The Magic of Consciousness

Daniel Dennett - The Magic of Consciousness

Daniel Dennett is Fletcher Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University.

Here Professor Dennett lectures on the philosophical obstacles to understanding consciousness. This lecture includes topics covered in detail in his wonderful books "Consciousness Explained" and "Sweet Dreams: Philosophical Obstacles to a Science of Consciousness".

KEYWORDS: Consciousness, Philosophy, Magic, Heterophenomenology, Optical Illusion, Neurology

Category:

Education

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[zencat999]

physics= the descriptions of our material world..the only one we have.

meta= shit that anyone can just make up.

[joel230182]

@NeoLeaver I think the answer to that lies in a metaphysical reality beyond the materiality of the universe.

[joel230182]

@leerees That's an unnesesary reductionistic view of reality. Dennett doesn't have anything to say about Qualia/experience, identity/ego, intuition, freeWill, etc. All he does is to show some one-century-old optic illusion tricks, and then say: "well , consiousness is like that". He misses ALL the fundamental aspects of conciousness. We need to consider the posibility of reality being more that matter/ space/time.

[joel230182]

@dickdona he's afraid of that word.

[WhyLifeIsPointless]

The negative after image of the US flag is caused when the retina cones for a specific color get exhausted from firing. When the image is removed the opposite colors are seen because those retina are still recovering from firing. For example: If you stare at red, eventually the red cones get tired and when the red image is removed, the new image lacks the color red so you see a negative. I agree that this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. Professor of philosophy? Please.

[cmpresents]

This man is so ignorant. He tries to dismiss the mystery and supernatural nature of consciousness by trying to explain something that he has no clue as to how it works or what it is. this man doesn't even know how a single cell works, and he's saying that consciousness is the product of switches. Amazing!

[NeoLeaver]

@joel230182 Right, and why would matter spontaniously organise itself into life. If the very thing Dr.D is writing off as an epiphenomenon of the brain, is in fact the prime element. That consciousness itself is what we 'stretch out' into space, time and matter.

[joel230182]

@peteraua Then do something useful like trying to explain what Dennett is saying, instead of declaring failure to other people. I'm all ears.

[andrewada]

@NeoLeaver I'll have a look at it, then give my view. thanks.

[NeoLeaver]

space and time it inhabits. I prefer the primacy of consciousness, Where this bland clockwork computation is transformed into a beautifully elegant metaphor reflecting our process of experience in the function of the brain. Better still a delicious syncronicity of consciousness of and the physical universe both equally real and both at the same time equally unreal. Thats the kind of universe I want to be apart of. I bet this guy was a barrel of laughs at college.