Big brain evolution: brain size and intelligence (Evolution)

by dhw, Monday, April 02, 2018, 11:01 (2217 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: My theory of dualism is not yours. I must use my brain to think, using my consciousness as a gift from God which allows thought.

dhw: Your theory of dualism – as you have agreed above – is precisely the same as mine. Your self/soul/consciousness does not “ALLOW” thought. It thinks. And – as you have agreed above – your brain “allows” you, your self/soul/consciousness, to implement its thoughts.

DAVID: We seem to agree. I just use words differently than you do.

dhw: Since you now agree that according to your dualistic beliefs the s/s/c does the thinking and the brain does the implementing, it must be clear to you that the pre-sapiens brain would not have needed to expand before the s/s/c could come up with new immaterial concepts (which are thoughts). The expansion was required for the material implementation of the new concepts. With this in mind, I will try in the next few days to formulate an explanation that might eliminate the dichotomy between this dualistic view of the thinking self and the materialistic view that the material brain is the source of immaterial thought.

DAVID: Yes it would need to expand. Using my analogy of software/hardware, hominin advances required a larger brain be present to support more complex concepts. In life the s/s/c uses the brain to think. You imply the s/s/c is somehow independent in life but impart thoughts to the brain for implementation from a distance. Not so. They are completely interlocked, and we even have a good idea of where the different parts of the s/s/c and the brain perform differing functions together.

You repeatedly agree with my interpretation of dualism, and then you repeatedly try to disagree by messing around with the vocabulary. You have agreed repeatedly that in life the s/s/c (software) does the thinking and uses the brain (hardware) to IMPLEMENT its thoughts (or to use the information provided by the brain). But back you go to “the s/s/c uses the brain to think”. And now suddenly you manufacture a brand new objection: “from a distance”. Where have you conjured that from? Of course in life the dualist’s immaterial self acts inside the material self. They would only separate at death or during NDEs. That is why NDEs are regarded as evidence that during life we consist of a material and an immaterial self. Please stop agreeing and then manufacturing reasons to disagree.