What are you? — Anirudh Sharma

I am an embodied mind, with autism and some OCD-like behaviour.

I tend to think that physically I am just a mass of cells, but I as a person am the collective might of the functions of those cells.

For example if I were to die, and if you to take a look at my cells a minute after I died, you would find that my cells are alive. But I am dead because the functions of those cells are not functioning.

Well what if you think of it this way, your brain which most likely controls thought and who we are as a person,is dependent on other essential parts of your body. Therefore,if you for example suffer cardiac arrest,your brain will,in fact die after a while.So i suppose we can narrow it down to to the brain. You are right in saying, that if the brain dies, it is the the communication between the cells that has ended,the cells are still alive by themselves.Which implies that maybe your consciousness is merely an illusion created by a mass of cells,and nothing significant.But i have doubts about this interpretation. What are your 'thoughts' ?

Neither! A thin sack of ‘human’ cells teeming with bacteria that manifests “weather” we call “us”.

We are bodies; bodies of cells (and big batches of bacteria that are, and are not, us) functioning together: matter, body, mind, cell. We are a package deal. It is not mind vs. body. It is body producing mind.

Yes that is what i am compelled to think, and what the first option i gave means actually. So what to you is 'thinking'?

Typical sack of bacteria response! You been at the hamburgers again or was it those pesky bacterium pulling your puppet strings?

What are the figures btw? Is it something like 1000 bacteria for every human cell or am I vastly over/under-rememberingguessimating?

Ask the recently ‘spawned’ bacteria the human ain’t listening!

That is what i am most compelled to think. a body producing a mind, but that makes my 'mind' 'wander' over questions that largely concern biology, which is probably where the answer lies.

I understand what you're saying, but the the fact that consciousness is created by a bunch of cells is a bit ambiguous, of course there is a bias in what "I'm" saying.But you are probably correct.

My responses are part tongue in cheek :P

Seriously though, I don’t think we’ve formed - or simply attended to - concepts that are universal enough to discuss what “consciousness” means and how we’re to hold a metre up to the phenomenon.

In terms of our day-to-day choices the bacteria in our gut and bowels is likely going to lead to drastic changes in how we approach pharmaceutical medicines (that’s my rough-shod prediction at least!)

Consciousness somsciousness! You’re best bet is to read up on the vast array of neurological studies out there and be content with a mere gist of what it’s all about until some future day genius sorts it all out into conceptualized little morsels some of can chew on with more satisfaction than our current lack of understanding. In the mean time just enjoy the ignorance and theory craft! ;)

A body made up of cells that is somehow able to 'think' — Anirudh Sharma

This.

It doesn't imply anything about significance.

A body made of cells is not "somehow" able to think. It's able to think because it's made of cells. We're not just cells, we rely on water, minerals, vitamins, bacteria, etc.

There's no such thing as mind, it's a label for an illusion of being we don't understand, what we perceive as a space where thoughts happen but is actually not.

Being self-aware doesn't seem insignificant and very likely isn't.

A body made of cells is not "somehow" able to think. It's able to think because it's made of cells. We're not just cells, we rely on water, minerals, vitamins, bacteria, etc.

There's no such thing as mind, it's a label for an illusion of being we don't understand, what we perceive as a space where thoughts happen but is actually not.

Being self-aware doesn't seem insignificant and very likely isn't. — whollyrolling

What in the world? You've got thinking, self-awareness and illusions but no mind?

if infact the brain=you=your consciousness what would be your thoughts about mind uploading?

Correct. All evolutionary tools.

Ok, thinking biologically we are a sack of cells and bacteria. Mashed up with a few chemicals and hormones and different components. Yes, we all have a brain and thoughts, but it's a phenomenon how the conscious is to be. Subconscious is almost mechanical and reflex, with only a small percentage personalised to the owners 'mind and personality', creating the autopilot reflex. But how does the conscious mind create the thoughts? It's the same chemicals, same messages and components being sent round the nervous system and in the very basics we have the same neurological components and chemicals but in different dosages and different wirings- creating the differenr reactions and illnesses in some cases and personalities. But how? How does the mind create a voice in your head only you can hear, and in some people (such as schitsophrenic) multiple voices with multiple personalities. It's the same components, same pathways but different effect. Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting the same result. But did we manage to override that principle? Or did something else change?

Correct. All evolutionary tools. — whollyrolling

Thinking, awareness and illusions are mental phenomena.

the fact that consciousness is created by a bunch of cells — Anirudh Sharma

How is that necessary? It is equally possible that the "bunch of cells" is merely a conceptual fabrication created by conscioussness.

So from the brain then. That's what I said.

But you said "There's no such thing as mind." There is if we're saying there are thoughts, awareness and illusions. Those are mental phenomena.

But you said "There's no such thing as mind." There is if we're saying there are thoughts, awareness and illusions. Those are mental phenomena. — Terrapin Station

A Reductive Physicalist view upon it would not call it phenomena. For the reasons for thinking can be justified and reinforced with reactions in the brain; hence why it is physical.

I am having a few difficulties to choose a side. I think it will all just remain unsolved.

But dont you think there should be a mind for an illusion to exist?

I don't have an answer to that, i mean we haven't yet worked out the working of the "mind", so how do you upload it and expect a mind to be uploaded. In the future, maybe if we figure out how it all works, it might be possible.

Its not! And yes it might all be created by consciousness, that is a comoelling theory. But to me it does seem like a neurological phenomenon.

How does the mind create a voice in your head only you can hear — Freya Rose

I think its generally agreed that the internal voice makes use of the same brain structures that allows you to hear external voices. Technically, only you hear your version of the external stuff. An interpretation of the oscillation. Phenomenally its different to each individual.

i mean we haven't yet worked out the working of the "mind", so how do you upload it and expect a mind to be uploaded. In the future, maybe if we figure out how it all works, it might be possible. — Anirudh Sharma

Contemporary Philosopher and Mentalist ColinMcginn argued for what he calls 'Mysterianism' — Which states the Physicalism will never be proven and the Mental states cannot be comprehensive to our Mental Capacity.

How does the mind create a voice in your head only you can hear — Freya Rose

If people didn't have such thick skulls, we would be able to hear each other's mental voice very clearly.

If people didn't have such thick skulls, we would be able to hear each other's mental voice very clearly. — Bitter Crank

:lol:

Im usually sceptical to theories like that, but im not aware of his arguments, so i will read up on that.