Thoughts and queries about thoughts

In South America some time last century, two scientists got two gorillas and surgically both of their heads. They then reattached the heads on the different bodies.

On of th gorillas died straight after the operation. However the other one lived, for about 45 minutes! Crazy Stuff huh?

Um, it was 'sposed to say;



Yeah, you picked it up anyways...

Yup. Pretty crazy, and pretty sick.

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One of the biggest myths told is that being intelligent is the absence of the ability to do stupid things.

Well, if my brain is removed, am I still me?

And where's that pixie dust!?

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Everything is destined to reappear as simulation.
Jean Baudrillard
America, 1988

That's kind of what I was getting at by bringing up the idealists. They say the soul is the consciousness and is capable of moving on without the body.

Well, "scientifically", the consciousness is an event created by the brain. That viewpoint is, of course, mechanistic and reductionistic.

Whenever you start talking about consciousness in relation to the soul, though, serious people who consider themselves rational and scientific are going to roll their eyes, because our scientific framework has no place for the idea of a soul. More's the pity.

Sully
Do you think that most people who consider themselves to be rational and scientific are also atheistic?

I wonder what the idealists say about "consciousness" in relation to lesser animals. It occurred to me that they are also allowing for the idea of lesser animals having a soul as they say the soul is consciousness. Lesser animals are definitely conscious. Hmmm... more of that gray area, have to see what I can find.


Serious people often roll their eyes at me... I don't put as much faith in scientific "proof" as perhaps I should.

Current theory has it that consciousness has something to do with synchronized neurons and 80Hz waves and other things that, while very cool, confuse the hell out of me and I haven't read enough about. =)

And Toose, speaking as a scientifically inclined person, blind faith in "scientific proof" is just as bad as blindly refusing to take any science into consideration at all. =)

Good lord, look at that. Two smiley faces in one post. What is this world coming to?

See, to me, this is insignifigant. I care not for the speed or construction of my consciousness... am simply thankful for it. I'm unconvinced that science will ever explain it and if they did it wouldn't matter to me.
I never said this... tsk tsk, don't sentence me to extemities of belief. I believe that the apple falls to the ground from my hand due to the gravitational effects of the earth spinning. Try to explain my soul to me in scientific lexicon and I will say you babble uncontrollably.


Please don't tell me how many facial muscles it takes to smile... I'm happy with it for what it is

Maybe, in general. But if so, I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions.

Well, science is something of a religion, too. Notice how you said you don't put much faith in it.

I think I'm picking up a sentiment I can identify with, though. To spend too much time trying to explain or understand conscious may be, in some cases, missing the point......the point being to use and enjoy consciousness in a way that is personally fulfilling. So what if the world is just a dream we're all sleeping? I'll take it anyway.

Well put! Some people don't think of anything at all ("I dunno, maybe there's a God. I've got a life to worry about, though"), and some people think only of it...but I don't think either is correct. I think you're right, Sully...these things do need to be thought of, but, for whatever reason, we have it, so let's use it as best we can.