[Wittrs] Dualism Cooties: Dennett Explicitly Accuses Searle of Implicit Cartesianism

  • From: Joseph Polanik <jpolanik@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: wittrsamr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:16:29 -0500

SWM wrote:

>Joseph Polanik wrote:

>>thank you. I've found your post from 2010-01-31 in which you quote
>>some material including the next paragraph and then provide a
>>parenthetical comment:

>>Dennett: "Here is how the misdirection occurs. We see clearly enough
>>that if there were understanding in such a giant system, it would not
>>be Searle's understanding (since he is just a cog in the machiery,
>>oblivious to the context of what he is doing). We also see clearly
>>that there is nothing remotely like genuine understanding in any hunk
>>of programming small enough to imagine readily -- whatever it is, it's
>>just a mindless routine for transforming symbol strings into other
>>symbol strings according to some mechanical or syntactical recipe.
>>Then comes the suppressed premise: Surely more of the same, no matter
>>how much more, would never add up to genuine understanding. But why
>>should anyone think this is true? Cartesian dualists would think so,
>>because they think that even human brains are unable to accomplish
>>understanding all by themselves . . ."

>>Stuart: [Recall my point that Searle's CRA hinges on an implicit case
>>of substance dualism.]

>>but, given your insistence that Dennett is implicitly accusing Searle
>>of substance dualism,

>No, explicitly. He says it, although it takes him a while to make the
>point.

first it's implicit; but, now it's explicit?

where?

the only reference to Cartesian dualism in the passage from
_Consciousness Explained_ is in the last sentence from the quoted
passage; and, it's irrelevant unless you're trying to justify a logical
fallacy.

so would you quote the passage in which you claim that Dennett is
explicitly/implicitly accusing Searle of explicit/implicit of substance
dualism.

Joe



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Nothing Unreal is Self-Aware

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