Mind Body Problem

[David Bailey]

David,

That paper is extremely interesting - I am only about quarter way through it at present! Donald Hoffman would make an excellent guest on skeptiko!

Here you have a serious researcher admitting quite openly that, "In short, the scientific study of consciousness is in the embarrassing position of
having no scientific theory of consciousness."

His own theory seems to be moving away from the idea that the physical brain creates consciousness - towards the opposite conclusion - that consciousness creates the physical world. This is a very bold departure for a scientist who is still in academia!

David

[davidsmith73]

Originally Posted by David Bailey

This is a very bold departure for a scientist who is still in academia!

Absolutely. I think he may have found it easier to be open about this because he has also held a philosophy position in acedemia, but yes he is also an active scientist doing experiments.

What would be braver still would be a willingness to empirically test some predictions of such a theory. I don't know what they would be, but I get the feeling that Hoffman would not have a problem with that. Hopefully, others won't too

[David Bailey]

My hunch would be that the whole MUI theory would be consistent with ψ-phenomena in general, and those are the only phenomena that would definitely distinguish his theory from conventional ideas.

To extend Hoffman's analogy, a ψ-phenomenon might be analogous to the case where you drag the icon to the recycle bin and you get a disk fault - i.e. the underlying reality pokes through!

David

[Lekatt]

Originally Posted by LeoM

I wonder here think's will be the solution to the mind body problem? I think that the evidence for a soul is very strong I think until we get more scientists to look at the data for survival we will continue to be the same worldview we are in the materialist reductionistic worldview.

I am new here and don't know the board demeanor, but I think there is considerable evidence that shows consciousness continues to live after the death of the brain and body.

This is a link to a long article about the subject.

Question 28 about Near Death Experiences.

[Elysiumfire]

Hi There,

Donald Hoffman:

...correllations normally assumed to entail that brain activity creates conscious experience.

Tentatively, I agree with this assumption. However, it requires a little more detail for clarification purposes. I would posit that it pertains to activity occurring within the brain, rather than because of it. The brain itself (speaking subjectively) - that is the whole physical mass of the brain, doesn't do 'anything'. It is the counterbalancing electro-chemical activity taking place in the brain that mediates consciousness and experience. Nor does the brain itself generate consciousness, but that it arises within it.

Consciousness is not a 'object' or 'thing' holding existential reality of its own, independent of the structural forms in which it manifests. It is a state of condition manifesting in structural forms when the appropriate circumstances are right. The mechanism for consciousness production (probably) occurs at sub-quantum levels where energy waves interact. Where interaction takes place, a harmonic resonance arises as a by-product of that interaction, lasting only as long as the interaction itself. It is my contention that the presence of this by-product of energy interaction - the harmonic resonance, is what imbues consiousness within structural forms. Consciousness cannot arise unless there is interaction between two or more energy wave forms.

The resonance is also a carrier of information, and if the form in which it manifests is able to capture and assimilate it, then 'memory' is imbued as a attribute of that form. The more complex the structure, particularly as a modular structure, the more complex the consciousness manifestation. When the attribute of memory is factored into the mix, further attributes of intelligence, reasoning capabilitiy, and self-sentience become apparent.

Like consciousness, mind equally is not a object or thing. It is more likely a quale of being consciousness. We do not have a mind that is conscious, but a conscious perceived as mind...the distinction is important. Herein lies the real problem of the 'mind/body' problem. Most philosophers treat mind as if it is a object or thing, as if it is 'real'...I contend that we err in this supposition.

Best wishes