Trilobite eyes (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, March 31, 2013, 16:13 (4046 days ago) @ David Turell

david: A third way or no way!- Wishful thinking to avoid choosing. A third way is wishful thinking by those who cannot imagine as a First Cause a god of any sort, and for some reason are not willing to venture in that direction. Bacterial decisions are simply chemical as this article shows. The flagellum has been studied until there is little left to reveal. Bacteria can tumble in place or run in a direction. It all depends upon what their chemical sensors detect. The bacteria are chemical reactors. No nerve cells to create any kind of mental state or panpsychism. The chemicals around them cause a series of events to make their flagella react to move either toward, away, or stay still. This is all automatic behavior. No intentionality implied. The only way panpsychism can be present here is if we propose that a 'mind' invented this system of run or tumble. I'll accept that! -http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001480-And a very successful invention it is, since bacteria have been around for about 3.5 billion years and can live in places we humans cannot even consider. And we can think and plan and invent nutty ideas like panpsychism as a way out from the only two possibilties for evolution reaching this argumentative point: chance or design. Wish for a third way, and keep wishing. It isn't there.