The views are not mine. Antonio Damasio who has described cases where brain trauma shows the necessary interrelationships of both feeling/emotion and reason Others have also discussed the issue, Oliver Sack. Semir Zeki, among them. WC
--- On Tue, 9/30/08, GEOFF CREALOCK <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: GEOFF CREALOCK <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: Consciousness Assayed > To: [email protected] > Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 4:44 PM > I agree with most of what William wrote/opined in his last > post. > I understand the feeling/reasoning function a little > differently. > Logic/reasoning and feeling are present in our thinkng. At > times the > proportion of one may approach zero ("Snakes in a > Pllane" or recalling a > phone number). That they occur together does not imply that > each requires > the other. > Geoff C > > > >From: William Conger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: [email protected] > >To: [email protected] > >Subject: Re: Consciousness Assayed > >Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:33:13 -0700 (PDT) > > > >With respect to definition, If consciousness is nothing > except living then > >it is nothing at all. > > > >It's rather quaint to speak of pure consciousness, > brute consciousness and > >sure consciousness. We can't blame Peirce for that > because he had to work > >in the dark regarding how the brain functions. > Nowadays, the Cartesian > >mind-body split that relies on the division of reason > from emotion or > >emotion from imagination is largely put aside, except > in religious beliefs > >that assert a spirit world or life after death of the > body (like Peirce). > >But Peirce did seem to see necessary interlinking among > his three types of > >consciousness. > > > >So far, the biologists can't say what consciousness > is, or if it is, in > >material terms. Yet we assume it is a functioning of > our awareness, > >somehow. Neurologists now claim , based on clinical > evidence, a unity of > >feeling and reasoning where one can't function > without the other. > > > >This unity of mental processes (in continual loopback > rather than linear > >activity) does echo Peirce at least in suggesting he > was on to something > >modern. > > > >I do think Peirce came too soon. If he were working > today, with the > >benefits of new technologies and clinical options, > he'd probably be a major > >contributor in both science and philosophy. > >WC > > > > > >--- On Tue, 9/30/08, Frances Kelly > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > From: Frances Kelly > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Subject: Consciousness Assayed > > > To: "Aesthetics List" > <[email protected]> > > > Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 1:49 PM > > > Frances to list members... > > > Below is my roughly edited version as culled from > Peircean > > > written passages of what Peircean consciousness > is > > > purported to > > > be. It would be interesting to see if Peirce is > correct, > > > and how > > > his theory stands up now in the face of recent > findings and > > > studies in fields currently dealing with > consciousness. > > > ------ > > > Consciousness is simply living, and in live > organisms this > > > state > > > entails being variously unconscious or > subconscious or > > > preconscious or conscious. It is a quasi mental > action for > > > many > > > nonhuman organisms or a mental action of the > psychical > > > psyche for > > > most humans, but it will vary by degree depending > on the > > > kind of > > > organism having it or the sort of organism > bearing it. > > > Consciousness by definition, and for it to be > structurally > > > consistent with the phenomenal categories under > the general > > > philosophy of realist pragmatism, is a trident > that > > > involves > > > feeling and reacting and knowing. > > > > > > Feeling is pure consciousness, and is that trait > of > > > consciousness > > > which may entail say a fleeting instance of time > as a > > > passively > > > felt quality, without any recognition or analysis > of what > > > seems > > > to be on the part of the living host. > > > > > > Reacting is brute consciousness, and is an > interruption > > > into the > > > field of consciousness where there occurs a sense > of > > > insistence > > > toward the resistance of an external fact, such > as engaging > > > another thing of matter or life like illness with > the goal > > > of > > > perhaps a cure. The consequence of reaction is > behavioral > > > habits > > > of conduct like a display or gesture or deed. > > > > > > Knowing is sure consciousness, and is a synthetic > > > consciousness > > > that tends to bind qualities and facts like time > and space > > > together with an awareness of sensing and willing > and > > > thinking > > > and finally of learning about phenomena. > > > > > > Consciousness in the world of phenomena > originally emerges > > > in > > > organisms as continuant things or representamena > that are > > > not yet > > > existent objects or signs. It is a case of the > self solely > > > alone > > > representing the self by the self to the self for > the self > > > as the > > > self. As a qualitative state of representation, > it is > > > fundamentally iconic in essence and substance and > presence. > > > It is > > > hence logically senseless and without any logical
