On 7/25/2021 3:39 PM, John Clark wrote:
In the final analysis the only way to test a theory is by making
objective observations about the way things behave, but consciousness
is a subjective phenomenon and that's what causes the problem. The
theory that other humans besides me are conscious is perfectly
consistent with all observable evidence, but so is the theory that I
am the only conscious being in the universe,
But that's inconsistent with the theory that consciousness is
instantiated by physical processes in the brain. And that theory is
supported by many observations and experiments on brains and the reports
by subjects.
and so is the theory that EVERYTHING is equally conscious, even grains
of sand, even atoms, even quarks and electrons. The trouble is ANY
consciousness theory will fit the observable facts just fine, and
that's why ALL consciousness theories are utterly useless, except for
the theory that solipsism is untrue, that one has a use.
But that's the way all theories are. We provisionally believe the ones
that are consistent with the facts and are most useful. And the theory
of minds, that other people (and animals) are conscious and have an
internal narrative, is extremely useful and in fact any human lineage
held that theory has already been eliminated by evolution. Did you ever
read Julian Jaynes "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the
Bicameral Mind"?
Brent
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