Elliott Bignell
Nov 11, 2023

--

I think it needs pointing out more often that the most interesting thing about both consciousness and qualia are that we have words for them. A quale is clearly not a solely private, first-person phenomenon for the obvious reason that we can talk about it. The flow of information is therefore not solely rock-retina-neurons-mind. There is some path for mind-neurons-vocal-chords.

It strikes me that this defeats not just Chalmers' materialist dualism-via emergence but also any form of dualism. Mind affects matter in that it fires neurons. Third persons can read these neurons, or just ask questions if they want to be polite. Either way, I have never seen the slightest evidence for anything non-physical triggering neurons, Penrose be darned.

--

--

Elliott Bignell

Software engineer, photographer, cook, bedroom guitarist and karateka