. You're right - we all push people's buttons and I can be passive-aggressive although I HATE admitting it haha. — GLEN willows
It's hard for me - being socially not exactly "astute - to sometimes find a balance. — GLEN willows
If you have a feeling, you have a feeling. Materialism just argues all those feelings are creations of neurons interacting. They are still feelings. — GLEN willows
If a feeling isn't a part of the brain, what is it? If it's a separate thing, NOT part of the brain, but can affect the brain, how does that occur? — GLEN willows
According to materialism, this ought not to happen, all of the causation should be from matter up to mind, not from mind down to matter. — Wayfarer
"Why do human interactions on the internet tend to skew negative, as opposed to positive? What does this say about human behaviour?" — GLEN willows
I would disagree that you’re in the wrong place, unless what you’re looking for is agreement rather than philosophical discussion. I’ve been quietly going against the grain here for a couple of years now, and thoroughly enjoyed learning from the discussions I’ve had. I think it’s precisely when we disagree that the most fruitful discussions can be had. I’m not expecting anyone to agree with me here - I’m expecting to learn by striving to understand different philosophical positions in relation to my own.
I think your focus on materialism and neuroscience may be useful here - I’d certainly appreciate both in some of the discussions I’ve had. Are you familiar with Feldman Barrett’s work? I’m also interested in recent collaborations of science and philosophy, particularly the interaction of quantum theory with theories of consciousness. — Possibility
Nonetheless, I'm willing to go against the grain in discussions, but it seems like a pretty steep hill to climb, and will I learn anything new about my chosen area? Seems doubtful. — GLEN willows
According to materialism, this ought not to happen, all of the causation should be from matter up to mind, not from mind down to matter.
— Wayfarer
Shouldn't it? Otherwise how would you square it with the conservation laws (energy, momentum, torque, etc). Or are those in doubt for you? Genuine question, not rhetorical. — khaled
Your anti-materialism seems a little irrational at times. — praxis
I LIKE Wayfarer, as my posts show. — GLEN willows
They're not in doubt — Wayfarer
intentional actions can change neural configuration — Wayfarer
"Why do human interactions on the internet tend to skew negative, as opposed to positive? What does this say about human behaviour?" — GLEN willows
t would be like mixing a bunch of gases in a balloon and then noticing that at the right concentrations, for some reason, the conservation laws start to break down. The gas moves randomly then just.... stops for a second.... then resumes. And this is explained by “The mixture created a mind which can then go back and alter the mixture”. Just seems like nothing short of magic. — khaled
"Why do human interactions on the internet tend to skew negative, as opposed to positive? What does this say about human behaviour?"
Well, first, in response to 'intentional actions changing neural configurations', that was a reference to a famous experiment whereby measurable changes were observed in subjects brains, due to their imagining that they were practicing piano scales. No actual piano! But the field of research in neuroplasticity has many such examples. A popular books on it (one I'm meaning to read!) is Train your Mind, Change your Brain. — Wayfarer
Scientific method works where it can objectify, quantify, and predict. Those are the fundamental elements of the method, which are universal in scope - they can be applied to anything. Correction - to any object, or collections of objects, or observable systems. Phenomena generally, let's say, with which we have a subject-object relatonship. — Wayfarer
ps//and, yes, magic might indeed be part of it :gasp: // — Wayfarer
I don’t see how the lack of piano helps. — khaled
the brain is an object. — khaled
The brain as an object is an entirely different thing to an embodied brain. Neuroscience and philosophy are different disciplines. — Wayfarer
Of course, you might then say that ideas are neuroconfigurations, — Wayfarer
We look at all such questions through ideas, we have to have an idea to even decide what is ‘physical’. That is the sense in which the ideal precedes the physical, although I don’t expect you would agree. — Wayfarer
Your anti-materialism seems a little irrational at times.
— praxis
Our society presumes that materialism must be true. A lot of people don't know what the word means, and wouldn't be able to explain it if you asked them — Wayfarer
If consciousness isn't in the brain:
- why do changes to the brain change consciousness?
- how do thoughts/ideas cause our arms to lift, punch a guy we hate, etc — GLEN willows
No, I would say that the idea of the piano did nothing. It was the brain doing things, which resulted in the idea of the piano — khaled
That makes the most sense to me. What’s the problem with that? — khaled
But the suggestion is, it was changed by an act of thought. — Wayfarer
we should expect to see some movement or other in the brain that has no detectable cause (because it was caused by the mind). This is an empirical claim not a philosophical one. One that I haven’t found any evidence for and plenty of evidence against. — khaled
What makes sense’ is an idea, not anything physical. — Wayfarer
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