Russell: "an interpretation of the sensory data stream based on our already constructed theories and beliefs. "
To me the notion of "sensory data stream" is a interpretation of our bare and naive "perception"... based on -your- theories and beliefs.... I don't believe in the model that says the world is our brains model of the world... to me that clearly sounds absurd. how could we know this?..... our brain is a model of itself? our understanding of vision is still indefinitive. some people think we know it, but I don't. On Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 3:35 PM, Russell Standish <[email protected]>wrote: > On Wed, Jul 06, 2011 at 10:25:21AM -0700, B Soroud wrote: > > Russell: "Yet the > > reality we perceive is very definitely a construction of our minds " > > > > Why do you say such things? How can you know that? > > Many people working in cognitive science seem to be in agreement on > this point. For a discussion, I would refer you to the book by Dan > Dennett ("Consiousness explained"), or the one I'm reading at the > moment (David Deutsch's "Beginning of Infinity"). I have a copy of > Steven Pinker's "How the Mind Works" - I can't tell you if it also > makes the same claim, as haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I'd > be surprised if it said something different. > > > > > IF this is true, then how did you get into the position to know this? How > > did you derive a true metanarrative from a "confabulation". > > > > IF all that we know and perceive is false, how do we assume that idea is > > then uniquely and exclusively true? > > > > Nobody is claiming that all we know and perceive is false. But it is a > confabulation - an interpretation of the sensory data stream based on > our already constructed theories and beliefs. The phenomena of false > memories is merely the starkest manifestations of this (in that case > the "knowledge" is false - quotes to pacify Bruno :). > > ... snip ... > > > "not one scrap of evidence that > > that reality exists independently of our minds." > > > > people die, all the time... they get burried and life on earth > continues... > > the pyramids stay up... species propagate.... babies are born.... mozart > is > > still played... and people still cognize these thoughts. > > > > Have you experienced death? Can you experience these other things you > talk of without your mind? That they exist independently of our > perceptions is just a theory. One that happens to be incompatible with > theory that our minds are computer programs. > > > > > I don't think the choice is between a belief in some socalled physical > > reductionism or some noetic reductionism.... > > > > I wouldn't think so either :). > > > nor between an objectively existing reality or a hallucination or > > construction of reality via the brain (which itself is a hallucination or > > construction, no?) this makes no sense. > > > > I think we simply don't know. agnosticism is best. > > That is largely giving up. We can know some things. > > > -- > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) > Principal, High Performance Coders > Visiting Professor of Mathematics [email protected] > University of New South Wales http://www.hpcoders.com.au > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
