NeverAmI

I'm..hungry! ^^ I think I don't want to influence you in determining your type. My guess is definitely more towards Fi-dominant than Ti-dominant; and I have Fi-dominant friends in technical fields. But maybe they would have acted differently if they were told all this MBTI stuff. So who knows..

SF is drained by NF emotions, for example.

I think you are too confident (truly) to be Ti. The Fi/Te types have this effect about them "this is the right way", while Ti tends to be "there's no right way". You criticize others politely and precisely, but you don't seem as tortured from your own criticism, as usually Ti are. They may play Fe confidence, but it's emotional, it's not like the Te confidence.

I played ENTJ for some period. Lol. And that means, fully, believing, acting, thinking etc... But it's extremely draining, and it's just not me. I think you may also find it so, at some point, but who knows.

Huh, that's a thoughie!
I think what ultimately drives me is the desire to understand the human mind and consequently to understand the world seen through their eyes. How do we function? Why are we who we are? How do we shape the world and how does it shape us? How can I know and understand people better than they know and understand themselves? What drives US, humanity at large? Questions over questions and I have no clue how to answer them. How does one explain the complexity of the human mind? Psychology? Anthropology? Philosophy? Neurology? There's something about it in them all. But in the end: How can I comprehend the complexity of the human mind if I myself am human? It's probably why I'm bound to fail.

I can feel that, and I'm extremely happy for you! You're on a roll! Thinking about these things needs energy and focus and if there are other things haunting you, it's hard to remember them.
I had - or I believe to have had, since there is no base line - similar experiences during childhood. Like you, my intuition picked up on things others didn't care about, making me question myself.
I'm glad that you've realized that your way of reasoning and your intuition are neither insane nor improper. Au contraire! I admire you for them.

I love it! Last semester I took a class on the neurobiology, philosophy and psychology of consciousness, talking about this exactly. I took immense pleasure in it but besides having some very interesting discussions, be it qualia, pain, memory or AI, we still lack a base line and objectively speaking the course did not hold many revelations. I wish there was more research and more focus on that topic, since to me it seems so essential.
Since then I'm all the more interested in technological advances in that area. Maybe we're getting there? How come you know so much about that topic?
Edit: Thanks very much for the info on Locke!

Man, I'd join you in a second if we were to travel to ancient Greece! Aristotle would be interesting, too, and Galen. I'm afraid I know very little about Locke's theories. Then again, I don't think I'd be worthy of their presence...
Do you have an idea why it's taking us so long to find the 'right' path of balance? Is it because that would include compromise and we simply enjoy simple answers? What do you think?

Don't worry, that's not what I meant. I'm neither very spiritual nor do I believe in more than I can see, however I'd be happy to be proven otherwise. I agree with you completely in that I think we don't respect our technology and have no idea of what it's capable of.

That's a question I fear. A good one indeed, but a scary one. Maybe we have to realize that the strive for more (especially money) unlike 'extreme' secular science is something humanity has known for a while. Accumulating wealth and goods has been the goal of many for centuries. What I'm trying to get at is that I think that the sociopathic tendencies have been there for a long time, our era just expresses them differently. So if humanity has managed to survive up until know, there must be something we're doing right, otherwise we'd be long extinct by now, don't you think?

Edit: Same here, I'm trying to figure it out as I go.

Now I think I understand what you mean by confusion. I believe the same in so far as I think that every human seeks completion, strives towards fulfillment and perfection, all of which in my eyes are gained through learning and understanding, in a way getting rid of the confusion.
However, I think that technological or scientific advances are useless as long as humans are not able to - or not willing to - comprehend the degree to which their innovations can and will influence the future. Or is that maybe what we need? A lucky strike? A fleeting whim? I wish I knew.
Do you believe technology's purpose to be leading humanity out of its confusion?

Ah, but if we were infectious viruses, spreading our thoughts and taking over their soon to be lifeless bodies... 'kay, I need to stop.
Where was I? Ah yes, the greater picture. Are people with a strong Ni or Ti more prone to seeing the greater picture than others?

Good morning luv!
I have yet to find a book though, which satisfactorily answers the question for me as to how this collective mind of its own is formed. Is it the sum of what the employees of this corporation (for example) show to the outside world? Is it their collective subconscious shown readily to their surroundings?
I love your analogy! And since mommy is just a sociopathic 5 year old as well, who is gonna tell him otherwise?
You sound disappointed. Do you think there's a chance that this will ever change?

Hugs and cookies, LOL haven't heard of that one before, I like it.

I think a social entity takes on a mind/intelligence of it's own, that whole aspect of sociology. Look at some of the larger corporations, they are like a lumbering giant with the intellectual capacity of a sociopath 5 year old. They just take what they want and whatever they can get by with as long as mommy doesn't come and spank them. Sometimes they do it anyway cause they know the spanking is worth the benefit. They need to keep taking because they are a 'growin boy!'

Well, hello new friend!
The world wouldn't evolve without idealism. How would we change and what would we change into if we didn't have a vision of who we want to be? So: be as idealistic as you like!
Now I agree with you in that the media is part of the problem. But is it the core of it? Why did the media start projecting that kind of image in the first place? I wouldn't ask if I knew the answer to those questions, so what do ya think?
Hey luv, I gotta run, but I'll catch up with you as soon as I get the chance to.
Hugs and cookies

*Quickly wipes away the cookie crumbs* Uh... No? * Runs into the kitchen to make a new batch of cookies*
Yeah, if the US are the king of consumerism, Western Europe is the queen. Is there a Western civilization without consumerism? Do you think one could exist without the other or is it a part of human nature?

Hey, the US are pretty darn awesome, too! At least the parts that I've been to. Do you enjoy living there?
Otherwise I'm doing pretty good, thank you for asking, luv. I've been dealing with the death of a friend during the last couple of months, so Australia was a convenient distraction and considering the circumstances I'm doing surprisingly well. (I just ate the triple choc cookies, that might be an explanation.)

Oh believe me, I loved every second of it! You ever been? Or do you even live there? (Man, I'd be jealous!)

Hello luv!
That might have been due to my spending a month down under, getting attacked by mean spiders and malicious snakes. Surprisingly enough my friend and I did make it back alive, presumably thanks to our disarmingly good looks and dazzling charm :nod:.
What about you, hun? Are you doing okay? If not, here're some freshly baked triple choc cookies from me to you. Hope you feel the love.

Yeah, it's a little killer on ever trying to be rested, but the money's good and it's a super easy job. I could complain, but it's probably the best job I'll ever have, so I'm happy with it.

Any big extravaganzas for you this weekend?

I'm still at work. Half hour until it's 7am, and i get to go home! I cannot wait.

Very nice! Feeling rested for a Thursday?