John Searle is a philosopher of the mind. He has no idea what consciousness really is.
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> http://www.thebestschools.org/bestschoolsblog/2013/01/03/philosopher-mind-john-searle-c... in that case he is honest.

rom: Anyway I would go further and suggest that matter and energy are two sides of the same coin.
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> I still do not see how this is coherent with a personal nevermind universal consciousness.-John Searle is a philosopher of the mind. He has no idea what consciousness really is.-http://www.thebestschools.org/bestschoolsblog/2013/01/03/philosopher-mind-john-searle-central-feature-conciousness-subjectivity/#more-12011


> rom: Anyway I would go further and suggest that matter and energy are two sides of the same coin.-No, energy is everything and matter is a form of energy. Sides of coins are almost equals. The basis of everything is energy. The Big Bang was pure plasma energy.
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> rom:I still do not see how this is coherent with a personal nevermind universal consciousness.-Following Bohm, Rupert Sheldrake, and others who research NDE's I think there is species consciousness, a universal consciousness, all interconected thoughout the universe by quantum entanglement. Bohm is all theory, but Sheldrake's actual studies are suggestive.


> > 
> > Rom: Regarding consciousness not being physical: are electrons physical according to your lexicon?
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> No. We discuss them as physical points of energy, but really they are particles of energy, and subject to quantum indeterminism. I return to my training in college. Our philosophy professor had the best answer: "Matter is energy on the outside; mind is energy on the inside". The universe is only energy, with a small portion in the form of matter.(4%?) This is why I refer to universal consciousness.
I suggest you should have been more questioning of your college professor.-Anyway I would go further and suggest that matter and energy are two sides of the same coin.-I still do not see how this is coherent with a personal nevermind universal consciousness.


> 
> Rom: Regarding consciousness not being physical: are electrons physical according to your lexicon?- No. We discuss them as physical points of energy, but really they are particles of energy, and subject to quantum indeterminism. I return to my training in college. Our philosophy professor had the best answer: "Matter is energy on the outside; mind is energy on the inside". The universe is only energy, with a small portion in the form of matter.(4%?) This is why I refer to universal consciousness.

Rom: Your refutation of Stenger the other day got me searching Stenger's works. I have not read anything of his yet. 
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> Anyway here is his take on free will
> http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/FreeWillSkeptic.pdf- Stenger's conclulsion:"That's what it all boils down to: that I'm in my right mind and in control of my behavior. Calling it "free will" (as compatibilists do) confuses people, since it suggests some form of dualism, supernatural or not; so let's call it "autonomy." Even if free will is an illusion, autonomous will is not. If you and I are not just some ephemeral consciousness but rather our physical brains and bodies— and the scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports this conclusion—then it is still "we" who make our decisions. And after all, that's what the brain evolved to do, whatever role consciousness might play. Therefore, it is you who are responsible for your decisions, and thus society may justly hold you accountable for your actions."-A good conclusion. The brain uses sleight of hand to allow us to make decisions at times rather quickly as in sports responses, like hitting a pitched ball. I think saying we don't have free will is pushing a conclusion about the brain's processes to an excess. We need the sleight of hand and all of the quantum properties to feel like we run the show, and we do run the show. None of this tells us what consciousness is, but it is not physical, it is at a spiritual level. I follow David Bohm with the idea that consciousness and interconnectedness pervade the universe, which then provide information to support the processes of life. I believe life as inevitable, as does Paul Davies.

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Illusion-Social-Creates-Identity/dp/019989759X
&... 
> and
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> http://www.amazon.com/Sleights-Mind-Neuroscience-Everyday-Deceptions/product-reviews/03... you for giving me a chance to review your source material. We are on opposite sides of a view of 'self'. I am a very concrete individual and have vivid memories from age two. I was myself then and I am now. I may have completely changed my politics from liberal to libertarian, but I can understand my evolution in thought.-Yes, I saw reviews of the book on illusions. I know the brain can be tricked, and the brain is trained to see patterns. So? Good example: Sitting in my car day dreaming and the car next to me moves; I have the illusion I am moving, until the moment I start to pay attention. The brain is marvelously built to help us make split-second decisions in order to deal with reality in a coordinated way. Magic tricks do not disprove self.-Also see my entry and Matts from, August 8, 2012 on Libet.-The other book has mixed reviews as one might imagine, considering the long debate on this subject.

Rom: The blogger should add The Self Illusion and The Sleight of Mind to his reading list.-I was interested but I can't find it as titled. Who is the author or is the title wrong?


> The brain controls personality, as an originator or a receiver?
> But when neuroscientists triumphantly pinpoint areas of the brain that light up during particular activities, they don't ask (and would not be able to answer anyway) just what part of the person activates those areas of the brain. -Another question, after I've had a night of vivid dreaming is, who is in control to manifest the dream sequences? Is it me or is it an independent brain? But I can relate most dreams to my own experiences and thoughts. Freud used dreams in his therapy of patients just for that reason. I know I initiate a line of reasoning at my volition, but I'm not in control of dreams. And of course the other question: why dream at all? What purpose? I know my dog dreams, I've watched him, but what function or purpose does it provide for him?
 
The whole issue is well beyond fMRI's. I've presented websites that make the point that the material presented is extremely basic and elemental, like learning pre-K material when we are really searching for a Ph.D. thesis. For the atheist (think Dawkins) who uses Darwin to justify his personal philosophy, the presence of a conscious brain is a nightmare. By chance from an origin using inorganic matter to start? Ridiculous!