<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div><span>Brent is one of those people speculating about it. While I haven't had time to study his posts in detail, I find myself in general agreement with the thrust of his argument. He is trying to understand how brain matter becomes mindful. Does glutamate play a role? Maybe, maybe not, but I think these are the right kinds of questions.</span></div><div><br></div> <div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div dir="ltr"> <hr size="1"> <font size="2" face="Arial"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Gordon <gts_2000@yahoo.com><br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> ExI chat list <extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org> <br> <b><span style="font-weight:
bold;">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, April 30, 2013 2:13 PM<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [ExI] Digital Consciousness .<br> </font> </div> <div class="y_msg_container"><br><div id="yiv5717242691"><div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div><span>Eugen,</span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br></span></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">>> I think there is something going on here besides ordinary chemical reactions *as we currently understand them*. </span></div><div
style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div class="yiv5717242691y_msg_container"><br>> Possibly, but do you have any evidence for it?<br><br>As
I've mentioned, I believe thoughts are material things - I am not a dualist of any kind. I also believe the brain is not inherently like a digital computer. I can argue both those points. If one accepts the conclusions of those two arguments, it follows that thoughts are intrinsic to the biology of the brain - that some of the matter in the brain embodies conscious thought. I don't see this mechanism explained in textbooks on biology, chemistry or physics. We can speculate about it, but nobody yet knows how ordinary matter can become mindful. I think the existence of my own conscious thoughts and perceptions do nonetheless prove that it does.<br><br>Gordon</div> </div> </div> </div></div></div><br><br></div> </div> </div> </div></body></html>