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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank
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To: Greg or e who wrote (81961)12/8/2009 11:42:41 AM
From: one_less  Read Replies (2) of 82486
 
"Using the immaterial reality known as thought to explain the immaterial reality known as reason is not a very satisfying explanation from a materialistic perspective. If it is as you imply, a strictly mechanistic process; then there can be no free thinkers or free thinking."

Thought is not entirely immaterial. It involves electro-chemical processes which occur within neurons and transfer across neuron synapses. Receptor sites are then encoded as thought taking form on neurons. This thought may be recalled from the neuron as memory, although practical memory is much more complicated involving large numbers of neurons working in collaboration. Or the thought may be integrated in some synthesis of new thoughtful ideas, new to the thinking agent at least.


"The adult human brain is estimated to contain from 1014 to 5 × 1014 (100-500 trillion) synapses. Every cubic millimeter of cerebral cortex contains roughly a billion of them."

Ideas full of thought are actually what is being realised by the thoughtful agent to exist. What exists is not created by thought but it may be revealed by thoughtfulness. What exists simply is ... what is, is. Does thought exist separately from these processes? Does what 'is' exist separately from any thought of it? We have no evidence either way.

You can't do much about what is, except maybe to think about it in order to gain a better understanding of it, and maybe find useful ways of adapting to it. Of course if you find a way to free the tree from it's bark, fish from it's water, or humans from their reasoning, I'd be interested in hearing about it.
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