\"Is Consciousness a Brain Process\" U. T. Place PDF

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Sat ur day ,1Mayy

“I sConsci ousnessaBr ai nPr ocess?”U.T.Pl ace Abstract

-Thet hes i st hatconsci ousnessi sapr ocessi nt hebr ai ni snott obedi smi s sedon l ogi c algr oundal one

-Thecondi t i onsunderwhi c ht wosetofobs er v at i onsar et r eat edasobs er v at i onsoft he samepr ocessar edi s c us s ed

-Wecani dent i f yc onsc i ous nes swi t hagi v enpat t er nofbr ai nact i vi t y -Ar guedt hatt hepr obl em ofpr ov i di ngaphy si ol ogi calex pl anat i onofi nt r os pec t i v eobs er v at i onsi smadet oseem mor edi ffic ul tt hani sr eal l yi sbyt he‘ phenomenol ogi calf al l ac y ’ t hemi s t ak eni deat hatdes cr i pt i onsoft heappear ancesoft hi ngsar edes c r i pt i ons oft heact ual st at eofaffai r si namy st er i ousi nt er nal env i r onment

Introduction

-Thevi ewt hatt her ear ement alev ent swhi c hcan’ tbeexpl ai nedi nt er m ofphy si cal no l ongerc ommandst heac cept anc eamongs tphi l os opher si toncedi d

-Moder nphy s i c al i s mi sbehavi our i st i c -Consci ousnessont hi svi ewi sei t heraspeci alt ypeofbehavi ouroradi sposi t i ont o behav ei nac er t ai nway .

-Anal y s i si nt er msofdi s posi t i ont oacti sf undament al l ysound,i nc as eofcogni t i ve concept sl i k e‘ k nowi ng’ ,‘ bel i evi ng’ ,‘ r emember i ng’ ,‘ want i ng’ and‘ under st andi ng’ .

-HOWEVERwi t hnot i onsofcons c i ous nes s ,exper i ence,s ens at i onandment al i mager y s omes or tofi nnerpr ocessst or yi sunavoi dabl e

-Wi l l “ ar guet hatanac cept anceofi nnerpr ocessesdoesnotent ai ldual i sm andt hat t het hesi st hatconsci ousnessi sapr oc essoft hebr ai ncannotbedi s mi s s edonl ogi c al gr ounds . ”PURPOSEOFPAPER

The ‘is’ of definition and the ‘is’ of composition

-Notcl ai mi ngt hatst at ement saboutsensat i onsandment ali magesar er educi bl et o s t at ement saboutbr ai npr oc es s es .For“ t osayt hats t at ement saboutcons c i ous nes s ar es t at ement saboutbr ai npr ocessesi smani f est l yf al se”Shownby : 1

Sat ur day ,1Mayy I . Thef acty oucandes c r i bey oursensat i onswoutk nowi ngany t hi ngabouty ourbr ai n pr ocesses I I .Thef actt hats t at ement saboutone’ sconsci ousnessands t at ement saboutone’ s br ai npr ocessesar ever i fiedi nent i r el ydi ffer entways I I I .Thef actt her ei snot hi ngsel f cont r adi ct or yaboutt hest at ement‘ Xhaspai nbut t her ei snot hi nggoi ngoni nhi sbr ai n’ .

-“ ‘ Cons c i ousnes si sapr oc es si nt hebr ai n’onmyv i ewi snei t hers el f c ont r adi c t or ynor s el f ev i dent ;i ti sar eas onabl es ci ent i fichy pot hes i s ”

-Thevi ewt hatanass er t i onofi dent i t ybet weencons c i ousnessandbr ai npr oces ses c anber ul edoutonl ogi c algr oundsal oneder i v esf r om af ai l ur et odi st i ngui s hbet ween t he‘ i s ’ofdefini t i onandt he‘ i s ’ ofcomposi t i on

•‘ Redi sacol our ’ v s‘ Hi st abl ei sanol dpac ki ngcase’ •I nbot hc as esi tmak ess ens et oaddqual i fi cat i on‘ … andnot hi ngel s e’ •Bot hc as esbot ht hegr ammat i cal subj ec tandt hegr ammat i c al pr edi c at ear eexpr ess i onswhi c hpr ovi deanadequat echar act er i sat i onoft hest at eofaffai r s .

-‘ I s ’ofdefi ni t i oni snecessar ys . t .whens ubj ec tex pr es si oni sappl i c abl et hepr edi c at e mustal s obeappl i c abl e,t odes cr i bes omet hi ngasr edi st odes cr i bei tasc ol our ed

-Wi t hc ompos i t i ont her ei snos uc hr el at i ons hi pbet weent hemeani ngsof‘ hi st abl e’and ‘ ol dpac ki ngcase’ i tj us thappenst hatbot hex pr es si onsar eappl i c abl et os ameobj ec t

-Thosewhocl ai mt hatc onsc i ousnes si sbr ai npr oc es si sl ogi cal l yunt enabl ebas e t hei rc l ai m onmi s t ak enas s umpt i ont hati ft het wos t at ement sar eunconnect edt hey c antbot hpr ov i deanadequat ec har act er i s at i onoft hesameobj ectorst at eofaffai r s Summar y:peopl ec l ai mt hati fs omet hi ngi sast at eofcons ci ous nes si tcannotbea br ai npr oces ss i nc et her ei snot hi ngsel fcont r adi ct or yi ns uppos i ngsomeonef eel spai n whent her e’ snobr ai npr oces si nhi ss k ul l .Ther ef or el ogi cal l yunt enabl e—>Si mpl y wr ongsenseofi s-i sofcomposi t i on,notdefi ni t i on.Socanhav eex cept i onst ot he mi nd‘ i s ’ t hebr ai nwoutcont r adi ct i on

The logical independence of expression and the ontological independence of entities

-Ther ear edi ffer encesbtt het abl e/ pac ki ngcase

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•‘ Hi st abl ei sanol dpac ki ngcase’i sapar t i cul arpr oposi t i onwhi c hr ef er sonl yt o onecaseBUT‘ cons ci ous nes si sapr oc essi nt hebr ai n’i sagener alpr oposi t i on

•I fal lt abl eswer epac ki ngc as es,t hec onceptof‘ t abl es ’ and‘ pack i ngc as es ’ woul dn' t hav et her el ogi cal l yi ndependentst at usi nourl ang

•Rul eofl anguaget hatwhenagi v env ar i et yofobj ecthast wochar act er i st i csone ofwhi chi suni quet ot hatobj ec t ,t heexpr ess i onus edt or ef ert ot hechar act er i s t i c whi c hdefi nest heobj ec twi l l al way sent ai l t heexpr es s i onus edt or ef ert ot heot her c har ac t er i st i c .

•Thi swoul dex pl ai nbot ha)t heundoubt edf or ceoft hear gumentt hatc onsc i ousness andbr ai npr ocess esmustbei ndependentent i t i esbct heex pr es si onsusedt or ef er t ot hem ar el ogi c al l yi ndependentandb)t hephenomenonwher ebyquest i onsabout t hef ur ni t ur eoft heuni v er s ear eof t endec i dedmer el yonapoi ntofl ogi c

•Thear gumentf r om t hel ogi cal i ndependenc eoft woex pr ess i onst ot heont ol ogi c al i ndependenceoft heent i t i est owhi c ht heyr ef erbr eaksdowni nt hec as eofbr ai n pr oces sesandc onsc i ousnessbct hi si soneofar el at i v el ys mal l numberofcas es wher et her ul eabovedoesnotappl y

•Except i onsar ef oundi nc as eswher et heoper at i onswhi c hhav et obeper f or medi n or dert ov er i f ypr es enc eoft wochar act er i s t i c si nher i ngi nt heobj ectc ansel dom be per f or medsi mul t aneousl y

•Egt hec l oudandt hemas sofdr opl et si ns us pens i on.Onbas i sofobs er v at i onwe c oncl udet hatac l oudi samas soft i nypar t i c l esandnot hi ngel se,butnol ogi c alc onnec t i onbtc l oudandmas soft i nypar t i c l es ,not hi ngsel fcont r adi ct or yi nt al k i ng aboutacl oudwhi c hi snotc ompos edoft i nypar t i c l es .Twot er msmeanqui t edi ffer entt hi ngsbutwedon’ tconc l udet hatt her emustbet wot hi ngs.

When are two sets of observations observations of the same event?

-Cl oudex ampl edoesnotbr i ngoutt hepr obl em ofhowt hei dent i t yoft hes t at esofaf f ai r sr ef er r edt obyt het woexpr essi onsi sest abl i s hed

-I nc as eofbr ai npr oc es s esandc ons ci ous nessnos uc hc ont i nui t ybet weent het wo s et sofobs er v at i onsi nv ol v ed.Acl os eri nt r ospec t i v es c r ut i nywi l l nev err ev eal t he physi calnat ur eoft hebr ai n.

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-Eg.l i ght ni ng-nomat t erhowc l os el ywes cr ut i ni s est hel i ght ni ngwes hal lnev erbe abl et oobser vet heel ect r i cc har ges-j us tast heoper at i onsf ordet er mi ni ngt henat ur e ofone’ sst at eofc onsc i ousnessar er adi cal l ydi ffer entf r om t hos eofbr ai npr oces ses

-Whatl eadsust os ayt hatt het wos et sofobser v at i onsar eobs er v at i onsoft hes ame ev ent ?

•Can’ tmer el ybet hatt het woar esyst emat i cal l ycor r el at ed—>Ti deandmoon •“ Cas eswher et het ec hni cals c i ent i fi cobs er v at i ons… pr ov i deani mmedi at eex pl anat i onoft heobser v at i onsmadebyt hemani nt hes t r eet ”

The physiological explanation of introspection and the phenomenological fallacy

-I ft hi si sc or r ects houl df ol l owt hatt oest abl i s hi dent i t yofcons c i ous nes sandpr oc es s es i nt hebr ai nneedt os howt hatt hei nt r ospect i veobser vat i onsr epor t edbyt hesubj ec t c anbeac count edf ori nt er msofpr ocessesi nt hebr ai n.

•Butwhataboutconsci ousness? -Thephenomenol ogi calf al l acy:mi s t ak enass umpt i ont hatbec aus eourabi l i t yt odes c r i bet hi ngsi nourenv i r onmentdependsonourc onsc i ousnessont hem,ourdesc r i pt i onsoft hi ngsar epr i mar i l ydes cr i pt i onsoft heconsci ousexper i enceandonl ys ec ondar i l ydes c r i pt i onsoft heobj ect s

•I ti sonl yaf t erwehav el ear ntt odes cr i bet het hi ngs i nourenv i r onmentt hatwec an l ear nt odes cr i beourc onsc i ousnessoft hem.

•Wedescr i beourconsci ousexper i encebyr ef er encet ot heact ualphy s i c alpr oper t i esoft heconc r et ephy si csobj ec t swhi c hgi v er i set ot heexper i encewear et r y i ng t odes c r i be

-Oncewegetr i doft hephenomenol ogi calf al l ac ywer eal i s et her ei snot hi ngt hatt hei nt r ospect i ngsubj ectsay sabouthi sconsc i ousex per i enceswhi c hi si nconsi st ent wi t hanyt hi ngt hephy s i ol ogi s tmi ghts ayaboutbr ai npr oces ses .

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