Review: Darwin\'s Doubt (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, September 23, 2013, 13:22 (4080 days ago) @ George Jelliss

GEORGE: This article by Andrew Parker, from 2005, puts forward the theory 
that the Cambrian Explosion is due to the evolution of eyes:-http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/cambrian-explosion-explained/3...-This of course is just one hypothesis, among many. As far as I know there is no scientific consensus, which is why the subject is open for ID controversialists to play about with.-The subject is equally open for agnostic and atheist controversialists to "play about with". I have followed up Lynn Margulis's concept of cooperation between cells as "conscious entities" to suggest that a dramatic environmental change could trigger dramatic changes among intelligent cell communities, leading to all kinds of innovations. This scenario can be interpreted theistically or atheistically.-GEORGE: The statement in the original post that "materialism ... denies free will" is nonsense (but I've an idea that subject has been done to death here previously). Also materialism isn't the belief that "matter is all that exists" these days, one has to include energy.-In the light of the above, it would be interesting to know how a materialist views consciousness with all its manifestations (will, memory, emotion, imagination, introspection etc.). How does matter produce awareness of itself? Is consciousness energy produced by matter? Can matter produce energy which freely directs the matter that produces it? Or is consciousness a form of energy that interacts with matter but is not dependent on matter for its existence (thus allowing for free will, psychic experiences etc.)?