Consciousness: Egnor on dualism: another example (General)

by David Turell , Monday, August 13, 2018, 18:59 (2292 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID: As you accuse me of confusing thoughts, your religious adherence to what many dualists think dosn't advance the discussion. I've told you I don't follow any theories but my own, based on what we know happens materially.

dhw: I have reproduced some of your multiple, ever changing theories above, and you do not advance the discussion by ignoring all the contradictions they contain. They arise out of your attempt to reconcile your belief that the soul is a piece of your God’s immaterial consciousness with your knowledge of what happens materially.

I know that. My multiple approaches confuse you, in part because you seem to have one rigid view of the characteristics of what a soul does or is capable of doing. I h ave my view. You have your different view. Until we find a common description of soul that we both agree to, our confused discussion will continue.

dhw: […] you still haven’t explained why your soul, your piece of God’s consciousness, which can think meaningful thoughts when the brain is dead, can’t think meaningful thoughts when it is encased in its material body/brain. It is no answer to say it can’t think meaningful thoughts because it uses the brain.

DAVID: But that is my position. It thinks meaningful thoughts because it uses the brain as I do.

dhw: As you keep agreeing, the soul IS you. So apparently the soul can’t think meaningful thoughts because your soul uses your brain as your soul does. But you don’t find this confusing.

No, I don't. I am my soul and I know the living I uses my brain to think. Don't you?

DAVID: The electricity represents the production of thought by the brain, driving by an initiation from me/soul.

dhw: What does all this mean? Apparently now the soul tells the brain to produce a thought, but it hasn’t a clue what the thought is supposed to be about because the brain has to “produce” it. Either the dualist’s soul, if there is such a thing, produces the thought, using information provided by the brain (electrical activity caused by soul gaining access to information or looking to give the thought material expression), or the brain produces the thought (electrical activity) using its own information (materialism).

Yes, the issue has a definitely material side from which the appearance of conscious thought has to be explained. The brain produces thought because I/soul drive it to produce thought. I/soul control the brain's activity. Doesn't yours?