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Article 1317 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: map@svl.cdc.com (Mark Peters)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: MIND, BRAIN, CONCIOUSNESS
Message-ID: <37948@shamash.cdc.com>
Date: 14 Nov 91 18:39:56 GMT
References: <1991Oct29.214816.23349@timessqr.gc.cuny.edu> <37577@shamash.cdc.com> <1991Nov11.182221.10967@sun!kla> <37922@shamash.cdc.com> <1991Nov14.110117.27436@odin.diku.dk>
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>>>In article <37577@shamash.cdc.com> map@svl.cdc.com writes:

>>Consciousness can't be defined because it is an irreducible, self-evident,
>>primary fact that is implicit in all arguments, all knowledge, and in
>>particular, all definitions.  

>First you say that consciousness is implicit in every phenomenon. After that
> you affirm that more fundamental than consciousness is the phenomenon 
>"brain" (phenomenon because you will never ever reach the true noumenon
>"brain", if that means something). Don't you think these two statements
>are contradictory?

There are several errors in what you say.  First, I did not say that
consciousness is implicit in every phenomenon - I said that consciousness
is a fact that is implicit in all arguments, knowledge, and definitions.
The existence of weather (a phenomenon) does not imply consciousness, but 
an argument does.

Second, when I spoke of the brain, I spoke of it as an entity, not a        
phenomenon, and pointed out that the entity "brain" must exist prior
to the existence of the consciousness of the organism possessing the
brain.  The existence of consciousness implies the existence of the entity 
having it.

So, it is not contradictory to say that arguments, etc., imply consciousness,
and that consciousness implies brain.
--
Mark A. Peters                              ****** ======================
Control Data Corporation                    ****** == "What a save!!!" ==
Internet: map@svl.cdc.com                   ****** == "What an idea!!" ==


