What is Thoughts: Definition and 362 Discussions

Thought (or thinking) encompasses a flow of ideas and associations that can lead to logical conclusions. Although thinking is an activity of an existential value for humans, there is still no consensus as to how it is adequately defined or understood.
Because thought underlies many human actions and interactions, understanding its physical and metaphysical origins and its effects has been a longstanding goal of many academic disciplines including philosophy, linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, biology, sociology and cognitive science.
Thinking allows humans to make sense of, interpret, represent or model the world they experience, and to make predictions about that world. It is therefore helpful to an organism with needs, objectives, and desires as it makes plans or otherwise attempts to accomplish those goals.

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  1. B

    Exploring the Relationship Between Gravity and Time: My Thoughts

    If we live in a 4 dimensional universe, doesn't it only make sense that object which exist in it, exist in all 4 dimensions? I think, a majority of people think of time as a separate dimension from the 3 of space. That is to say, a ball, floating in space affects all 4 dimensions, 3 of...
  2. H

    Exploring the Concept of Time - Madian's Thoughts

    What is time? What is the definition of time? What is this concept of time? Hey all, I asked my Physics teacher and many friends what time is, and non of them had a thought about it, Such a simple question yet difficult to answer. I would like to read your thoughts about time and your answers...
  3. M

    Problem and thoughts about simple light interference

    1. With the later on given info, is it possible to through geometry calculate the wave length of a HeNe Laser? 2. Homework Equations and facts A Helium Neon laser emitts light through a double slit and towards a screen where a central image and the first dimmer bands can be seen. The...
  4. M

    Programs Combined Eng. Mech and Physics Degree class list. Thoughts?

    I'm currently a freshman at UIUC and a physics major. I've asked for a lot of advice on these forums and elsewhere and I think I may want to consider a double degree in some sort of engineering and physics. I have all my general education requirements done (thanks to a lot of AP credits) so all...
  5. jtbell

    Deep thoughts from a squirrel monkey

    I was updating one of our bulletin boards (the kind that you attach paper things to with thumbtacks, not the online kind) and found a New York Times article that I stuck up there a year and a half ago. It had to do with studies of consciousness in animals, and was illustrated with some pictures...
  6. Saladsamurai

    LaTeX Thoughts on White Backgrounds?

    What's up with the white background thing. I personally hate it... but that's just me... and I hate all change (except quarters and wheat-backs:) Just curious.
  7. F

    Experience and or Thoughts on Dual Major E.E.+M.E.

    Does anyone know if it is worth doing both Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering? Does it help or hurt? Anyone know of a person who has done this and what was there outcome.
  8. A

    Mathematica Thoughts on a Mathematical Comp. Sci. Masters Program

    I will be graduating in a year with a B.S. in Mathematics, and will likely go into industry working with computers. I know how to program, and am fascinated with the mathematics of computer science (combinatorics, graph theory, algorithm analysis, etc). I came across a masters program...
  9. T

    What are your thoughts about the Large Hadron Collider?

    I would like to hear what your thoughts are about the Large Hadron Collider they are going to fire up in August? Think were making a doom's day product?
  10. wolram

    My Thoughts on Inscrutable Sadistic Pratts

    Mine stands for inscrutable sadistic Pratt's, i have learned to hate them, from now on T----i, is a cuss word, i would dearly love to take an airplane to India and tell them personally what i think of them, but i bet they opperate out of a secret bunker a 1000ft under ground.
  11. A

    Schools Any Thoughts on Aerospace Engineering Universities

    Hi. I plan to major in aerospace engineering after high school. My question in, does it matter where I go for my undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering? The in-state public university has an AE program, but isn't accredited by ABET. I was wondering whether I should stay in state...
  12. C

    Is the Time-Bending Telescope in Deja Vu Scientifically Possible?

    Have any of you seen this movie? For those who have, is it actually possible to do what they've done in it (look back in time)? This isn't the first movie to deal with this phenomena, I believe that a move by Ben Affelick is also loosely based around the same principle. From what I...
  13. M

    Can atoms pass through each other when vibrated at high speeds?

    Several questions they may not be all answerable but hey :D How do proton and neutrons stay together? If one's got a positive charge and one's got a neutral charge there's nothing holding them together? Once a proton is split from a neutron and/or it's nucleus would you be able to bind them...
  14. S

    What Are the Theoretical Forms for f(.) and g(.)?

    Given that 1/ f(cx) = k - g(x) and 2/ the above is an identity, where f(.) and g(.) are two functions and c, k are real valued constants. The problem is to infer upon the types of f(.) and g(.). I have a hunch that f(.) and g(.) are logarithimic functions. Can anyone provide...
  15. JasonRox

    Some Thoughts on the Health (Long)

    Note: Please read the entire opening posts. As some of you may know, I moved to Quebec City about a month ago. I found the place I live in just a week before I moved here. I just jumped on the boat and came here. Family, friends, and colleagues thought this was crazy, and amazing. (I'll get...
  16. P

    Your Thoughts on Black Hole Production at CERN

    I'm interested in hearing from the experts (practicing physicists and teachers) here about what you think of the possibility of an artificial black hole being created at CERN and, specifically, if you think it possible the black hole could interact with surrounding matter and pose a danger to...
  17. L

    Will Both Bags Fill at the Same Rate? Thoughts and Answers Needed

    Ok imagine this: --1---|------2------- | 4 | |-------3------ 1 is a rigid pipe supplying air at a constant rate 2 and 3 are elongated air tight cloth bags of equal volume 4 is a rigid pipe connecting the 1,2 and 3 together Would both the bags fill...
  18. J

    Which Grad Program is Better: Biomedical Engineering or Medical Physics?

    So, I am finishing my undergrad (physics) this year and have several offers from graduate schools. What I am looking for is some insight as to what career appears to be better as far as job opportunities and pay. I am equally split on which program I like more, so that has become a...
  19. T

    Quantum Thoughts: Exploring Time Elapsed between Absorption

    just a thought. if the energy of a photon E= hf. and an electron can receive or loose photons in such energies only. and the electron can not absorb half of the photon then the other half just a full quantum at a time. doesn't that mean is some sort of way that there is no time elapsed...
  20. G

    Is the Universe a Singular Entity with Time as an Illusion?

    i've never been good at putting my thoughts into words...so i was hoping someone could pickup on my theory, maybe even share it, and help me edit it so it's more easily readable. thanks :) there is only 1 thing that exists. the universe. it is all 1 thing. 1 single matter. 1 with its many...
  21. D

    Delos' Thoughts on Society & Integration

    It would be ideal if all miscegenation and all immigration were to cease, assuming that the perpetuation of humanity and the cultivation of human excellence are desirable. Firstly, it is best not to put all of our eggs in one basket. If different states were to be made discrete, their...
  22. T

    My Thoughts on Quantum Uncertainty

    So I am just a simple high school student whom, while reading Elegant Universe, came up with an idea that would answer why the quantum world is so unusual. I am not well educated in quantum mechanics or the such, so please don't be too brutal while shooting down my thoughts, lol. So, while I...
  23. G

    Thoughts (of an amateur) on the Solution to the Twin Paradox

    Hello, All. I found this forum through a google search. This post could have been attached to the thread started by Bob Guerico on 09-Jan-08, but I felt it would be better to start a new thread. I've been reading about SR and GR for about a year now. I've been through several iterations of "I...
  24. wolram

    An apology and thoughts on the cost of experimental cosmology

    My posts have been rude i am just annoyed that all though i have learned a lot about cosmology i have learned nothing that matters, you guys spend years of hard work doing things only you can, i wish you had a bigger budget to work with, so that theory could be tested, i know you would like...
  25. E

    My thoughts Emergent physics: Fermi point scenario G.E. Volovik

    My thoughts "Emergent physics: Fermi point scenario G.E. Volovik" http://arxiv.org/abs/0801.0724 Emergent physics: Fermi point scenario G.E. Volovik What if Volovik is correct that the true TOE is some sort of Fermi point scenario? 1 string theory is dead, and SM particles are not...
  26. S

    Pilot Wave Theory: A Viable Explanation for Quantum Mechanics?

    I'm reading a book, "Schrodinger's Rabbit's", by Colin Bruce. In it, he subscribes to a theory that explains quantum mechanics with a hidden variable theory, called the "Pilot Wave Theory". The idea is a basically a particle theory of physics, with the exception that every particle has a...
  27. J

    Random thoughts on snow flurries

    I just took a look out the window and saw what seemed to be confetti. But then I noticed that no two were alike so it had to be snow flurries. I paid close attention to one of them that seemed in no hurry to go anywhere. It would sink a few inches, then rise, move a little to the left, but not...
  28. zoobyshoe

    Thoughts on Jackson Pollock and Modern Art

    <<Note from Moonbear: I've separated this from the urinal thread since it seems to have become a discussion all it's own. I couldn't resist the title. :redface:>> Jackson Pollock's work was brilliant. Art from that era looks inexplicable to people like Evo, but there is method in the...
  29. U

    Random Thoughts On Dissappearing Planets

    I was doing some thinking as to whether aliens are really out there. Then I figured, they probably don't want us to find them if they are out there, so they are probably hiding (and maybe a little even embarrassed by us as a species). Then I thought, "How exactly would one go about hiding a...
  30. A

    Mousetrap Cars, Various thoughts that need clarification

    Let me start off by saying I'm not 100% certain that this is the correct forum for this to be posted in, if I'm incorrect in doing so, I apologize. I've found several threads previously discussed about mousetrap cars, none of which answer the questions I have. I have four days to design...
  31. O

    Thoughts about ∣Φ>=∣1>*C1+∣2>*C2

    Hi, we know that in a system with two base states, any state ∣Φ> of the system can always be described as a linear combination of the two base state:∣Φ>=∣1>*C1+∣2>*C2, where C1 is the ampitudes to be in on base state and C2 the other. My question is, does that mean the state ∣Φ> can only swing...
  32. Q

    Knowledge, Thoughts, Observations, Memory and Activity

    Albert Einstein says that knowledge is a tree of which different specializations are its branches. Sri Krishna in Bhagwat Gita similarly, says that Knowledge is a tree upside down i.e., of which root is on top; and trunk, branches and leaves spread at bottom. If we all see the expansion of...
  33. A

    Thoughts on the caged birds in a plane chestnut.

    Thoughts on the "caged birds in a plane" chestnut. Someone recently asked in the notes and queries section of a British newspaper, "would the weight of a plane flying at a constant altitude change if its cargo of birds in cages were all on their perches or flying about in their cages?". I have...
  34. D

    Lingusitics Are You Gruntled with Language Quirks and Freedom Fighters?

    If one person is disgruntled but later adopts a cheerier mood, are they now gruntled? If firefighters fight fire and crime fighters fight crime, what do freedom fighters fight? (OK, not mine, but it's still hilarious).
  35. Mk

    Online Dating: Stories, Thoughts & Experiences

    Anybody here ever try online dating? I think it is starting to get more credit from back when it started—people are complete losers that try it, and that nothing good ever culminates. Are there any stores, thoughts, or personal experiences with it from people here?
  36. C

    Exploring the Possibility of Life on Mars: A Scientist's Perspective

    What exactly does everyone here think on Martian life, and the existence of water on Mars.
  37. JasonRox

    Considering Putting School on Hold? Thoughts?

    I have another question. Some of you may know I plan on moving out soon. My other problem is about your thoughts about putting school on hold. I don't mean permanently. If I can get a $35-40,000 job on a 12 month contract, would it be such a bad idea to put school on hold. Before I had the...
  38. M

    Thoughts on Chloroplasts and Mitochodria

    I was looking into why chloroplasts and mitochondria have their own DNA separate from the cells DNA. I found an interesting theory; Chloroplasts and Mitochodria were once single celled organisms. Another single celled organism consumes the mitocodria/chloroplast, but they continue to...
  39. T

    News What are your thoughts on how we can successfully win in Iraq?

    What are your thoughts on how we can successfully win in Iraq, and does anyone know of examples where insurgencies have been successfully crushed in the past?
  40. P

    RE: Thoughts on existence (& happiness)

    RE: Thoughts on existence (& happiness) Sorry I'm not sure if its o.k. to continue a thread, I just find this an interesting subject because it's such a basic question. What are peoples reasons for living from one day to another? Not only as individual humans but as a whole specie. I'm not...
  41. H

    Advancing Humanity: Thoughts on Existence

    I used to be very pessimestic regarding humanity's fate, thinking we would kill each other off in ten or so years. I only recently changed my ideas when this thought appeared: We can war and be dumb for another century or so, just as long as we don't use doomsday weapons we'll eventaully snuff...
  42. N

    Is Superposition of Thoughts Possible in the Human Brain and in Nature?

    This is just an idea I had to do with shared thoughts that can be found among groups of people. When people share an experience there is bound to be shared thoughts on the experience. Could the fact that similarly configured pulses of neuronal firing in the brain and nervous systems (ie...
  43. M

    Exploring the Possibility of Black Holes Transferring Matter Between Universes

    If black holes are at the centre of each galaxy is it possible that all the matter from that paricular galaxy came from another universe through the black hole sucking in one side and blowing out the other? Transfering matter from one universe to the other. Perhaps this a natural way to...
  44. B

    Any thoughts on Oak Ridge Laboratories?

    I'm thinking about UT-Knoxville, and I've been doing some research on Oak Ridge. I'm wondering if anyone has some opinions about the place.
  45. A

    Programs Physics major having second thoughts

    I'm a 4th year student in my second year as a physics undergrad. Having changed my major 4 times, I decided to settle on a subject and chose physics, which I do enjoy. However, the more I think about it, the more interesting engineering, specifically mechanical engineering, seems. Changing my...
  46. W

    What Topics Might Be Covered in Grade 11 AP Physics?

    Hello fellow scienteers and mathematians :p, after talking with my computer science teacher (who I idolize ;)) I've decided to take AP Physics next year, he'd be my teacher for that course. He wouldn't tell me what I'd be taught in that course, figures, since he's a teacher and all that jazz...
  47. K

    What drives us to seek a connection with something greater than ourselves?

    I don t understand people who feels that the only way to get some type moral guildances, control and spiritual attainment is through religion. The kind of religion that are more or less entail the worshipping of some god or deities. I am disgusted by people who feels the need to reduce the...
  48. A

    A few thoughts on entanglement

    These are probably old ideas (or, perhaps, just stupid), but recently thinking about non-locality it seemed to me that (a) non-locality clearly shows that time's arrow IS invariant. Physics texts often point out that if you were to make some kind of movie of a physical event such as the...
  49. wasteofo2

    Modern thoughts on the origin of organisms.

    So, I'm a teenager, and have always been interested in precisely how life began on earth. Is there any widely accepted and thuroughly proven theory about how you got from inorganic molecules, or even organic molecules, to the first cell? All I've ever gotten as a respons was pretty much this...
  50. P

    New Research Reveals That Thoughts Affect Genes

    Is there any truth to this (are there actually scientific papers describing how thoughts affect genes) or is this a publicity stunt to promote his book? Liptons website
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