“The product of the bio- electric, electro-chemical energy in the brain. Like a burning candle produces heat, the brain produces consciousness.” - Simon
“Well, it is by those methods that the brain functions. How else could consciousness arise if not from the functioning of the brain in the way that it functions?” – SE For the anti-metaphysics crowd that mostly eats and regurgitates current theories and notions about consciousness, even of what the very nature of consciousness is, it can arise in no other way. At least, no other way that they can either apprehend nor accept while in their state of mechanistic belief. And, yes, the brain does involve what we call bio-electric and electro-chemical energy. Of course, very few claim to fully understand even what these two mechanisms are. And, there are many interpretations/beliefs/dogmas of how and/or even IF they are directly associated with consciousness. >From a philosophical stance as well as an observational stance, it is clear to me that consciousness is no more what humans measure in bio- electric and electro-chemical activity than a television program is the waves the flyback transformer can produce on an oscilloscope. A simple example: Decades ago, when the very first chips hit the market, I was with a group of friends in an electronics store venture. We made alpha wave ‘machines’ along with sales and repairs. And, it was obvious that given this sort of external feedback, one could learn to turn on specific brain ‘waves’, and their attenuation into ear pieces led to almost immediate results. I stopped using the machine. And, with further observation and experimentation began to come to the conclusion that while the ‘waves’ could be transferred to a sound, neither were consciousness itself. And, I know that many here do not hold this view. More to your specific question, how consciousness arises, I still am not positive, at least not in any mechanical way as you appear to present and, I assume, are asking for a response within similar parameters. I continue to experiment. “Do you think that consciousness arises from something disconnected from the brain? How would that work? ” – SE No, nor do I think that it arises as a direct result of only chemicals and ‘energy’ in the sense most think about these things today. Without getting into a semantical argument, consciousness as I experience it, is far more than anything that can be pointed to in the material world alone. (book peddlers aside) I have nothing against those who explore the mind. In fact, during my lifetime, western thinking has begun to mature a little about the topic and more experimentation most likely will do no harm and may even help some. In fact, what little I can, I check out what current science is finding. One example follows: "Mind-Reading Not as Simple as Previously Thought "A group of scientists at Rutgers University and UCLA, in a report published in the October 2009 issue of Psychological Science that suggests possible methods for predicting brain activity (and hence “reading” minds) — are finding the current brain model is much more complex than previously thought. Participants were given a functional MRI (fMRI) while performing reading, memorization, and risk-assessment tasks, and it turns out that while the same area is not consistently used (according to prevailing theory), a predictable pattern of activity occurs in the brain..." for the rest of the story, go to: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158760.php On Sep 4, 2:02 pm, sjewins <[email protected]> wrote: > > Also, as current as views like Simon’s are, “The product of the bio- > > electric, electro-chemical energy in the brain. Like a burning candle > > produces heat, the brain produces consciousness.” - Simon > > > …saying that consciousness is bio-electrical and electro-chemical > > energy, using an analogy as he did about a candle, is like saying that > > consciousness is the product of those trillions of cells that Dennett > > suggests is a ‘bag of tricks’! > > Well, it is by those methods that the brain functions. How else could > consciousness arise if not from the functioning of the brain in the > way that it functions? > > Do you think that consciousness arises from something disconnected > from the brain? How would that work? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" 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/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
