>>>>>>> Von: Russell Wallace [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Sun, May 4, 2008 at 1:55 PM, Dr. Matthias Heger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > If we imagine a brain scanner with perfect resolution of space and time then > we get every information of the brain including the phenomenon of qualia. > But we will not be able to understand it. That's an empirical question about the future; armchair reasoning has shown itself to be an utterly unreliable method of answering such questions. Let's invent full brain scanning and try it out for a generation or two and see what we actually manage to explain after that time. <<<<<<<<<<<< Armchair reasoning is a bad word. It is not an empirical question. It is a question what answers we can get from science in principle. Therefore it is a philosophical question. By the way: The idea of the existence of atoms came also from "armchair reasoning" of philosophers, isn't it? The best we can get from science is the complete plan of all connections in the brain including a complete functional description of every part in the brain. If we assume that we really get all information, then it is pure logic (you can call it armchair reasoning) that we will also be able to separate the process of qualia. I think we all agree that every phenomenon of mind must have a physical counterpart. But the description of the physical process does not necessarily imply that we understand what is going on. And I have given a logical argumentation that indeed we have no chance to understand it. When you hear that there can be no algorithm which solves every halting problem you might also say: Let's wait what kind of algorithms the future will bring us and let's talk about that after that time. But we need not know the algorithms of the future. We can already now prove that there is never any algorithm for the halting problem. And I think we can now prove that any explanation of qualia must have self references and therefore will be no valid explanation. I do not claim that I am 100% sure that there is no error in my argumentation. Any comment which shows a logical error is welcome. ------------------------------------------- agi Archives: http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: http://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ Modify Your Subscription: http://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=101455710-f059c4 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
