I agree with all of this… I would personally ask one question though, as I’m quite confused here… I think (pardon me if I’m putting words in anyone’s mouth) that the epiphenomenalist should agree that it’s all related causally, and when the decision comes to say that “I’ve noticed that I’ve noticed that I’m aware of a chair”, or something, it comes from causal relations. But that’s not located the… “Subjective” or “first person” “experience” (whatever any of those word ‘mean’).
I observe (through photons and my eyes and all the rest) the five sheep going through the gate, even though I miss a sixth, and I believe that the world is how I think it is, and I believe my vision is an intrinsic property of me in the world, mistakenly of course. Actually, when I say I’ve seen five sheep go through the gate, loads of processes that are below the level the conscious/speaking me is aware of, are working away, and are just making the top level stuff available—the stuff that evolution has decided would be beneficial for me to be able to talk about.
That doesn’t mean I’m not conscious of the sheep, just that I’m mistaken about what my consciousness is, and what exactly it’s telling me.
Where does the ‘aware’ bit come in? The ‘feeling’? The ‘subjective’?
(My apologies if I’ve confused a well argued discussion)
I agree with all of this… I would personally ask one question though, as I’m quite confused here… I think (pardon me if I’m putting words in anyone’s mouth) that the epiphenomenalist should agree that it’s all related causally, and when the decision comes to say that “I’ve noticed that I’ve noticed that I’m aware of a chair”, or something, it comes from causal relations. But that’s not located the… “Subjective” or “first person” “experience” (whatever any of those word ‘mean’).
I observe (through photons and my eyes and all the rest) the five sheep going through the gate, even though I miss a sixth, and I believe that the world is how I think it is, and I believe my vision is an intrinsic property of me in the world, mistakenly of course. Actually, when I say I’ve seen five sheep go through the gate, loads of processes that are below the level the conscious/speaking me is aware of, are working away, and are just making the top level stuff available—the stuff that evolution has decided would be beneficial for me to be able to talk about. That doesn’t mean I’m not conscious of the sheep, just that I’m mistaken about what my consciousness is, and what exactly it’s telling me. Where does the ‘aware’ bit come in? The ‘feeling’? The ‘subjective’?
(My apologies if I’ve confused a well argued discussion)