[extropy-chat] Qualia Bet

[Dirk Bruere]

On 12/9/05, Marc Geddes <marc.geddes at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >I talked about a network of causation of brain states, but did not
> require spatial extensions, forces, motions, or objects.
>
> The way I interpret what you meant by 'causation of brain states' is that
> you meant the physical actions of the components making up the brain.  These
> are neurons, neurotransmitters, electrochemical signals etc right?  And
> these things ultimately decompose to objects with spatial extensions, forces
> and motions i.e. when precisely describing brain actions using the laws of
> physics you ultimately end up with things located in space and the motions
> and forces associated with these things no?
>
>
>
> >Numbers, and most math objects, are patterns, i.e., abstractions.  Things
> that
> sit in our networks of causation have many things in common, and we
> can describe those common features with patterns.  The patterns
> themselves, as opposed to their instances, do not as far as we know
> separately sit in our network of causation, though brain states that
> describe and think about those patterns do.
>
> As you admit:  'The patterns *themselves*, as opposed to their instances,
> do not as far as we know separately sit in our network of causation'.  So
> the question arises, where do these *patterns* exist?  If you agree that the
> *patterns* are real and that they do not in fact directly sit in the network
> causation, then you've conceded that there can exist real entities which are
> not directly sitting in the network of physical causation.  Qualia could be
> just such entities.
>

Maybe we will have to wait until physics is recast into an information
theory.

Dirk
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