At present, it doesn’t sound as though consciousness studies can take us beyond our natural folk understanding of consciousness.
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The doctrine of most religious traditions that the soul is not destroyed with the body is not presented as a comfort so much as a plain fact, with consequences.
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The weakness of mind-as-computer theories is that the steps by which a computer motors through a problem involve nothing that would generate mental states.
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The Dalai Lama asked Merzenich a question that cut to the heart of the question of the relationship between our brains and ourselves.
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Although it doesn’t emerge in this interview, Strawson is a panpsychist; thus he can maintain a materialist position and still argue that consciousness is real.
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Last month, Robert Lawrence Kuhn interviewed eminent British mathematical physicist Sir Roger Penrose on a number of topics, including the influence of surrealist artist M. C. Escher (December 9, 2022/32:00 min). Here is a transcribed selection from the second part of the discussion in Part 1 above*, beginning around the 12-minute mark, with some notes: Robert Lawrence Kuhn: We talked about the impossible Penrose triangle which really opens up another area of your life in terms of visual representations of remarkable things. Penrose tiling really new ways of thing of seeing visual representation of fiery fundamental geometric and algebraic transformations and things. But what I wanted to ask you is, as youdeveloped that you had this interaction with the artist Read More ›
Last month, Robert Lawrence Kuhn interviewed eminent British mathematical physicist Sir Roger Penrose on the relationship between mathematics, the mind, and the physical universe (December 9, 2022/32:00 min). Penrose likes to illustrate the relationship between the three with an “impossible” triangle (see below). Here are a couple of transcribed selections from the first part of the discussion in Part 1*, concerning the Penrose Triangle, with some notes: Robert Lawrence Kuhn: Let’s start with your grand metaphysical framework, your three worlds — three mysteries: the physical world, the mental world, the platonic or mathematical world — each connected to the other two in your famous diagram of an equilateral triangle. What’s the origin of this vision of yours of foundational reality? Read More ›