I can (and do) believe that consciousness and subjective experience are things that exist, and are things that are important, without believing that they are in some kind of separate metaphysical category.
I understand, but I just want to urge you to examine the details of that really closely, starting with examining “consciousness”s place in Dualist thought. What I’m suggesting if many of us have got a concept from a school of thought you explicitly disagree with embedded in your thinking, and that’s worth looking into. It’s always alluring to dismiss things that run contrary to the existence of something we feel is important, but sometimes those rare times when we question our core values and thought that we make the most profound leaps forward.
Maybe we have a concept of gods because we are gods? It don’t think that logic works. If someone is physicalist then they can’t assume consciousness a priori. In which case, how can observation of brains and behaviours justify a concept like consciousness? The only way it can arise is out of a mind-body separation (Dualism).
Maybe we gave a concept of rocks, because there are rocks.
It isn’t a question of all sentences of the form “we have a concept of X because X exists” being analytically true. It is a question of having evidence of specific things. The other minds problem is the other minds problem because we all have evidence of our own minds.
If someone is physicalist then they can’t assume consciousness a priori. In which case, how can observation of brains and behaviours justify a concept like consciousness?
1 I am aware of my own consciousness
2 my own consciousness must be an outcome of the physical operation of my brain
3 similarly operating brains must be similarly conscious
I can (and do) believe that consciousness and subjective experience are things that exist, and are things that are important, without believing that they are in some kind of separate metaphysical category.
I understand, but I just want to urge you to examine the details of that really closely, starting with examining “consciousness”s place in Dualist thought. What I’m suggesting if many of us have got a concept from a school of thought you explicitly disagree with embedded in your thinking, and that’s worth looking into. It’s always alluring to dismiss things that run contrary to the existence of something we feel is important, but sometimes those rare times when we question our core values and thought that we make the most profound leaps forward.
I urge you to be less of a dismissive, lecturing dick when talking about consciousness.
What concept? The concept of consciousness or the concept of consciousness as fundamental?
Maybe we have a concept of consciousness because we are conscious.
Maybe we have a concept of gods because we are gods? It don’t think that logic works. If someone is physicalist then they can’t assume consciousness a priori. In which case, how can observation of brains and behaviours justify a concept like consciousness? The only way it can arise is out of a mind-body separation (Dualism).
Maybe we gave a concept of rocks, because there are rocks.
It isn’t a question of all sentences of the form “we have a concept of X because X exists” being analytically true. It is a question of having evidence of specific things. The other minds problem is the other minds problem because we all have evidence of our own minds.
1 I am aware of my own consciousness
2 my own consciousness must be an outcome of the physical operation of my brain
3 similarly operating brains must be similarly conscious
See other post. Cheers for discussion.