Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: April 1, 2025, 11:51 pm

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Why materialists are predominantly materialists
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists
(September 21, 2016 at 1:55 pm)Jörmungandr Wrote:
(September 21, 2016 at 10:14 am)ChadWooters Wrote: I think Jor is saying that they don't actually become conscious agents.They think they think but they don't. They don't actually feel the feelings they feel. She turns Chalmers's thought problem on its head by saying that ours already is the zombie world.

That would be largely correct, though I might disagree with some of the wording.  People want to give consciousness this ontological status as 'a thing' that is more than just stuff happening in the brain.


Oddly enough I do not take issue with much of what you said since the term "consciousness" tends to cover a broad range of concepts. Your critique seems focuses on the notion of a unitary conscious agent, as opposed to say the contents of consciousness and deals with "consciousness" as a verb. One the one hand I am inclined to agree that the "Cartesian Theater" can be deconstructed into discrete parts. On the other hand, I question whether doing so ignores the essential, as expressed poetically:

Have you ever considered
After taking the person apart
That the broken pieces
Like spring-driven toys - in isolation tagged
Do
As they would do
In the company of their peers?


By focusing exclusively on the causal (efficient) relationships in material substances, I think eliminative materialists (which I consider you to be) avoid dealing with the ontological status of the contents of consciousness. By analogy, they think language is only about grammar and spelling and that the meaning of words and the intent of sentences are superfluous.
Reply



Messages In This Thread
Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Bunburryist - September 15, 2016 at 11:31 pm
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Jesster - September 15, 2016 at 11:41 pm
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by brewer - September 16, 2016 at 7:19 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Silver - September 17, 2016 at 12:57 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Chas - September 22, 2016 at 10:32 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Chas - September 22, 2016 at 10:56 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Jesster - September 16, 2016 at 10:01 pm
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Jesster - September 16, 2016 at 10:05 pm
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Silver - September 17, 2016 at 12:26 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Joods - September 17, 2016 at 8:47 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Joods - September 17, 2016 at 10:44 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by emjay - September 17, 2016 at 5:40 pm
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by emjay - September 17, 2016 at 6:51 pm
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by emjay - September 17, 2016 at 7:24 pm
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Joods - September 18, 2016 at 12:01 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Neo-Scholastic - September 21, 2016 at 3:41 pm
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by Silver - September 24, 2016 at 12:46 am
RE: Why materialists are predominantly materialists - by comet - September 28, 2016 at 8:08 pm

Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Why, Why,Why! Lemonvariable72 14 4291 October 2, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Last Post: Doubting Thomas
  WHY WHY WHY??!?!? JUST STOP...... Xyster 18 5997 March 18, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Last Post: Zenith



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)