Re: Levels of explanation (was Re: Determinism)

From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Thu Apr 19 2001 - 23:15:27 BST

  • Next message: Robin Faichney: "What's happening?"

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    Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 17:15:27 -0500
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    Subject: Re: Levels of explanation (was Re: Determinism)
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    References: <3ADD9D05.18383.14151C@localhost>; from joedees@bellsouth.net on Wed, Apr 18, 2001 at 01:56:21PM -0500
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    On 19 Apr 2001, at 8:59, Robin Faichney wrote:

    > On Wed, Apr 18, 2001 at 01:56:21PM -0500, joedees@bellsouth.net wrote:
    > > On 18 Apr 2001, at 18:15, Robin Faichney wrote: > > > On Wed, Apr
    > 18, 2001 at 08:49:55AM -0400, Wade T.Smith wrote: > > > On 04/18/01
    > 05:52, Robin Faichney said this- > > > > > > >"we have to distinguish
    > > > > >between causation and conceptual framework translation" > > > >
    > > > OK, I know that's your manifesto at the moment, but, I have to
    > admit > > > I'm fuzzy on what 'conceptual framework translation'
    > actually _is_. > > > > > > What is being translated and into what
    > language? > > > > Genetics, when you get to a certain level of detail,
    > requires the > > language of chemistry, rather than that of biology
    > (biochemistry, > > microbiology, whatever -- you get the idea).
    > Similar translations are > > required whenever we shift between levels
    > of explanation. It's the > > different concepts that apply within
    > them that distinguish between > > levels. > > > And now, for his next
    > act, the amazing linguistic prestidigitator (or > is that
    > prestianaloguer?) Robin Faichney will fully explain self- > conscious
    > awareness using nothing more than the elementary laws > of physics and
    > the Periodic Table of Elements! Let's give him a > round of applause,
    > ladies and gents!
    >
    > Chemisty and biology are differentiated by the levels of explanation
    > with which they deal, but both use objective methodology. With
    > "self-conscious awareness" subjectivity comes into the picture, and
    > that is irreducible.
    >
    Just like the emergent self-conscious awareness with respect to
    the material substrate brain. It is much easier to observe mutual
    causation between them than it is to explain the former in the
    lexicon of the latter; in fact, such explanation is impossible, as you
    noted, and constitutes what is known as the 'hard problem' of
    neuroscience; the physiological explanation of the subjective
    experiential perception of qualia.
    > --
    > Robin Faichney
    > Get your Meta-Information from http://www.ii01.org
    > (CAUTION: contains philosophy, may cause heads to spin)
    >
    > ===============================================================
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    >

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