the Open Habitat project

A note from Chris French:

Dear all,

I thought I would give you all advance notice of a new online Anomalistic Psychology course that we anticipate will become available in January 2012.

If the proposal is approved, an 8-week course will be offered by Goldsmiths College as a general introduction to anomalistic psychology,  its methods and findings, with a view to demonstrating how psychological research seeks to examine and explain anomalous experiences such as ‘psychic’ experiences, out-of-body and near-death experiences, hypnosis, alien abduction claims, etc.

The course will be of interest to anyone with a serious interest in the scientific study of anomalous and ‘paranormal’ experience.  Although prior experience of studying psychology will be an advantage, it will not be a course requirement, and prior knowledge of psychological research will not be assumed.  The course will be offered fully online.  Enrolled students will have access to online lectures and tutorials, reading materials, self-assessment exercises, and discussion forums.

It is anticipated that the course will be non-credit bearing, although students who complete the self-assessment exercises and engage in the online discussions will receive a certificate of attendance.  The course fees are not yet fixed, although they are likely to be approximately £200.

At this stage we are attempting to gauge potential demand for such a course to support our proposal to the College. If you would like to register your early interest in this course (without any obligation on your part), please send me an email (c.french@gold.ac.uk) giving your full name, country of residence, and a brief statement of your background and interest in Anomalistic Psychology.

Finally, please feel free to forward this email on to any other individuals or groups that you feel may be interested.

Best wishes,

Chris
http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/apru
http://www.twitter.com/ChrisCFrench
http://feeds.feedburner.com/apru

… have been updated.  See the Transcripts page!

Seminars in Experiential Cyber Psychology:  Second Life and Time Compression

These seminars explore basic elements of the psychology of SL and invite sharing of your experiences or expectations.    This seminar examines how rapidly things can happen in SL, and how much living we can fit in here.   We will meet at Delphi, at the Grove Discussion area on 7 October at 04:00 PDT / 12:00 GMT. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Open%20Habitat/187/185/41

Self-Awareness and Social Support

Delphi discussion on social support and Second Life.  Take the assessment at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Open%20Habitat/207/236/34 and then come to discussion on 4 October at 16:30 PDT to discuss your First Life support network, your Second Life support network, and how they are different.  Moderated by Reflection Freenote at the grove discussion area.

Seminars in Experiential Cyber Psychology:  Anonymity

These seminars explore basic elements of the psychology of Second Life  and invite sharing of your experiences or expectations.    This seminar will be about the role of anonymity in facilitating explorations in personality and self. 

We will meet at Delphi, at the Grove Discussion area on 30 September at 04: 00 AM PDT (12:00 GMT).

Reflection Freenote

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Open%20Habitat/187/185/41

An Introduction and Critique of Daniel Dennett’s essay “Intentional Systems Theory”

Pseudonymously authored by Marsilio Gagliano (Aka, KMS) for Marsilio’s Reading Group, Open Habitat Project, Second Life © 2009 [Meeting Sunday, 16 August 2009) @ The Open Habitat Sim.

INTRODUCTION 

I have written the following little essay to aid us in discussing together a reading graciously provided by Daniel Dennett entitled “Intentional Systems Theory” (2009) available at the Tuft University Website in pdf format. 

Follow this link: http://ase.tufts.edu/cogstud/papers/intentionalsystems.pdf 

Our previous discussions of Nagel’s “What it is like to be a Bat?” and Whitehead’s “Nature Lifeless” went very well, but you may have noticed from the transcripts that our discussions departed rather rapidly from a consideration of the texts themselves.  One of the useful features of a reading group, in contrast to other sorts of discussion groups, is that reading groups owe consideration of the texts themselves. So, I wanted to delay our departure from Dennett’s text by what may at first appear to be an odd means – by attacking it.  Based on what I hope is a careful and accurate consideration of Dennett’s thesis in sections I and II of the following essay, I argue, in sections II and IV, that Daniel Dennett is an ironic metaphysical chicken, a cowardly beast whose theory of intentional systems theory is logically consistent but incomplete.   My argument can be summarized in four steps:    Read the rest of this entry »

Self Awareness and Habits:

Real Life Roboticism vs Second Life Cyborg Liberation.  Join us for discussion of how RL turns us into machines, and how SL liberates the human within.   Moderated by Reflection Freenote at Open Habitat on Sunday, 9 August at 16:30 PDT (00:30 GMT). 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Open%20Habitat/199/184/63

Exclusive Screening of Skeptic Magazine’s James Randi Interview

The Skeptic Magazine and the Open Habitat project invite you to an exclusive Second Life premier screening of The Skeptic Magazine interview with James Randi on 01 August at 13:00 PDT (21:00 GMT)

Filmed on 20th April 2008, the day after his presentation to a sell-out, 500-strong audience for the Evening with James Randi and Friends, this footage was filmed exclusively for The Skeptic Magazine.

The link below will take you to a teaser of the full 52 minute interview, which will be released to coincide with the re-launch issue of The Skeptic Magazine in early August – we are also streaming this teaser in world at Open Habitat, so drop by anytime.

The video is a 2 minute snippet from the start of an interview with James Randi, a long-standing supporter of the magazine and of scepticism in the UK generally, so it seems only fitting to re-launch Britain’s foremost and longest-running sceptical magazine alongside this interview. Randi also conducted an interview for the first ever issue of the magazine, back in 1987.

Hope to see you there!

Trailer Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bbAyaLq4mQ

Delphi Discussion on Self Awareness & Perceptual Illusions.

Most of our orbs have psychological tests. A new one examines perceptual illusions that all of us experience everyday. As an aspect of self-awareness, explore optical illusions as a metaphor for broader illusions of perception, belief and memory.

Join us for a quick start discussion about optical and other illusions of perception on 24 July 2009 at 6PM PDT and on Sunday 26 July 2009 at 6pm for a full discussion.

Moderated by Reflection Freenote at discussion area:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Open%20Habitat/200/184/63

        In this note I describe the phenomenon, and list some of the questions we can take up.   

        Mental states, such as belief, are said to be ‘intentional’.  That is, they are “of” or “about” or “directed upon” some object or objects.  For example, Fred’s belief that spiders make fine pets is (on the face of it) about spiders.  Alice’s belief that Fred should return Alice’s stockings is (apparently) about Fred and a pair of stockings.  When someone believes something or hopes or fears or desires something, she represents objects in a certain way, as having certain characteristics.   Intentional objects are represented objects.      

Read the rest of this entry »