Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id WAA15204 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 11 Oct 2001 22:29:30 +0100 From: <dgatherer@talk21.com> X-Mailer: talk21 v1.21 - http://talk21.btopenworld.com To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk X-Talk21Ref: none Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 22:20:46 BST Subject: Re: Memes in brain Message-Id: <20011011212209.BNVU29131.t21mta01-app.talk21.com@t21mtaV-lrs> Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Robin:
Cognitive science is not primarily about neurology. The focus is on
functionality. Leaving "neurological correlates" aside, the rest of
what you mention there sounds very "mind-like" to me. The supernatural
interpretation of "mind" is a straw man.
Derek:
Straw men make the best opponents..... Actually, I wasn't proposing a 'supernatural' mind is required. Even if you apply functionalism, you'll still have problems teasing out your memes-as-units. What I'm driving at is: what is the unit of brain functionality? What is the unit of selection of brain functionality?
Derek previously:
> As far as the mind goes, I think probably follow Dennett in not believing it
> exists.
Robin:
I'd be grateful for a reference on that.
Derek:
http://ase.tufts.edu/cogstud/biblio.htm is the full list.
More precisely, I was referring to Dennett's treatment of the Cartesian theatre in "Consciouness Explained". However, that's mind-as-qualia, not mind-as-function - so basically Dennett does believe in minds as you define them.
Robin:
So you think chess sets and universities don't really exist? Seems like
rather a useless usage of "real", to me.
Derek:
Of course they do exist. But how could one count all the bricks in the university? One could count all the bricks in Brasenose College. It's a question of what's real enough to be scientifically analysable. (and no, it's not just a matter of counting all the bricks in all the colleges and summing them)
Robin:
How about this: the trajectory of a missile can be accurately tracked
and recorded using the appropriate instrumentation. Is that trajectory
real, or not?
Derek:
Yes, real and yes, scientifically analyzable. But is the mind (functional or otherwise) so straightforward?
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