On 27 Aug 2004, at 3:03 am, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
If we behave in the same way as an animal that lacks
our intelligence and consciousness (it has a more limited sense or absent sense
of "I") then maybe our consciousness really isn't the thing that is
controlling our behavior. One way to think of consciousness is an biographer who looks
at the actions of the subject and then makes up a story to explain why the
subject did such and so. Many "split brain experiments" have documented that the
conscious self will make up reasons for actions that aren't so. Split brain
person is someone who has had the left and right hemispheres disconnected to
treat seizure disorders or psychosis. Experiment. Cover the right eye (so that
the left hemisphere can't see what is going on. Show a card that says "pick up
that chair to the person".. Now ask the person why he/she picked it up. The
person will make up a story (because I like that chair more than the one I am
sitting in).
But if our conscious experience follows from our actions rather than causing them (and this does seen to be at least partly the case) then what is it for?
A way of simplifying and organizing memory? A narrative we use to communicate with other people? Or perhaps the fact that we act before we are aware of acting is irrelevant since we just did what we eventually decided we were going to do anyway :)
-- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/
Misuse of IMPs leads to strange, difficult-to-diagnose bugs. - Anguish et al. "Cocoa Programming"
_______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
