[Wittrs] Re: Algorithms, Abstractions and Minds

  • From: "gabuddabout" <gabuddabout@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: wittrsamr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:18:35 -0000


--- In WittrsAMR@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "BruceD" <wittrsamr@...> wrote:
>
>
> --- In Wittrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "gabuddabout" <wittrsamr@> wrote:
> >
> > A big mess.
> >
> > It may be because you really don't think BP can cause consciousness.
>
> Yes and No.

One 'yes' or one 'no' would have been sufficient.  Hacker says that the very 
idea of the brain causing consciousness is incoherent.  Searle accuses Hacker 
of denying a legitimate empirical inquiry.




> From an external point of view one could say "the morning
> light caused him to become conscious." But that really amounts to, "the
> person senses bodily changes and awakens."


No it doesn't.  It amounts to both the ontological subjectivity and the 
possible cause of it.  It's better to just assume that the brain does it.  It 
is a nonstarter to argue from analogy in the following way:

Any theory "amounts to" a simple claim that so and so senses things upon 
awakening.  For Searle and others there has to be a possible causal account 
while computational functionalism is like BP plus PP such that explanations 
will be in the form of information processing (symbol manipulation that is 
causally realized no matter the hardware).  The problem with comp. 
functionalism is that it is either otiose (because all comp. descriptions 
can/should be reworked into pure BP descriptions) or depends upon a level of 
abstraction (the notion of a function described computationally) which, when 
ADDED to a BP explanation, still involves an inherently abstract nature that 
may be useful but not the bottom line about what is really going on.

Information processing is not equivalent to BP even though all BP can be given 
a comp. description.



> This is not a causal physical
> account. But one dependent upon subjectivity. Both of the person
> awakening, and the person recognizing it.
>
> bruce

Whatever, Bruce.


Cheers,
Budd


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