Why Buddhism is True 1 Flashcards
empty calories
In human nutrition, the term empty calories applies to foods and beverages composed primarily or solely of sugar, fats or oils, or alcohol-containing beverages. An example is carbonated soft drinks. These supply food energy but little or no other nutrition in the way of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, or essential fatty acids. “…natural selection designed our feelings in a particular environment-an environment with no junk food, an environment in which the sweetest thing available was fruit…but in a modern environment, which features the achievement of culinary science known as ‘empty calories,’ these feelings becom ‘false,’ or at least not reliably true; they sometimes tell us something is good when it’s not good for us.” (30) The phrase is derived from low nutrient density, which is the proportion of nutrients in a food relative to its energy content. MD. fat, ethanol, and sugar Fat contributes nine calories per gram, ethanol seven calories, sugar four calories food energy (Food energy is chemical energy that animals (including humans) derive from food through the process of cellular respiration)
false positive
a result that shows something is present when it really is not hiking where someone was bitten by a rattlesnake example: “Now suppose there’s a stirring in the brush next to your feet. This stirring doesn’t just give you a surge of fear; you feel the fear that there is a rattlesnake near you. In fact, as you turn quickly toward the disturbance and your fear reaches its apex, you may be so clearly envisioning a rattlesnake that, if the culprit turns out to be a lizard, there will be a fraction of a second when the lizard looks like a snake. This is an illusion in a literal sense: you actually believe there is something there that istn’s there; in fact, you actually ‘see’ it. (32) MD - Brooke seeing a rat when it’s actually a squirrel
hedonic
of, relating to, or characterized by pleasure MD Heathens do not believe in God and thus are hedonic characterized by pleasure. a monk abstains from pleasure and pursues an idea. MD from ancient greek hēdonḗ, - “pleasure” ic. Used to form adjectives from nouns with the meaning “of or pertaining to”.
hedonic treadmill
The Hedonic Treadmill (also known as hedonic adaptation) is a theory that proposes that people return to their level of happiness, regardless of what happens to them. “Since these conveniences by becoming habitual had almost entirely ceased to be enjoyable, and at the same time degenerated into true needs, it became much more cruel to be deprived of them than to possess them was sweet, and men were unhappy to lose them without being happy to possess them.” – Jean Jacques Rousseau in his Discourse on Inequality (published in 1754) MD - on treadmill, you are always in the same place. the speed might go up or it might slow down. you’ll notice the changes but but after some time, you’ll return to your level of happiness.
difference between illusion and delusion
While illusion is external, delusion is internal. Delusion is a fixed belief, which can be either false or fanciful. Illusion is only distortion of the senses. While illusion is a physical phenomenon, delusion pertains to the mental aspect. MD ex. hiker seeing snakes vs. believing snakes are out to get him.
default mode network
connected series of brain regions that are active during most of our waking activities when we are obsessing about ourselves, thinking about the past, doing anything but being focused on what is happening right now. “This is a network in the brain that according to brain scan studies, is active when we’re doing nothing in particular-not talking to people, not focusing on our work or any other task, not playing a sport or reading a book or watching a movie. It is the network along which our mind wanders when it’s wandering.” (45) MD Allstar baseball settings pitch aid on. how the brain acts without our input. when the pitch aid is off you are more present in the moment.
asymptote
a line that continually approaches a given curve but does not meet it at any finite distance. “True, pure enlightenment, in this view, is like what mathematicians call an asymptote: something you can get closer and closer to but never quite reach.” (53) MD think of a tote bag and a line approaching the curve of the handle, but never touching it.
commensurately
corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree : proportionate was given a job commensurate with her abilities “What begin as a modest pursuit-a way to relieve stress or anxiety, cool anger, or dial down self-loathing just a notch-can lead to profound realizations about the nature of things, and commensurately profound feelings of freedom and happiness.” (55) MD - from Latin com - “with, together” + Late Latin mensuratus from Latin mensura - “a measuring, a measurement; thing to measure by,” from mensus, past participle of metiri “to measure,” from PIE root *me- (2) “to measure.” how much COMpost was a MEASURE of how much was not Ate Compost is commensurate with Food not Ate.
subliminal
(of a stimulus or mental process) below the threshold of sensation or consciousness; perceived by or affecting someone’s mind without their being aware of it. “Psychologists have devised various ways to get people to do things without being aware of why they’re doing them….Even when the image was shown subliminally, the stakes influenced how hard the subjects squeezed the grip.” (80) MD - Since the Latin word limen means “threshold”, something subliminal exists just below the threshold of conscious awareness. The classic example of a subliminal message is “Eat popcorn” flashed on a movie screen so quickly that the audience doesn’t even notice it consciously. MD limen. lemon advertisement on movie screen being flashed to make theatre goers unknowingly by lemons. d
beneffectance
the tendency to take credit for success while denying responsibility for failure. “In 1980 the psychologist invented the term beneffectance to describe the way people naturally present themselves to the world - as beneficial and effective. Lots of experiments since have shown that people not only put out this kind of publicity about themselves but actually believe it.” (83) MD - beneficial and effective - the bearbeneffectance “what can you do” attitude.
self-delusion
the act of making oneself believe something that is not true “People are often aware of these forms of self-delusion-at least, they’re aware of them in other people.” (84) MD -
egocentric
thinking only of oneself, without regard for the feelings or desires of others; self-centered “Our egocentric biases are aided and abetted by the way memory works.” (84) MD - ego - latin for I “leggo my eggo” someone who only thinks about themselves.
abet
encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong, in particular, to commit a crime or other offense “Our egocentric biases are aided and abetted by the way memory works.” (84)
comandeer
take possession of (something) without authority. “…the idea that the conscious you isn’t choosing modules so much as being commandeered by modules that have prevailed over competing modules and thus, as Gazzaniga put it in chapter 6, ‘won the prize of conscious recognition.’ “ (109) MD - Military forces have always had the power to commandeer houses. The Declaration of Independence complains about the way the British soldiers have done it, and the third Amendment to the Constitution states that the commandeering of people’s houses shall be done only in a way prescribed by law. Almost anything—food, supplies, livestock, etc.—can be militarily commandeered when the need arises. Master in commander comandeering a boat and the members of the boat for service. (take forcible posession.)
cerebral
intellectual rather than emotional or physical. “Even that most cerebral of mind wanderings-wondering-seems to have feelings that accompany it.” MD - cerebrum is the word for brain. cerebrum instead of the cor meum (heart)
