• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Franko Memorial thread!

hammegk said:
Seems to me a rather strange discussion. What does "conscious life on earth" have to do with "what-is"? ?
It has to do with the "dichotomy" that you presented. Does matter create consciousness or does consciousness create matter. I believe that "create" is the wrong word. Consciousness demonstrably arises from matter, as my examples have shown.


I should recall from you plethora of posts, but would you refresh my memory?
That's okay, Grandpa. The memory is the first thing to go.;)

Are you 100% materialist/atheist, or

Materialist/agnostic, or

some form of Dualist?
The only thing I am sure of is that I am 0% philosopher. I have never figured out exactly what the categories mean. I am a scientist, which probably puts me in the materialist camp, but I have some disagreements with both Stimpy and Victor (and James Randi for that matter.) I call myself an agnostic to most people, because it is to difficult to get them to understand what an atheist is, but here one these boards, where people are more erudite, I use the terms atheist, soft atheist or agnostic atheist.

As a further aside, glad you think I might be a "good lad"; is that also what you call your grandpa? :p (I base this on what you have posted as being your picture.)
I'm a bit older than I look (50, to be exact). I attribute my youthful appearance to the fact that I have never had children.:D

But I used "good lad" in the sense of someone who has given the correct response to a question from a teacher. Recognizing and admitting one's bias is always good. However, as my sig suggests, recognizing it and doing something about it are two different things.
 
Tricky said:

Consciousness demonstrably arises from matter, as my examples have shown.
Maybe you think so. Actually I find the evidence -- not just your assertions -- wanting.


The only thing I am sure of is that I am 0% philosopher. I have never figured out exactly what the categories mean.
Practicing the art of dissembling I see; but why?


I am a scientist, which probably puts me in the materialist camp, but I have some disagreements with both Stimpy and Victor (and James Randi for that matter.) I call myself an agnostic to most people, because it is to difficult to get them to understand what an atheist is, but here one these boards, where people are more erudite, I use the terms atheist, soft atheist or agnostic atheist.
Quite a dance around the question, but may I check Agnostic?

The remaining question is your stance on Dualism; Probable, Possible, No Way Jose.


I'm a bit older than I look (50, to be exact). I attribute my youthful appearance to the fact that I have never had children.:D
Assuming your picture is you, that would have been a medical marvel -- approaching the well known "virgin birth scenario". :eek:


But I used "good lad" in the sense of someone who has given the correct response to a question from a teacher.
Bad Tricky. You must make more allowance for doddering elders.
;)
 
hammegk said:
Maybe you think so. Actually I find the evidence -- not just your assertions -- wanting.
If you are of the "correlations are not evidence" school, I imagine you do find them wanting. Then I will ask you, as I ask wraith and others, what would you consider evidence for "matter makes consciousness"? Would anything convince you? I can give you an example of the reverse. If I could see a clear, provable example of a consciousness that existed in the absence of matter, then I would give some credence to the "consciousness makes matter" school. I have given correlations. What do you have?

Practicing the art of dissembling I see; but why?
Good word, dissembling. I did not mean to mislead you, I merely point out that I am totally untrained in philosophy. I know a great deal more now than I did two years ago when I joined these boards, but I would still not feel comfortable bandying about labels.
Quite a dance around the question, but may I check Agnostic?
If that is what you wish to label me, go ahead. I do not claim that a god is impossible, just that there is no evidence for one.

The remaining question is your stance on Dualism; Probable, Possible, No Way Jose.
Again, there is no evidence for it. Everything that is testable shows that the mind is an emergent property of the brain. Perhaps because I am a scientist, I cannot accept the "it feels like it must be" as evidence.
Assuming your picture is you, that would have been a medical marvel -- approaching the well known "virgin birth scenario". :eek:
Thank you, you are too kind. The picture is real. Here is one taken less than two months ago while I was on a Caribbean cruise. The two fellows on either side of me are a magician duo called LaRaf, who were performing on the boat. Here is a site you can check out if you do not believe me.
LaRaf
Yes, I am 50 (born in 1952). For you to be my grandfather, you would have to be close to 90. I don't believe that is the case.
 
hammegk,

LD at least is trying to make sense of the unknowable-to-us, now.
Trying go make sense if the unknowable? Yep, that's pretty much what I think Frnako was up to. Any idea how we might measure his success rate in this endeavour ?
 
Tricky said:

... what would you consider evidence for "matter makes consciousness"? Would anything convince you? ...
Actually, and after a fair amount of thought, I cannot think of any convincing-to-me demonstration. What could you suggest?

Conversely, on your matter makes life concept, I have problems I have not sucessfullt come to grips with-- at one end, where is the non-life/life divide, and at the other HPC (and of course my thinking *I*). I cannot define it, but *I* sure does think it has libertarian free will, a concept that to me also fails under materialism.


If that is what you wish to label me, go ahead. I do not claim that a god is impossible, just that there is no evidence for one.
I asked what you label yourself. It appears that 'agnostic' is your label for yourself.


Again, there is no evidence for it. Everything that is testable shows that the mind is an emergent property of the brain. Perhaps because I am a scientist, I cannot accept the "it feels like it must be" as evidence.
So we agree Dualism is irrelevant; back to the brand of monism we can choose.

For you to be my grandfather, you would have to be close to 90. I don't believe that is the case.
Yeah, think of me as your dad's (slightly) younger brother. :D


Loki, interesting question. He has drawn sufficient interest in that topic alone to rival all others combined (yeah, I do exagerate). Discussions continue to this moment, and for a citation to the LD website, Tricky's synopsis is as good as any, so why not JREF? LOL. ;)

How does one measure "success"? :)
 
hammegk,

How does one measure "success"?
Oh, I don't know! For LD, how about "convincing anyone at all that you're probably right"? (and no, I don't count Wraith - he barely understands what he's agreeing with!)
 
Loki said:
hammegk,


Oh, I don't know! For LD, how about "convincing anyone at all that you're probably right"?

Valid point, but is there a time limit? And the meme is loose at any rate. :D
 
hammegk said:

Actually, and after a fair amount of thought, I cannot think of any convincing-to-me demonstration.

Hammegk, a quick question in relation to the above. Is the opposite theory (consciousness-makes-matter) in your opinion falsifiable?
 
CWL said:


Hammegk, a quick question in relation to the above. Is the opposite theory (consciousness-makes-matter) in your opinion falsifiable?

Not that I have thought of, anymore than we can falsify materialism. Logic, facts, and opinions are the best anyone has done so far as I am aware (foreither brand of monism).

What do you think?
 
hammegk said:


Not that I have thought of, anymore than we can falsify materialism. Logic, facts, and opinions are the best anyone has done so far as I am aware (foreither brand of monism).

What do you think?

Demonstrating the existence of consciousness without the presence of matter would be reasonable evidence against materialism, don't you think?
 
Tricky said:

You are so close to enlightenment, grasshopper. Can you make the final leap? Ask yourself this question: If not matter, then what creates consciousness? Is it something unconscious, like Time?

LD is a philosophy regarding quantum gravity. With Gravity being the source of consciousness.

Im not familiar with the logic as yet, so any questions regarding Consciousness and Gravity will be limited.

Though Consciousness and Time is another issue.

Whats Time without Consciousness and Consciousness without Time?

You have stated that all my evidence is mere "correlation" and therefore not evidence. I would like to know what evidence you have that is not correlation. Is that twisting your words?

I said that correlations are not evidence for matter creating consciousness

My correlations do indeed imply that matter makes consciousness, unless you can come up with another equally logical interpretation of the correlations. Okay, then, come up with some really bizarre interpretation. Okay then, come up with any interpretation of these correlations that does not imply matter creates consciousness. That will be hard to do, even for one such as you who has alreadly decided the conclusions in advance.

Correlations show that you obey TLOP. Which you believe is a non-conscious force.

Yes, and all those correlations show that matter makes consciousness. I say, manipulate matter and conciousness is changed.

Again you have shown correlations...not the process of matter creating consciousness

Now show how you show how to manipulate consciousness and thereby change matter. I've shown you how my experiments would work. You show me how yours do.

How though?
Im not the one generating this universe? I am a part of it. I obey TLOP.

I cant think of a F-22 and a F-22 will magically appear in front of me.

This universe is "matter creating consciousness" in action...via TLOP, only you have assigned TLOP to be non-conconscious.

So do I, lad, in the sense that I cannot do anything that TLOP do not allow. But TLOP allow lots of things, including randomness and free will. I like to think of TLOP as a fair and just lawgiver, rather than a dictator.

How is TLOP the dictator? Ultimately, it's YOUR MPB that's being run.

Randomness and free-will.....well consciousness seems to be algorithmic in process...I dont see how randomness and free-will can be so. Even if things were random, I dont see how you can sufficiently explain how that gives you your free-will.

Wow! what a meaningful aphorism! But then, without science, what is logic. OOOOOH. We are such deep thinkers!:D

Whats science without logic?
Thats meanlingess, because science is going to stem from logic anyway.

Okay, then. You mean "obey" in the sense as to follow commands. But TLOP do not give commands. They do not tell which atoms of uranium must fission. They do not tell Wraith which number he must choose between one an one hundred. TLOP constrain, they do not command (IMO). Thus, the different meanings of "obey" are critical to this discussion.

Thats the thing....you see correlations as "evidence" for matter creating consciousness, yet you dont obey those very correlations?

wraith: The moon obeys TLOP ie the moon is constrained by TLOP but it doesnt take orders from TLOP...ahh huh...So what does it do when it's not taking orders?


Tricky: It has some friends over for wine and cheese. Even the moon must have a day off. :D

But seriously, Wrath, the moon is not absolutely constrained in it's orbit, nor is the Earth or any body in the galaxy. A large enough asteroid could knock the moon out of orbit, or even destroy it. Is that TLOP? Yes, but it still shows that TLOP allow random and unpredictable occurrances to happen.

How is the asteroid hitting the earth a random event?

Will you please quit telling me what I am saying. I know what I am saying and you apparently don't. In fact, I am saying the same thing you are. The conclusion is observably true, yet the logic is false. According to the "logic equals truth" school, false logic should lead to a false conclusion. I have shown you an example where that is incorrect. I have also shown you cases where correct logic leads to a false conclusion. Thus, logic is not the final arbiter of truth, and so Logical Deism is a house of cards.

haha
That syllogism isnt logical. So youre right in saying that the logic is false. Due to this, the conclusion is not true by necessity.

However you said "false logic should lead to a false conclusion."
What are you trying to say here? The syllogism is false becase the conclusion doesnt flow from the premises. You seem to say that the premises are not logical. How do the premises indicate, as you say, "false logic"?



I realize that is what you are saying, and I don't claim that you are wrong. All I am saying is you don't know. Neither do I. I can envision a timeless scenario, and I can envision a scenario where time always existed. But if you claim time is conscious then you must admit that at least one thing (time) has a consciousness that was not created by somethingl else. Therefore both you and I claim that consciousness can exist that was not created by a conscious precursor. You say time. I say life on Earth. I can show that some life on Earth is conscious (by any definition you choose). Can you show that time is conscious?

How can you image a "no-time" scenario when you need Time to think up that scenario in the first place?
 
wraith said:


Well...what's controlling you? ;)
Well... why do you assume that anything controlling you necessarily must be "more conscious" than you are? ;)
 
CWL said:


Demonstrating the existence of consciousness without the presence of matter would be reasonable evidence against materialism, don't you think?

Just look at TLOP.

ONLY by double standard, can anyone say that they are more conscious than TLOP.
 
Top pic by the way Tricky ;)
I take it that youre a bit of a ladies man? a stallion if you will..
haha! :cool:
 
wraith said:
Correlations show that you obey TLOP. Which you believe is a non-conscious force.
My apologies for jumping in here, but who says that TLOP is a "force"? Is it not simply the properties of energy and matter?

As to the famous Syllogism, may I ask you to consider the following:

Atoms behave in certain way
You are made of atoms
You behave in (exactly) the same way as atoms

Is there in your opinion anything wrong with it? Why or why not?

Do you believe that the above syllogism excludes any and all possibilities for "you" to behave differently from "atoms"?

Edited for those pesky typos
 
wraith said:


Just look at TLOP.

ONLY by double standard, can anyone say that they are more conscious than TLOP.
How so? Only by providing evidence can one reasonably assert that TLOP is conscious.
 
CWL said:


Demonstrating the existence of consciousness without the presence of matter would be reasonable evidence against materialism, don't you think?

So true. Now if you define "existence of consciousness" and "presence of matter" without assuming matter exists -- which is at heart what we are discussing -- we can move to the next level of problems materialists/atheists must come to grips with. You know, life/non-life boundary on one end, HPC on the other.

Idealism at least can offer possibilities of answers that do not negate free will.
 

Back
Top Bottom