[Wittrs] Re: Dennett's Intentional Stance
- From: "BruceD" <blroadies@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: wittrsamr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:53:36 -0000
--- In Wittrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "SWM" <SWMirsky@...> wrote:
> Cars do exist in the physical world as the aggregate of all the
individual cars
Aggregates, are abstractions, and don't exist in the physical world.
Actually "cars" don't exist in the physical world. Only molecules or
perhaps even smaller, more obscure entities. But certain organization of
molecules (human beings we call them) have evolved whose molecules
interact with these other molecules and, as a consequence, conceive of
certain collection of molecules as a Volvo.
The trick is to interact with another collection of molecules (called an
independent mechanic who loves Volvos and the people who buy them) and
hence keeps them going for thousands of miles at low cost.
Notice I can't tell you how to purchase and keep a Volvo running well at
a reasonable price at the molecular level. I know that is no surprise to
you. But what you do not see (yet?) is that when I switch to the human
level, I abandon the notion of cause for he notion of intent and
purpose.
If I try to say that my brain molecules caused me to search and find an
honest Volvo dealer/mechanic, I feel I've stopped making sense.
The next paragraph I'll leave for latter. For some reason, I can't seem
to get my point across.
> Now we are not. It is quite clear to me that brains cause minds in the
sense Searle uses the term "cause". The other alternatives are to
suppose minds just happen to co-exist with brains in some fashion or
other or, as you tend to do, to assert that the language breaks down and
we cannot speak of minds in this way. I disagree most vehemently with
that position! It is perfectly intelligible to speak of what brains do
as producing minds (everything we mean by having a mental life).
bruce
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