Saturday, 8 January 2022

Science And Philosophy

Science graduates are bound to discuss the physics and other sciences in Poul Anderson's sf. I am interested in philosophical issues. In particular, I agree with the Ythrian New Faith understanding of consciousness.

On Earth, people seemed to leave their bodies temporarily in sleep and therefore deduced or assumed that they also left their bodies permanently at death. However, dreams are now understood as effects of sleeping brain activities.

Just as solidity is a property of material objects and an effect of molecular cohesion, I suggest that consciousness is a property of organisms with central nervous systems and an effect of electrically firing, chemically interacting neurons. An empirically discerned correlation is not a logical necessity. Therefore, we can, without self-contradiction, conceive of solidity that is not caused by molecules and of consciousness that is not caused by neurons. However, these are in fact the empirically discerned causes of those properties. 

Therefore, we should remember a person's life and consciousness without imagining that his consciousness has continued after his life has ended.

4 comments:

S.M. Stirling said...

I'd qualify that as a consciousness being a function of what neurons -do-, which is basically transmit coded information.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And I disagree, since I do believe, as a matter of faith and divine revelation, that the spirit survives bodily death. And other philosophers, like Plato and Aristotle, would argue against you, on philosophic grounds.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

I studied the Platonic dialogue, the Phaedo, which argues for immortality of the soul.

The Aristotelian concept is that the soul is the form of the body.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Correct. With the Aristotelian concept of the soul being taken over into Scholastic philosophy.

Ad astra! Sean