Re: Jeff Hawkins Q&A


Glen M. Sizemore wrote:
> "JGCASEY" wrote
> > makc.the.great@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> >> let me narrow your search
> >> http://www.google.com/search?as_q=define%3Aconsciousness
> >>
> >> you might want to pick one
> >
> >
> > The mystery is the phenomenal consciousness.
> >
> > Clinical definitions can apply to everyone.
> >
> > That first person experience cannot be
> > defined and that is the problem.
>
>
> Phenomenal consciousness is that part of our
> behavioral repertoire that discriminatively
> controls other responses.

And you think that explains it? Light is part
of the physical world that allows us to see
things. Does that explain light?

What is light? Oh its a wave *behavior* or maybe
a particle *behavior*. So what is the Universe.
Oh, its just one big behavior.

When I see red I am having a red behavior as
opposed to seeing blue which is of course a
blue behavior. Then there is the itch behavior
that, what? controls our scratching behavior?


> > They are what we call subjective experiences.
>
>
> Sometimes.
>
> Science and language deal with an objective world.
>
>
>
> This seems clearly incorrect, even if you don't
> like my definition. We talk about our feelings all
> the time.

What I meant was language, when used to explain
something scientifically, is restricted to an
objective description.


> Private behavior can discriminatively control
> responding. The mystery, it is true, is how this
> happens when "meanings" are established in the
> way they are.


Talking about our feelings and *explaining* them
are two different things. There is no objective
explanation for qualia. That is why Dennett "solved"
the problem by disqualifying them in his book
"Consciousness Explained".

A rose by another name will smell the same so
renaming our subjective experiences as "private
behavior" will not explain it either. And if
we develop the technology we may one day have
an objective description of this "private
behavior" and yet be no closer explaining why
we experience things the way we do. Or maybe
it will explain it, I don't know.

But at this point I don't believe there is a
scientific explanation of consciousness.


--
JC

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Jeff Hawkins Q&A
    ... > The mystery is the phenomenal consciousness. ... > what we call subjective experiences. ... > fear of death and the failure of science ...
    (comp.ai.philosophy)
  • Re: Jeff Hawkins Q&A
    ... The mystery is the phenomenal consciousness. ... Clinical definitions can apply to everyone. ... what we call subjective experiences. ... fear of death and the failure of science ...
    (comp.ai.philosophy)