Modal Argument: The Mind is Not the Brain

[bennyboy]

Your definition of knowing there's a mind and mine are not the same. I could do the same to YOU and not know in an absolute sense that there is an actual mind there, rather than a philosophical zombie brain that BEHAVES aware but isn't. Basically, I have to start with solipsism, and then choose what assumptions I'm willing to make.

Then the conversation is kind of over, since someone starting with the useless idea of solipsism can just move the goalposts back with another layer of reality-clouding obfuscation the moment anything is proved to them.

Moreover, it takes a special kind of contrarian to look at all the evidence distinctly for the idea of a mind, and then decide that rather than the natural conclusion being true, everything is just pretending like this is so, despite having absolutely no evidence of that.

Solipsism IS largely useless. That's why I'm willing to make the assumption that the things I experience have an existence separate from my own experience it. But if you really want to seek the truth, we have to be honest with where our understanding comes from: especially, we have to distinguish between scientific discoveries and pragmatic assumptions. When you do science that is rooted in assumptions to prove those same assumptions, then it's not really science at all.

The way to know for sure something else has a mind is to mind-meld with it. After that, you have to interface indirectly: through communication, through brain studies, etc. But when the subject of discussion is mind/matter duality issues, that process no longer means anything, because your conclusions are embedded in your methodolgy.