On Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 04:40:10AM -0700, Craig Weinberg wrote: > > > On Tuesday, April 23, 2013 3:27:03 AM UTC-4, Russell Standish wrote: > > > > On Mon, Apr 22, 2013 at 01:02:59PM -0400, John Clark wrote: > > > On Mon, Apr 22, 2013 , Russell Standish > > > <[email protected]<javascript:>> > > wrote: > > > > > > >> If so and consciousness is a all or nothing matter and is not on a > > > >> continuum then you should vividly remember the very instant you went > > to > > > >> sleep last night. Do you? > > > >> > > > > > > > > > Why? I don't remember every waking moment when I'm fully alert > > either. > > > > > > > > > > But you have fallen asleep many many thousands of times, in all your > > life > > > have you EVERY remembered the exact instant you've passed from > > > consciousness to unconsciousness? I think you don't remember it because > > > there is no such instant, it's a continuum. > > > > The last time I had general anaesthetic, I remember the count of the > > anaesthetist up to 4, but not any number higher than that. I would > > presume he would have continued counting, until he was sure I was > > unconscious, though. > > > > If someone stood next to my bed counting while I was trying to go to > > sleep, though, I would probably strangle them! > > > > > Are you really trying to make > > > the case that consciousness is a all or nothing matter that is so simple > > it > > > can be completely described with just one bit of information, on or off? > > > > > > > Yes. I don't see how it could be otherwise. > > > > Sleepwalking? > Hypnosis? > Blackout drunk? > Dementia? > Delirium? > Dreams of waking up? > Seizures? > Dissociative Identity Disorder? > Distraction? > > Certainly the quality of consciousness varies and is associates with the > types of awareness one has and the quality of their integration. The > quality of consciousness at the moment you wake up is not the same that you > have in the middle of the day or struggling to keep your eyes open driving > late at night. Being aware that you are aware should not be conflated with > base level awareness (as we know when we are awakened from a sound sleep by > our awareness of a noise). >
Sure, there are different states of consciousness. And differnt levels of alertness. But in each of those examples, either you are conscious, or not conscious. There is no "in between". -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
