Neuroblog.net

Thanks to ContraWagner on Youtube for uploading this talk! (for those that haven’t checked it out yet, youtube actually has a small philosophical community of people that contribute, and argue out positions in the form of video responses. Here is ContraWagners summary of the talk…. John Searles positions taken in this talk include:

* Rejects computational theory of mind with his Chinese Room argument.

* Rejects Cartesian dualism. Probably rejects property dualism as well.

* Study of consciousness using scientific method IS possible. This is very much against previously conceived notion that goes something like “consciousness is known subjectively only, thus scientific inquiry from third person perspective cannot explain consciousness.”

* Reduction of consciousness to neurobiological phenomena is not strictly possible since nuerobiological phenomena loses the qualitative feel of subjectivity. One must tackle this problem directly without eliminating consciousness.

* Rejects epiphenomenalism, so he admits free will is real. I think he now takes somewhat agnostic position on this issue.