[MD] Consciousness a la Platt/Ham

[Platt Holden]

Hi Ham, 

> Hi Platt [with consolations to Arlo] --
> 
> 
> Since Arlo can't understand consciousness as anything but 
> inorganic-biological-social patterns, as defined by Pirsig, he wants to
> turn 
> philosophy into anthropology.  I've repeatedly told him that philosophy -
> especially metaphysics - is not a study of genetics, social development,
> or 
> physiological evolution, suggesting that he consult the anthropology texts
> for the information he demands.

Yes, Arlo is married to scientific reductionism wherein all emerges 
magically by chance from "DNA-driven evolution" and "growing complexity" 
while playing lip-service to the MOQ. Sad really.  

> I've also made it quite clear that I have no quarrel with Darwin's theory
> of 
> natural selection or the evolution of the species, provided that such 
> constructs are understood to be based on experiential (objective)
> evidence. 
> However, scientific models are not ontologies.  Anthropologists and 
> neuro-scientists can only account for data obtained from objective
> phenomena 
> that conform to natural laws and can be repeatably demonstrated.  As it 
> happens, consciousness is not objective.  It can't be genetically linked
> or 
> historically dated.  So Arlo is disappointed that, despite his insistence,
> we're not willing to discuss subjective consciousness as an objective 
> phenomenon.
> 
> Arlo's "consciousness" is a physiological finction, like bipedality, 
> muscular coordination, or language skills.  He is apparently incapable of
> grasping the concept of awareness as the subjective self.  There is no 'I'
> for Arlo.  What he feels and thinks are only patterns of something
> external 
> to him - something vaguely attributed to a "universal level" that can be
> broken down into organic, inorganic, and intellectual components.

> I'm sorry that Arlo has no self-awareness.  It must be a boring and 
> unsatisfying life, thinking up ideas and having feelings and desires that
> are not his but are only borrowed from the external world.  It's a shame
> that belief in anything that can't be quantified or localized is "Poof" to
> him.  But, then, nature isn't perfect.  Even Darwin acknowledged that not
> all members of a species evolve at the same rate.  Let's hope that Arlo's
> heirs overcome this gap and become "fully developed" self-aware
> individuals 
> with the capacity to realize there is more to reality than patterns and 
> levels of existence.

Yes, there is always hope that he and others will see that there's a lot 
more going on besides "neuro-biological complexity" and poof-like
"unintended consequences."

Best regards,
Platt