[MD] Mystics and Brains

[Case]

[Platt]
Well, if you consider other people part of the universe, and they care about
you, it appears at least that part of the universe cares after all. If
that's so, one wonders about the source of this "caring" business and that
perhaps it was built in to the universe from the beginning. After all, among
living organisms there's a lot of caring going on out there.

[Case]
The caring part is us. Our purposes arise from conditions or our existence.
We seek food shelter and sex. We develop complex emotional bonds with other
creatures like us. To that extent certainly purpose and value exist in the
universe. But this idea that it was there in the beginning has very little
to do with us. Unless you are prepared to say what this purpose is our what
is has to do with us I really do not see where it is meaningful to talk
about it.

[Platt
Does science recognize that thoughts are a form of electro-chemical energy?
I always thought they recognized just four basic forces -- atomic,
electromagnetic, strong and weak. Can I assume you're OK with adding psychic
force to this list?

[Case]
All of those articles cited recently about consciousness and brain activity
deal with the electrochemical activity of the brain. I am not sure the
forces are the same thing as energy but whatever number of forces and states
of energy there are psychic is not one of them.