[ExI] consciousness - reply to John

John Clark johnkclark at gmail.com
Sun Dec 10 16:24:41 UTC 2017


On Fri, Dec 8, 2017 at 1:51 PM, William Flynn Wallace <foozler83 at gmail.com>
wrote:

​> ​
> Taking off from your idea that you cannot verify the consciousness of
> others:
> ​ ​
> Then you cannot also verify:  emotions, thinking (conscious or
> unconscious), any kind of mental state, whether hidden or possibly the
> basis of some external behaviors.
>

​The only mental state I have direct access to is my own, I can only infer
the mental state of others by observing their behavior and using a theory I
very strongly believe in, intelligent behavior implies consciousness. I
have strong logical reasons for thinking this theory is true but I admit it
falls short of a rigorous proof. But as far as my emotions are concerned
proof or no proof I have no doubt whatsoever that other people are
conscious except when they are behaving as if they are not, for example
when they're sleeping or under anesthesia or dead.

​> ​
> So, theoretically, you are a solipsist.
>

​I could not function if ​I thought I was the only conscious being in the
universe. I don't think true solipsists exist outside a looney bin, except
perhaps for philosophy professors, and even then only when they're in from
of freshman students and are trying to be provocative.


​> ​
> I think this makes you no different from anyone else.
>

Yes.... ​probably,.... but..... but I can't prove I'm not the only
conscious being in the universe, I can only show its unlikely. ​


​John K Clark​




>
>
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