Brain Research Fads

Steven Rose examines current brain theories in the article In search of the God neuron. His analysis takes place within multiple book reviews and covers a lot of turf. The author notes David Hume's argument that one could not derive an ought from an is. Although I disagree with much of what Hume wrote I think he is on target with that observation. The contemporary rage is that our morality is reducible to genetics and developmental processes. What a crock. It's more fun though to delve into these matters in a feedback forum like Telic Thoughts.

Thanks to Clare for this link.

More on Materialism and Consciousness

Denyse O'Leary posted A philosopher confronts the errors of debunkers at Mindful Hack. Denyse cites philosopher Neal Grossman's take on committed materialists who he refers to as fundamentalists. Grossman notes the position that an afterlife is such an extraordinary claim that almost any other explanation is preferable. However, he points out this view is not shared by most people for whom an afterlife is entirely credible.

The last paragraph's promissory note-like approach to consciousness reminds me of similar approaches to origin of life issues. The materialist approach to the afterlife conjures up another well worn phrase usually flung by materialists namely, the argument from personal incredulity. If personal incredulity is a factor how can materialists objectively assess the case for mind/brain duality?

Posts and Comments at Telic Thoughts

Salvador Cordova posted this comment containing the following two paragraphs:

Physicist Pual Davies suggests it is a category error to argue conciousness, like software, is reducible to the hardware on which it runs. It is like asking "what kind of atoms can make a Wednesday" (it is essentially a nonsensical question rooted in a category error). Davies received the Templeton Prize for Religion for that and other insights….

Davies went even further and argued if software is transportable from one assemblage of computer hardware to another, in principle, consciouness can be transportable and thus "disembodied". Disembodied consciousness can thus lead to disembodied intelligences. If for example, artificial intelligence can be rooted in a software algorithm, we have demonstrated that at least some intelligence can be disemboidied. But whether an artificial intelligence is a conscious "being" is another story!!!

Finally there is this comment of mine delineating my view that order signifies purpose and design:

That the order and intelligible laws by which the universe operates are not logical prerequisites of Nature. This universe, and others that might exist in a multi-universe system, could have become disorderly and unintelligible had initial conditions of their associated origins been different. The orderliness signifies purpose and design. The narrow range of conditions hospitable to life on earth is a further indicator of purpose and design. So too are the information rich genomes essential to the development, sustaining and diversification of life on earth.