From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!torn!utcsri!rpi!uwm.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!uknet!edcastle!edcogsci!sharder Thu Jul  9 16:19:40 EDT 1992
Article 6359 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: sharder@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Soren Harder)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: On Study of Human Experiences and Introduction to Raja Yoga
Keywords: Human experiences, foundations of science and religions, consciousness
Message-ID: <9908@scott.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 23 Jun 92 12:12:10 GMT
References: <1992Jun18.173600.22762@doc.ic.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
Lines: 30

pvr@doc.ic.ac.uk (Venkat P. Reddy) writes:
> There exists, for example, an 
>observation that even if half the human brain is removed, consciousness continues 
>to be exhibited. There are even some quietly shelved cases of total deteration of 
>the brain that still permitted full mental faculties to be expressed! This suggests 
>that there the theory that human personality, if this be part of the consciousness, 
>is not necessarily a function of the brain. 

Please be more specific. Can you give any references to cases where
major parts of the brain has been removed without instant death. (It
is true that gradual depravation of smaller bits of the brain seems to
have surprisingly little effect on human performance and qualia, but
the above claims I do not believe in).

>In  literature on the philosophy of 
>mind, there are also views expressed that human thought could be 
>of a non-physical source. So far there are no controlled  verifications that negate this 
>view, as far as the writer is aware. 

Well, try to read Dennetts 'Consciousness Explained'. He doesn't give
'controlled verifications' in a natural science meaning of the word,
but there are plenty of references to people who, I believe, do it.

Soren Harder

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Soren Harder, (MSc student)
Centre for Cognitive Science, 2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh
E-mail: sharder@cogsci.ed.ac.uk
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