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- From: barry@netcom.com (Kenn Barry)
- Newsgroups: sci.philosophy.tech,sci.philosophy.meta,sci.skeptic
- Subject: Re: Mysticism and Provability (Was: Re: MINDWALK)
- Message-ID: <1993Jan26.163049.23614@netcom.com>
- Date: 26 Jan 93 16:30:49 GMT
- References: <C13JFB.Euo@quake.sylmar.ca.us> <1993Jan19.182403.3979@newstand.syr.edu> <1993Jan20.050642.4355@blaze.cs.jhu.edu>
- Organization: QQQCLC
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- In article <1993Jan20.050642.4355@blaze.cs.jhu.edu> arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee) writes:
- >If you try to tell me that there is something that is real, cannot be
- >perceived, _and_ has no physical effects, direct or indirect, then logic would
- >indeed tell us to forget it. But I agree with logic here.
-
- I know an example of what you want: other people's
- consciousness. When you get right down to it, all we have is induction
- to verify they exist. Another's consciousness can't be perceived
- directly. As for indirect, that calls for drawing conclusions. We may
- believe that sentience is a prerequisite for human-type behavior, but
- who knows? Maybe a mindless automaton of sufficient complexity could act
- the same.
-
- Even your _own_ consciousness isn't provable by others.
- Sentience has all the characteristics of a mystical notion, _is_ a
- mystical notion, but pure materialists always seem to overlook it.
-
- Kayembee
-
