Let Me Clarify

There seems to be some confusion.

We are not a club purely for scientists, nor are we a club solely for poets. We are a club that seeks to balance on the intersection of diverse and seemingly disconnected disciplines, in order to better understand the world, what we ourselves hope to study someday, and each other. You don’t have to write poetry. You don’t have to know science. If you’re out there, we want your perspective. If you’re out there, you have a valuable lens through which to interpret and share. Our goal is to make what is technical accessible to the layman in a way that enriches both the knowledgeable person’s understanding of their topic, and the layman’s understanding of the world. The most important thing to remember is that we’re all simultaneously playing the role of the knowledgeable and the layman, just in different disciplines. So learn from us, let us learn from you, and as a whole we’ll all know more.

 

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Mills College, Vera Long 140, Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

No technical knowledge or writing experience required, just come learn something, write your associations and thoughts down on it for 15 minutes in whatever form you like (haikus, poetry, prose, technical writing, free verse, anything you want), and discuss. 

We have only two requirements: (1) Respect  and  (2) No disclaimers. 

Rough with Ribosomes

After a lovely talk by Abra Schlotz on photosynthesis, the color green, and the sly cunning of plant cells, we each explored the topic in various ways via our freewrites.

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Then, I decided to get hip and make a tumblr, and if you haven't yet found out, there is also the Facebook page. Check them out, follow, reblog, like, and all that jazz if you like what we're up to around here.

Join us anytime. One person told me that they think you have to be a scientist to come here. Another said that you have to be a poet. In reality, you just have to be a person who likes to learn a little. Anyone can join, anytime. Try it out sometime!

Freewrite on Photosynthesis

Free Write on, The Ghost in The Machine - by, Alexandra M.

“Let’s suppose that there really is a ghost in the machine—a little man who “looks out” through our eyes, and “listens in” through our ears. Or if you prefer, a soul”

The notion of whether or not the “little man” inside has a consciousness, and then the possibility of that “little man” having another “little man” inside his head, and so on… Reminds me of a sequence in mathematics. A sequence is an infinite list of numbers, listed in order, and it just keeps going. It can converge or diverge, but it has to go somewhere by definition. This sequence of consciences could converge somewhere in the depths of one’s soul, but that place seems like it would be somewhere we cannot comprehend or prove things about. If this sequence diverges, I also would not know what it would look like, maybe that looks like these “little men” being in other beings and it could be the “thing” that connects us all. And if this little man inside one’s head is a soul-less being, this whole construction has no meaning.

But why wouldn’t it? We as humans only seem to use a small amount of our brain power to complete our daily tasks, so what is the rest of it full of? We aren’t just empty, but we know that out of a place of not-knowing. A not-knowing what life inside these bodies is not like. What the not-space consists of…

I just can’t picture what it would be like to be empty—to picture that would be similar to the thought of what it feels like to be dead. The trying to feel what is not, brings me to a wall that I cannot climb over. To conjecture, but not to be able to prove…

It really reminds me though that my body really is just a physical vehicle that drives me around this world. Who is this “me” that I refer to? And if I can say that without referring to my physical body, the “I” must be part of that “little man” inside, right? Is this sequence of “little men” just converging to “me”? Like I said, if it converges, I know not what to. 

The Ghost in the Machine

lt started with a book and it started over the summer, when technically speaking I wasn't thinking of Poetry for Scientists, though I'm always thinking of PfS, like how everything Kermit the frog thinks of is actually in relation to Ms. Piggy, though you'd never expect Kermit to know it let alone acknowledge it, really.

Anyways, the book is titled, The Reenactments by Nick Flynn (it's a very good book).  In it I was introduced to the concept of The Ghost in the Machine - and it really had an impact on me - I couldn't help but to wonder, what are the metaphorical possibilities of this concept?  How does it enable us to understand ourselves better, I mean, that's what metaphors are about, no?

The concept is grounded in Descartes, dualism - and I'm going to be honest - Descartes' outdated in a very serious way - his ideas were, well, his ideas - and I'm surprised as a philosophy major the extent to which his work is still such a integral part of the curriculum - he was just wrong about a lot of stuff, though I suppose his process enabled a closer approximation to, I don't know, reality?  I'm not going there - not tonight -

Dualism - let's stick with that.  Descartes thought that because the physical self is endlessly divisible and the mind is completely indivisible (his idea, not mine), that the mind and the body were two completely separate entities.  Furthermore, the mind isn't distinguishable from the soul, and the soul is eternal, it doesn't decay with the rest of our cells - it is, a completely separate entity.  The concept of The Ghost in The Machine is rooted here.  It is the way we refer to ourselves as if there is an "I" that can refer to the self - it is sometimes referred to as, the homunculus - a "little man" living inside of our heads, who sees with our eyes and listens with our ears - check this link out for a very articulate portrayal of the concept http://theskepticalzone.com/wp/?p=2514.  And to really blow your mind, consider that if there really is a "little man" living in our heads, consciousness, a soul, whatever you want to call it (him?), what of the "little man" in his head, huh?  what about that?  They have a term for it - the principle of infinite regression - and personally, just as a side note, I found that The Principle of Infinite Regression, makes for an excellent form in a poem (read my free write if you want to know what I mean).  

The point is this - on Wednesday 9/11/13, Poetry for Scientists met for our first official meeting of the semester - we talked about this concept, The Ghost in The Machine - I wrote a definition on the whiteboard - a few people chimed in with their thoughts, and then we sat in silence for 15 minutes and wrote about whatever associations arose while we learned something about this concept, rooted in 17th century philosophy, and since evolved into an interest of neuroscientists and (apparently) poets alike.

This is what we do.  We meet, one of us leads a brief discussion on a topic of personal interest, we write about what this topic brings up for us - we share what we write, and we go home - it's really a meaningful experience and whether we like it or not, I'm pretty sure this exercise is making us all care about each other a little bit, and then a little bit more.              

Next Meeting

The summer stretched, hot and endless, and I can only hope we each allowed ourselves a little rest. Now it's time to get our minds back into motion, and what better to lubricate the gears of your brain than a supportive group of curious listeners, suggesters, and sharers?

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Poetry for Scientists will be having its first meeting this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in our usual room, Vera Long 140.

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We have some big ideas for the semester, and a shiny new event to plan, in collaboration with the Octopus Literary Salon. From their website:

"The Octopus is a literary salon, re-interpreted in the 21st Century to engage and entertain readers and writers of all ages in Uptown Oakland, California. The Octopus Literary Salon includes a café, a small-scale specialty bookstore and publisher, and a space for public readings and discussions as well as other literary spontaneity."

We are very excited for the opportunity to work with the Octopus Literary Salon and to put together our event for September 27, 2013! 

We hope to see you Wednesday!