Agnostic.com

10 2

LINK What Is Consciousness?

Very interesting article, though I don't like the way he dismisses Dennett so off-handedly.

Tomfoolery33 9 May 15
Share

Enjoy being online again!

Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.

Create your free account

10 comments

Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.

1

Excellent article. If I were a neuroscientist, I would enjoy it even more.

2

Please don't get Deepak Chopra started 😐

0

There is an excellent audiobook titled Homo Deus. One part explains that we have two conciousnesses. One is the current awareness and the other is a long term awareness. For example dealing with pain. The long term averages the pain at the beginning with the pain at the end of say a colonoscopy. That's why doctors , when finished, leave the tube inserted for several minutes when there is little pain. The long term conciousness averages the beginning and the end so overall, the pain rememberance is low. How clever.

1

There is an excellent audiobook titled Homo Deus. One part explains that we have two conciousnesses. One is the current awareness and the other is a long term awareness. For example dealing with pain. The long term averages the pain at the beginning with the pain at the end of say a colonoscopy. That's why doctors , when finished, leave the tube inserted for several minutes when there is little pain. The long term conciousness averages the beginning and the end so overall, the pain rememberance is low. How clever.

I've read about that. Not that particular book, but that phenomenon.

2

If l ever run out of weed l will get back to you on that one. ?

I would think having lots of weed would be more conducive to thinking on that one.

@Jenmcjen l reserve my thinking to donuts or pie, and how l want to play a particular song l might be struggling with. ?

2

Thanks very much for posting this article. I share your annoyance with how Dennett was dismissed. I think Dennett has a lot to offer the field.

Also, I had read about the zap-and-zip technique in the book Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark (a fascinating book in it's own right, about AI, written by a physicist: [amazon.com]. Zap-and-zip was described more as a being like ringing a bell and looking for the complexity of the resulting output wave, but metaphors aside, what an interesting concept!

2

The absence of "Unconscious*

Coldo Level 8 May 15, 2018
1

Long but interesting article. Read through the first half and skimmed through the second. I understand consciousness as being all there actually is and all effort to try to locate it somewhere within all that actually is, is similar to a dog chasing after its own tail. We are what we're chasing to know.

1

I'd say consciousness is awareness. Ha ha!

I don't think it's a question that can be answered.

I think it can be answered, and will be, eventually.

1

Consciousness is the evolutionary result of backward rationalising human brain trying to deal with determinalism.

KenG Level 6 May 15, 2018

Sorry, but I disagree. Or maybe I don't understand your point exactly.

Write Comment
You can include a link to this post in your posts and comments by including the text q:82028
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.