[extropy-chat] qualia

[gts]

On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 20:27:51 -0500, Dirk Bruere <dirk.bruere at gmail.com>  
wrote:

>> I think neurons in the brain experience a color when the light stimulus
>> makes an imprint in them. We don't know the exact mechanism, but  
>> obviously it involves physical changes within or among neurons.In my  
>> view that physical change *is* awareness. Furthermore I thinkawareness  
>> happens whenever any physical object is affected by any stimulus.
>>
>>
> If this is so it seems that the interface has got to involve QM.

Maybe, maybe not. Being somewhat mysterious, it's tempting to look to QM  
for the answer to anything else mysterious, as evidenced by the plethora  
of popular books on the subject that credit QM for all sorts of mysterious  
things from God to ESP to the appearance of ghosts.

But awareness and consciousness might not be so mysterious.

The difference between pan-psychism and materialism may only be one of  
perspective. This is how it seems in my mind, at least.

-gts