[extropy-chat] Death is irreversible v.1.0

[John K Clark]

"Heartland" <velvet977 at hotmail.com>

> mind is an instance of activity of matter in time and space.

A keen grasp of the obvious, ALL activities happen at a time and at a place,
the question is when do these activities do the same thing. I add 2 +2 at
one time and one place with my calculator, I add 2+ 2 at another time and
another place with another calculator; and both times I get the exact
same 4.

> a person with this disorder [multiple personality disorder] would maintain
> the same identity (in the physical sense) for the duration of an instance
> of his subjective experience regardless of personality changes

You say 2 minds with completely different memories, completely different
intelligence and completely different personalities have the
"same identity", but before when we were talking about identical copies
you said minds with identical memories identical intelligence and identical
personalities do NOT have the "same identity". This can only be true if the
phrase "same identity" is not applicable to the scientific method. In other
words the phrase "same identity" has no consistent meaning in your 
vocabulary.

 > mind consists of *only* that activity of matter which directly implements
> mind.

You say this is a scientific theory so you must be precise and clear,
exactly how direct must it be for you to call it "directly"? When a sodium
or potassium ion enters a neuron does that "directly" implement the mind?
The ion by itself will not cause the synapse to fire, it takes many to do
that. Does a synapse firing "directly" implement the mind? One synapse
firing will not form a memory, it takes lots of firings before Long Term
Potentiation sets in. On the other hand the heart does directly influence
the mind, if you remove the heart the mind will change very quickly and
rather dramatically. Your distinction between directly and indirectly is
arbitrary and artificial.

> To say that mind is composed of neurons would be
> analogous to a claim that flight is composed of plane's engines.

To say mind is composed of matter of any sort is analogous to saying flight
is composed of airplane. Gibberish.

   John K Clark