X-Message-Number: 8337 From: (Thomas Donaldson) Subject: Re: CryoNet #8335 - #8336 Date: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 10:14:13 -0700 (PDT) Hi again! The interesting thing that has been happening about consciousness in the neuroscientific world is that many have come to believe that it can be studied empirically, just as any other phenomenon in the world. Yes, any strain of scientific study does involve a philosophy about it, but that is hardly the only thing. While purely philosophical discussions on ANY subject have never gone anywhere, we will at least learn a great deal more about how our brain works if we follow the empirical scientific thread. And we may very well decide that this is a subject which CANNOT be sensibly discussed without reference to experiments. At one time people thought they could understand how the skies worked simply by philosophy. Then telescopes were discovered. I too find it hard to be convinced by any purely philosophical discussion of consciousness; but the experimental work now going on gives lots more insight than a whole encyclopedia of philosophy. I believe that discussions of consciousness on Cryonet would improve if such experiments were taken into account, at least. Long long life, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8337