here's a pretty straightforward description of what happens - — Questioner

None of them tells what consciousness is.

Where are memories stored in the brain? — Questioner

Where Imagination Lives in Your Brain — Questioner

Do they mean that if you had your friend's brain, you will have his/her memories and imagination?

Damasio just lists ones physical thing or event after another, and eventually says now there is consciousness. — Patterner

I’ll say it again, even though you tricked me into getting back into the discussion before. I have nothing more to offer here.

life may be just an illusion or epiphenomenon,

This is one way of looking at things, but if we do see it that way, then all of reality is just illusions and epiphenomena.

even though you tricked me into getting back into the discussion — T Clark

I am diabolical. :grin:

life may be just an illusion or epiphenomenon,"

This is one way of looking at things, but if we do see it that way, then all of reality is just illusions and epiphenomena. — T Clark

I don't see the many characteristics of life as illusions or epiphenomena. They are real things, and so are you and I. I just don't see a property that we would call life.


I assume you mean the book Life Itself. (Also the title of a George Harrison song.) It sounds great. Sadly, not available as an e-book, but not much can be done about that.

If you ever heard of The Phenomenon of Life: Toward a Philosophical Biology, by Hans Jonas? That also looks interesting.

The ability to conjure up possible futures or alternative realities is the flip side of memory. Both faculties cohabit in the brain region called the hippocampus — Questioner

Can you extract the conjured up possible future from the hippocampus, and view it? If it is physical, then it should be possible for you to do so.

I just don't see a property that we would call life. — Patterner

Does that mean you don’t see the distinction between things that are living and things that are not as an important one?

None of them tells what consciousness is. — Corvus

You keep moving the goal posts. At first, you claimed that all brains are identical, and I answered that they are not. Then you claimed that consciousness is something separate from its contents, and I answered that it is not. Now, you claim, we don't know what consciousness is. Upthread, I already mentioned - we all know what it is, since we all have it.

Do they mean that if you had your friend's brain, you will have his/her memories and imagination? — Corvus

This is somewhat of an absurd hypothetical. If you are asking whether memories and imagination are specific to one particular brain, then the answer is yes.

Can you extract the conjured up possible future from the hippocampus, and view it? If it is physical, then it should be possible for you to do so. — Corvus

Consciousness is not physical. It is the function of the physical. It is a function of the structure operating in highly complex electrochemistry.

Can you hold knowledge in your hand? Same idea

You keep moving the goal posts. At first, you claimed that all brains are identical, and I answered that they are not. Then you claimed that consciousness is something separate from its contents, and I answered that it is not. Now, you claim, we don't know what consciousness is. Upthread, I already mentioned - we all know what it is, since we all have it. — Questioner

I just asked if that is the case. I didn't claim they are identical. You are not reading the posts accurately.
My aim is not claiming or concluding. My aim is to explore and investigate asking questions arsing from the posts and replies, and learn about the topic hoping we will come to agreed conclusion on the topic.

This is somewhat of an absurd hypothetical. If you are asking whether memories and imagination are specific to one particular brain, then the answer is yes. — Questioner

You got it back to front. Because you already said the answer is yes, I asked the question. If answer is yes, then logically it implies you will have your friends imagination, memories and self identity and all the mental content of his/hers. I was asking if you would say yes to the inferred case from your resolute answer "yes". It followed from your answer "yes", hence it was not an absurd hypothesis. If you still insist it is absurd hypothesis, then your answer "yes" must have been false and absurd.

Consciousness is not physical. It is the function of the physical. It is a function of the structure operating in highly complex electrochemistry. — Questioner

Many folks here so far agreed to that - consciousness is not physical. Then what is it? That is what we are still trying to figure out.

Can you hold knowledge in your hand? Same idea — Questioner

Depends on how you define knowledge.

Now, you claim, we don't know what consciousness is. Upthread, I already mentioned - we all know what it is, since we all have it — Questioner

Tell us then.

Tell us then. — AmadeusD

A coordinated set of mental capacities that include awareness, emotions, rationalization, analysis, synthesis and responsiveness

Right-o.