Occams Hatchet and Is Materialism "Special"

[bennyboy]

No, but you seem to strongly feel that it's even theoretically possible.

Because it is, by definition, as a computational arhitecture.  Isolating it's components will inexorably yield it's functions.  That's how the systems -work- too.

Okay, you isolate the quintillions (or whatever) of QM particles, and trace how their interactions arrive at a sequence of ideas over the course of say 1/20 of a second. I look forward to either your answer, or to the end of the universe, whichever will come first.

You can never encapsulate them all from a materialist paradigm, from an idealist paradigm, or from either?  Because if it's the latter, it's not relevant, and no objection to materialism, even as it relates to mind.

As I said, materialism or physicalism as an idea is subsumed by idealism as an idea.

So it's science right up and to the point where it begins to be impossible for you to maintain your objections, then..it ceases to be science.  How convenient.  [/;quote]]
It's science right up to the point that you conflate assumptions and assertions.

[quote]
-and finding no traction elsewhere, we pivot back round to this.  Sorry, our best evidence isn't an assumption, it's a collection of observations all telling us the same thing.  Brain accounts for what we know of mind.  For what we don't know of mind, brain is a rational inference based upon  sound propositions, and valid argumentation.

Lots of words, no actual support. As I said, if you're such a champion of science, bring some actual science. Otherwise, it will be apparent that your "rational inference based upon sound propositions" is an arbitrary philosophical position.

Want to REALLY get on the merry-go-round? Google something like "scientific definition of qualia."

--edit--
. . . or we can start here: http://www.iep.utm.edu/qualia/

But I'm guessing you'll stick to the "I'm sure I'm right, science something, evidence something" with some hand-waving toward the brain, as though that's an explanation of something.