Brain complexity: gene response to light stimuli (Introduction)

by dhw, Wednesday, February 14, 2018, 13:26 (2474 days ago) @ David Turell

I am editing this post and the next to make the argument clear.

DAVID: Implementation results in automatic plasticity changes which may shrink earch stage of brain slightly, as based on current scientific fact. (dhw’s bold)

dhw: There is no scientific evidence whatsoever that any changes take place BEFORE implementation, whereas your theory is that enlargement (which occurs in both hypotheses) did take place before implementation: the exact opposite of your own statement above that implementation RESULTS in changes. (David’s bold)

DAVID: The part in bold of your statement is a complete misinterpretation of my view. My point is simple. At each stage in the size of brain as human evolution proceeded, that size had plasticity and could modify with new implementations. It might even shrink slightly as we see in the sapiens level of development.

dhw: Until now, I have always understood your hypothesis to be that your God enlarged the brains of pre-sapiens BEFORE the hominins had their new concepts.

DAVID: I've not changed. New enlarged brain in a next step to sapiens can now conceive of new concepts and implementation may result in some shrinkage as in sapiens.

So how is my bolded statement above a complete misrepresentation? You are now saying yet again that the brain is enlarged BEFORE the hominin is able to conceive and implement his new concepts! (It may be true, but that is materialism, which you claim to reject.)

dhw: My argument has been that the enlargement came about through the implementation of new concepts, i.e. that all “modifications” (enlargement, complexification, shrinkage) are the RESULT of implementation.

DAVID: I can accept as modification a few new neurons. many new axons and connections and at times shrinkage. A mind filled with unfulfilled concepts cannot drive enlargement of brain and skull pan. Neurons are neurons, not a planning design committee.

1) Why can you accept a few new neurons but not a lot of new neurons as “modification”?
2) Neurons are cells, and your last statement is indeed the essence of dualism: according to you it is NOT the material cells that do the planning. It is the immaterial self/soul/consciousness. Therefore additional cells will NOT enable the hominin to come up with new concepts.
3 You agree that “implementation RESULTS in automatic plastic changes”: additional neurons plus all their connections = automatic plastic changes. But you claim that these changes are NOT the result of implementation.
4 You agree that “size had plasticity and could modify with implementations”, and yet it now appears that size is not plastic and cannot modify with new implementations.

But you cannot see any of these contradictions.