On Fri, 05 Mar 1999 14:14:42 GMT, ZZZghull at stny.lrun.com (Jerry Hull)
wrote:
>>>>>>Which makes consciousness part of what?
>>>>God? Why does it have to be a part of anything, for that matter, why
>>can't it be just another part of the universe which "just is", like a
>>photon or an electron. Not everything is made of something.
>>Everything is made of something;
No, only composite things are made of something. Elementary particles
are not. What's an electron made of?
if they were made of nothing they wouldn't be
>anything. The puzzle is the relation between conciousness and mind, on your
>view. Why suppose, as you seem to, that consciousness is not mental?
Because it's not really _like_ any kind of mental processing. Thinking
is something we _do_, consciousness is something we _are_.
> Is
>there no "mental"?
Yes, but it's probably just the information content of the brain. It's
not a separate thing but as aspect, a way of looking at, the brain.
> Is consciousness yet a third thing, in addition to minds
>and bodies? I mean, the metaphysical problems in this area are in part
>taxological, so the denial of a connection between consciousness & mind only
>seems to make them worse.
Yes, but consciousness exists, requires explaning and is not adequately
explained by the mind.