[MD] Consciousness & Moq.

[David Thomas]

On 8/22/10 5:30 AM, "Andre Broersen" <andrebroersen at gmail.com> wrote:

> dmb says:
> 
> Didn't mean to leave that impression and I have said many times that James
> takes consciousness to be a process rather than a thing or an entity. It's on
> the Oxford DVD, in fact.
> 
> Andre:
> Correct dmb, as usual:
> 'To deny plumply that 'consciousness' exists seems so absurd on the face of
> it-for undeniably 'thoughts' do exist- that I fear some readers will follow me
> no farther. Let me then immediately explain that I mean only to deny that the
> word stands for an entity, but to insist most emphatically that it does stand
> for a function...that function is knowing'.(Essays in Radical Empiricism,
> William James).

Of course DMB knew it, he just hoped that I didn't. It was a deflection so
he didn't have to answer the question. Which he still hasn't.  And his
answer, if it ever comes, will be some form of no mind/body, no problem. Of
course this doesn't square with James, and current science but who cares.

Dave