Panpsychism Makes a Comeback (General)

by David Turell , Friday, January 23, 2015, 22:22 (3590 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: As for awareness, even when studying humans, all that neuroscientists can “see” is a mass of chemical reactions. The problem is fitting what we see to what happens - i.e. how do chemical reactions explain intelligent behaviour,....-The human brain is not just chemical reactions. It is a very complex network of axons, changing synaptic transmissions, crowd sourcing of neurons for certain tasks, and plasticity when it invents networks to handle new habits, new tasks, and new muscular coordination in athletic training. Train an ape to do a spinning jump hook shot in basketball, or pitch a cricket ball on the bounce. You can't. only the human brain can. Animals have a complex brain also and it has plasticity, but only a minuscule ability of the human brain. ->dhw: And yet you believe that some organisms do have that invisible faculty - i.e. you believe that animals have souls - but somehow, although they use it to feel, think, reason, make decisions etc., it's a different “kind” from ours.-The Jewish religion differentiates the two souls as different. I follow that tradition: Nefesh and Neshama-> dhw: I see no need for special creation, because I see human intelligence as an extension of animal intelligence, though it has evolved to such a degree that perhaps you have lost sight of its roots.-I know the roots just as well as you do. I see the gap you won't agree to see. 
> DAVID: Sorry, but I can't follow your line of thought. I'' try the other post.
> 
> dhw: When dealing with bacteria, you insist on disregarding the mystery of their apparently autonomous behaviour (observed by eminent researchers) and focusing purely on the chemistry. I am suggesting you do so because you cannot bear the thought that organisms might possess the means (possibly God-given) to advance evolution their own way. That goes against your vision of God as planning every step of evolution so that it would produce humans.-No, I've said that God may had implanted an IM. Your paragraph is a twisted interpretation of my thoughts. Either way, with complete pre-programming in the beginning, with dabbling, or with a semi-autonomous IM evolution reaches the production of humans.