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Jack Cummins

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In: Drugs  — view comment
So you're not a coffee drinker? I adore coffee and coffee shops. I do like some alcohol, mainly wine and, definitely not beer or lager, but would defi...
December 22, 2021 at 19:05
Which old ideas do you think deserve more attention? Do you think that Western culture has gone too far in embracing relativism and plurality?
December 22, 2021 at 18:52
The aspect which we do know is that there is some degree of shared experience, like the sky being blue. Obviously, it is not possible to know another ...
December 22, 2021 at 18:49
I agree that the idea of qualia is just a term and that the complexities of perception have been discussed by many ways by various writers without use...
December 22, 2021 at 18:06
Just as a question for people to think about: what do you see if you close your eyes? Some people see only darkness. Some but not all of the time I se...
December 22, 2021 at 14:47
In: Drugs  — view comment
I am definitely an s-zombie today because I have a cold. It is not the cold that is the problem though, but that I feel that I can't go out in public ...
December 22, 2021 at 14:40
In: Drugs  — view comment
There are plenty of people in our culture who do spend their whole lives zombified on drugs, especially alcohol. Mind you, I have to admit that I can'...
December 22, 2021 at 14:14
Yes, these are all valid means of knowledge and it does seem that the materialist reductionist perspective is given prominence. This is especially tru...
December 22, 2021 at 14:09
Oh well, I am glad that he is okay and isn't ill with Omicron or anything else ominous. So, at the present time if I interact with Agent Smith I will ...
December 22, 2021 at 14:03
That is interesting. The Madfool reincarnated as Agent Smith. I have looked at a couple of posts by him and wondering if it is true..
December 22, 2021 at 13:31
It does seem that emotions are a main aspect in between the brain and sentient experience. If too much emphasis in understanding the nature of conscio...
December 22, 2021 at 11:19
It is now showing up as 14 days since the Madfool logged into the site. It is so strange because he seemed to be on it everyday. I just hope that he i...
December 22, 2021 at 10:53
In: Drugs  — view comment
I have found that caffeine helps with clear rational thinking and, this was initially through taking caffeine tablets when I was a student. I sometime...
December 22, 2021 at 10:38
I do intend to try to read other writers on the topic and, would like to read CI Lewis in particular. The ideas within art and music are interesting t...
December 21, 2021 at 05:17
As I was the person who asked the question I am still wondering how useful the idea of qualia is. There has been so much interesting discussion on the...
December 20, 2021 at 23:40
Happy birthday and plenty of 'glorious experiences', to enable you to make more pictures and poems.
December 20, 2021 at 20:10
I managed to get hold of and read Dennett's, 'From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds(2017), for his later views on qualia. One importa...
December 20, 2021 at 18:10
I have been thinking the exact same thing. He hasn't logged in for 11 days. I sent him a message a couple of days ago but he hasn't logged in so that ...
December 20, 2021 at 00:35
[reply="Mww;63201 It is difficult to disentangle aspects of the brain and sensory awareness. When I first developed an eye problem, to the point of be...
December 16, 2021 at 23:18
This thread was one which I created several months ago, so I am trying to tune into it again. That may even be relevant to the issue because specific ...
December 16, 2021 at 22:56
It was only after a few eye problems that I became aware that the retina is actually part of the brain. It may play more of a significant role in cons...
December 16, 2021 at 22:38
Interesting, and it may be that we are 'zombies' or 'robots' I have read some of the writers, but not all,but do wonder if there are certain criteria ...
December 16, 2021 at 22:21
It could be asked where in the mind do thoughts come and how much is a posteroi or a priori. Each of us lives in a world of subjective experience, bas...
December 16, 2021 at 19:34
Yes, I have been wondering about where dreaming and hallucinations are placed within qualia. This shows the way in which subjective consciousness take...
December 15, 2021 at 16:42
It is interesting to see this thread pop up suddenly and it probably is connected to qualia. The idea of thoughts as 'shadows of our feelings' of Niet...
December 14, 2021 at 23:01
I have been looking at so much activity on this thread, and trying to read it. The whole question of qualia is so complex. On the personal level, I wo...
December 14, 2021 at 16:39
I am really wondering what comes next. In England, where I am, it still the situation of many aspects of social activities not returning to normal. At...
December 13, 2021 at 01:28
Helen Keller was such an interesting example of many issues which defy conventional understanding of the nature of perception, its limitations and the...
December 12, 2021 at 22:12
Cameras are interesting as a way of captivating pictures and it may be that the whole process of recording of images and sounds is important here. It ...
December 12, 2021 at 22:00
Yes, the idea of the retina may be extremely important in the understanding of brain processes. I had never thought about it all until I was told that...
December 12, 2021 at 21:54
I am sure that my question is the most stupid and basic philosophy question ever asked but it, can be asked.What is a brain, as an aspect of processin...
December 12, 2021 at 21:44
I wonder so much about the retina and the brain in the whole process of perception. Personally, I have been to eye clinics, with a variety of eye prob...
December 12, 2021 at 21:19
I am reading and thinking about the many replies on the thread, but a little perplexed as there are many responses and it is such a complex area of ph...
December 12, 2021 at 17:49
I may be wrong in my understanding of qualia, but I have understood it to be more about questions arising about perception and objectivity. For exampl...
December 11, 2021 at 00:27
I probably came with some kind of bias against Dennett, but I am trying to read his ideas and see strengths as well as weaknesses. Part of the problem...
December 11, 2021 at 00:18
The problem may be that in philosophy there are so many 'bogeymen' and it is the point where it is worth weeding through the 'trash' and getting to th...
December 10, 2021 at 23:17
I am not really a big fan of Dennett. It was just that I came across his book, 'Consciousness Explained' (1991) while I was out and about today. I was...
December 10, 2021 at 23:10
I definitely find that qualia is an aspect which is used to explain aspects of reality which cannot be explained easily by idealism, realism or materi...
December 10, 2021 at 22:58
I do indeed wonder if 'qualia' is 'a preserve ' of certain academics'. It is simply that on a daily basis of reading ideas in philosophy, I keep comin...
December 10, 2021 at 22:48
I just happened to come across a book in a charity shop today by Daniel Dennett, 'Consciousness Explained' it was written in 1991, so it may not be a ...
December 10, 2021 at 22:38
Part of the problem which I see is that certain objective aspects of reality are easier to see than others. Those are the ones backed up by empirical ...
December 10, 2021 at 12:14
Your thumbnail is very distinct. The cross looking, or perplexed, philosophical child.
December 09, 2021 at 17:01
The question of how the Western world does think about the mind and brain is interesting, although as far as I am aware there is underlying debate abo...
December 09, 2021 at 16:32
Perhaps, it is worth getting lost in the terms at times and stepping into the murky areas of confusion. Perhaps, it may be worth taking risks, rather ...
December 09, 2021 at 16:24
A lot of fun and games in this thread today, and, perhaps this is how philosophy should be, including the ongoing ins and outs of the mind and body pr...
December 09, 2021 at 16:21
I guess that with regard to the unique parts of personal identity, a lot depends on the aspects which are most fundamental, including the genetic comp...
December 09, 2021 at 07:17
The idea of the 'mind' involving a whole interaction with the environment makes sense in many ways, especially with regard to the whole body. After al...
December 09, 2021 at 06:53
I think that your post is particularly interesting as the way in which the brain gives rise to mind is the part which is not known. The human mind is ...
December 08, 2021 at 10:23
It would likely be a positive development if neuroscientists are able to enable less cognitive dissonance. My only hope is that any such attempt, rath...
December 07, 2021 at 22:52
I wonder to what extent 'inside' and 'outside' are real, or fabrications of the human understanding of the experience of consciousness.
December 07, 2021 at 20:57