Does consciousness exist? Is it only brain activity? Something more?

In traditional philosophy, existence is often contrasted with essence. Existence asks whether something is. Essence asks what something is. For many classical thinkers, essence was central because things like a soul were thought to have a nature, form, and identity. Later existential thinkers reversed the emphasis, especially for human beings. In that view, existence comes first, and essence is shaped through life, choice, action, and meaning.

In TST Philosophy, existence is used carefully. At least in this life, existence does precede essence: we are born into species-level biological structure, but individual identity forms over time through impressions, memory, culture, and choice. TST can identify an existence claim without pretending to define its ultimate nature. Some people believe a soul exists. Some believe consciousness is more than brain activity. Some believe personal existence is created only in this life and ends with the body. TST does not take a final position on speculative claims that exceed public evidence.

This places existence inside the TST metaphysical split. In the material world, existence asks if something is real. In the mind, existence is an idea about whether something exists or not. When a thing exists in the material world and is confirmed, it maps to an empirical idea. When the claim goes beyond public evidence, it is speculative and categorized as irrational. This is how you calibrate belief and hold humility.

 


I wrote that Computer Science Term, 

and posted it to TST 2 months ago.

2.

Computer Science Quote.

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”.

  • Socrates.
  • 399 BCE.

From chapter 1 of 30 Philosophers: A New Look at Timeless Ideas:

…let’s explore the origin of our first translated quote. This will set up an exploration of your personal language later in Chapter 7. The literal translation from long ago, in a much different world, is something like, “But the unexamined life is not lived by man.” Scholars render it today as, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” but it could also translate to, “For a human being, a life without introspection is not truly lived,” or more succinctly, “Life without reflection is not fulfilling.” This underscores that quotes originate from the mind of a specific person in a specific culture with their own contextual background and origin story.

Socrates was a Greek philosopher and is frequently credited as the founder of Western philosophy. He left no writings, but his student Plato documented his philosophy.

 


I wrote that Computer Science Quote, 

and posted it to TST 2 years ago.

3.

Computer Science Quote.

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”.

  • Carl Sagan.
  • 1979.

Carl Sagan’s famous line was popularized in Broca’s Brain in 1979. It reached a wider audience through Cosmos in 1980. That’s when I first heard it. I was 15 years old when Cosmos aired which was a seminal moment in my life.

The deeper idea is older. In 1748, David Hume used a similar principle:

“A wise man, therefore, proportions his belief to the evidence.”

Sagan gave it its modern scientific voice. In context, the quote is not anti-wonder. It is anti-carelessness. It says the more a claim challenges what we already know about reality, the more evidence it needs before we raise our confidence in it.

For Sagan, and me, science did not kill spirituality; it deepened and sorted it. Stars, evolution, atoms, life, death, and cosmic scale were sources of humility and reverence. But his awe stayed disciplined. If someone says meditation brings peace, modest evidence may be enough because the claim fits ordinary human experience. If someone says meditation opens a portal to a hidden realm, the evidence burden rises. This is calibration: reality first, awe second, certainty only when earned.

The Why Truth Requires Reality article explains why truth is alignment with reality, and belief is confidence in that alignment. Calibration is the process of adjusting confidence to the kind and quality of support behind a claim. Empirical claims answer to observation and testing. Rational claims answer to logic and coherence. Speculative claims may remain meaningful, but they should be held with humility. Disproven claims should be released as truth. This is how spirituality stays honest: not by rejecting wonder, but by ranking confidence properly when wonder reaches into the material world.

 


I wrote that Computer Science Quote, 

and posted it to TST 2 months ago.

The end. Refresh for another set.

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