A more personal reflection on consciousness...

Naturalism... Marvin Minsky... What is a human being?

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• naturalism
• philosophy
• spirituality
• consciousness
• marvin
• minksy
• human
• being
• science
• cognitive
• hofstadter
• dennett

[maxhodges]

Have you read The Emotion Machine?

[redliterocket4]

Not all of it. The talk I attended was Minsky explaining what he wrote in the book, though.

[societyofmind]

Science is useful because of its ability to predict natural phenomenon. Sure atoms and molecules, electrons and probability clouds are just constructs created by humans to explain measurements, but these constructs when combined with logic allow use to predict future patterns in nature. If the concept of an atom did nothing but act as a label for a phenomenon, then science would be of no use to us.

[redliterocket4]

I agree with what you've said. I think the method of science is great. It's the metaphysics of scientism that I find lacking.

[realveive]

Thought is what the hardware does. You can regard it all as wondrous and fantastic but the results of thought are pretty easy to evaluate as right or wrong.

[trevnral1]

Consciousness is an axiom. It cannot be proved as it is the foundation of proof. The concept of proof presupposes a consciousness capable of reason.

Any argument against consciousness collapses because even invalid arguments presuppose it's existence. This is not proof that consciousness exists -- it is proof that consciousness is an axiom.

[AlexKhav]

I see that human explanation about conciseness is foolish and has no foundation. Unless human being is connected with spiritual world, which is more real than our physical, the explanation o conciseness would be very simple.

[JAYDUBYAH29]

i wanna know what your views are viz that electric guitar behind you - looks like a marshall combo and maybe a PRS?

re: why? hmmmm might be braking up the wrong tree - does there need to be a why, and if so is evolutionary biology not enough?

[OutdoorsBlackMan]

How has it provided better survival and reproductive advantages?

Women are having abortions and people in government are taking advantage of their power to wage war and conquer other people.

Emotion and reason by themselves can go in a negative or positive direction based on the one who is controlling (or not) them. People can act beyond reason and emotion.

[yuothineyesasian]

Rather, natural selection caused us (and other animals) to evolve hypersensitivities within the virtual world of our minds to things that would provide better survival and reproductive advantages to our ancestors.

Emotions are one of these advantages. We (because of emotions) are better suited to decide what is an unwanted outcome and what is a wanted one.

Reason takes this process one step higher by using rationality over emotions to make and educated decision rather than a brash one.

[OutdoorsBlackMan]

Why would we need emotions to influence our behavior? Why would we need "reasoning"?

Why act on emotion? Why act on reason?

What is emotion and what is reason?

[yuothineyesasian]

Emotions are the product of chemical reactions that change the reception of electrical impulses. The 'reason' or 'pupose' of emotions is to control or influence the decisions made by the electro-chemical processes of the brain. Memories also influence this, which is why a baby acts more rationally over time, acting on emotions alone less and less.

The mood or emotion a person is feeling have an effect on decisions, the outcomes of those decisions have an effect on how the chemicals are used.

[OutdoorsBlackMan]

A baby has few memories, yet it is full of emotion.

Emotion has no reason to exist.

[jimbobboyorganist]

Emotions are based on memory combined with an ever-changing viewpoint. There is only one consciousness...On earth,

humans are the first "life-form" to be conscious of it. Unfortunately, Consciousness must evolve like everything else. And stop trying to make me respond!