COSMOS – a cool magazine 1 Jan 2008 Today I received my copy of COSMOS (not Cosmo, you perves!) in which my article appeared. I have to say (and not just because they showed the good taste to print me) that this is one of the better science magazines I have seen. It reminds me of OMNI at its height. OK, it’s Australian, but you forners ought to check it out too if you can. Administrative
Administrative Wilkins in foreign climes 27 Feb 2008 Well, actually the weather in Tempe, Arizona, seems to be very much like the weather here in Brisbane, but that’s where I’m going. For a couple of weeks. Also in Salt Lake City. So blogging shall be sparse unless I get inspired at the Systematics and Biodiversity workshop, as I… Read More
Administrative Slowly being seduced by Portugal 22 Apr 2009 I gave my talk today on tree thinking at the local science museum for kids and the general public, which is amazingly popular. The Portuguese seem to hold science and knowledge in high esteem. Which is great. The Ciências Viva helped pay for my ticket, so I hope they liked… Read More
Administrative Vote now! 3 Jun 2010 I have a couple of posts nominated (one by me – it’s time to stop being humble) at the 3quarksdaily Science competition here. I won’t win, because that torrent of good science writing, Ed Yong, is nominated, not to mention Carl Zimmer and sundry others, and the Pharynguloids will of… Read More
Hi John. While looking at the Cosmos site I found this article about the mind-brain problem. The article seems to say that science has shown that the mind is the functioning of the brain. Not some non-substance, or ghost. This is what I studied recently in a biological psychology unit. What’s your take on the subject. As a philosopher of science. I’m guessing it’s a little different from an Alvin Plantinga or Darth Ratzinger.
I could always pose for a nude centrespread… Or just use some images from one of your previous nude photoshoots. (This one’s sexy, but safe for work.)
As you guessed, I’m fully physicalist on this matter. My only idiosyncrasy here is that I’m not entirely reductionist about it. I think consciousness is not merely the activity of the brain, but also involves social interactions. That is to say, meaning, rules, and much cognition involves the transactions between other actors, and what seems like the “hard problem” is mostly (IMO) just the inability to express experience. Phenomenal experience is in my view just a matter of having a point of view or perspective. It’s not irreducible in terms of the activity of the brain so long as we realise that each individual experiences their life and not someone else’s or an “objective” experience. It resolves down to a tautology, in my opinion. We are trying to explain experience in physical terms, which involves classes of neural behaviours, and so we can explain classes of neural activity, but each individual experiences tokens of neural activity – their own. I’m sure that is quite opaque.
As you guessed, I’m fully physicalist on this matter. My only idiosyncrasy here is that I’m not entirely reductionist about it. I think consciousness is not merely the activity of the brain, but also involves social interactions. That is to say, meaning, rules, and much cognition involves the transactions between other actors, and what seems like the “hard problem” is mostly (IMO) just the inability to express experience. Phenomenal experience is in my view just a matter of having a point of view or perspective. It’s not irreducible in terms of the activity of the brain so long as we realise that each individual experiences their life and not someone else’s or an “objective” experience. It resolves down to a tautology, in my opinion. We are trying to explain experience in physical terms, which involves classes of neural behaviours, and so we can explain classes of neural activity, but each individual experiences tokens of neural activity – their own. I’m sure that is quite opaque.
Thanks John. I think I’m not too far away from you on that topic. I’m not entirely reductionist either. If I was, it’d probably be pointless studying psychology as it assumes that personality and emotion are something, and something that occurs uniquely, or at least in unique combinations to each person. Though the behaviors must have commonality, or we’d have to study each person and couldn’t apply what we’d learnt from one individual to any other person. Sort of puts the death knell into religions that sell their immortality policies to the average punter, if it’s shown that there’s no soul or mind that can go on. Though I’m sure there’s a “sophisticated” theological answer to how not surviving death is surviving death…… Thanks, I love the internet. It allows non-intellectuals like myself to pick the brains of clever types. 🙂
Thanks John. I think I’m not too far away from you on that topic. I’m not entirely reductionist either. If I was, it’d probably be pointless studying psychology as it assumes that personality and emotion are something, and something that occurs uniquely, or at least in unique combinations to each person. Though the behaviors must have commonality, or we’d have to study each person and couldn’t apply what we’d learnt from one individual to any other person. Sort of puts the death knell into religions that sell their immortality policies to the average punter, if it’s shown that there’s no soul or mind that can go on. Though I’m sure there’s a “sophisticated” theological answer to how not surviving death is surviving death…… Thanks, I love the internet. It allows non-intellectuals like myself to pick the brains of clever types. 🙂