Simon Conway Morris on animal intelligence (Introduction)

by dhw, Wednesday, January 25, 2017, 13:50 (2859 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: Thank you. It is your “total mentality” that controls your brain, and consciousness is not “a mechanism the brain uses”, but the brain is a mechanism used by consciousness. Enhanced consciousness is not the product of an enlarged brain, but mental totality uses the brain, which grows to meet the requirements of an enhanced consciousness. Now at last you have your dualism.
Whether it’s true or not is another question.

DAVID: You've stated what I think differently than I do, since I view consciousness as a received mechanism. I don't think the native brain can do it on its own, based on NDE research.

You are simply repeating that the brain acts as a receiver of consciousness, which is another way of saying consciousness uses the brain (as opposed to the brain using consciousness). The brain “doing it on its own” is materialism. There is no disagreement between us now on what constitutes your dualism, as summarized above. However, materialism might (very cautious word) receive a boost from the following:

DAVID; (under “big brain from viruses”) Retroviruses incorporated themselves into human and ape DNA's but no other species about 35-45 million years ago. they do affect neurons:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170112110840.htm

QUOTE: "Much of what we know about the overall development of the brain comes from the fruit fly, zebrafish and mouse. However, if endogenous retroviruses affect brain function, and we have our own set of these ERV, the mechanisms they affect may have contributed to the development of the human brain," says Johan Jakobsson."

DAVID’s comment: There has to be some reason why the human brain grew so big compared to the apes. This may be a clue as to the mechanism.

If your dualism is correct, it is consciousness that has enlarged the brain, which responds to its needs. But if retroviruses were the cause (a big IF), i.e. these GAVE RISE to our enhanced awareness through complexification of the brain, we are back on the road to materialism.