From: BMSDGATH <BMSDGATH@livjm.ac.uk>
To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Subject: Reaction Machine Logic
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 16:23:18 -0400 (EDT)
>The Turner Hypothesis:
>---------------------------------
>The evolutionary function of human reason, e.g. such as is=20
>extended by human
>linguistic logic, is _not_ to =91say=92 what the world =91is=92, but=20
>rather to specify
>(=91say=92) how we should react to our experiences to better enhance=20
>our survival
>capacity.=20
Yes, that's called evolutionary epistemology, and it's been around=20
for 30-odd years........
=20
>Prepare to experience a paradigm "shift":)
What paradigm shift?
>What you think the world (or a 'thing') "is", is not. What you=20
>think the
>world "is" is the configuration of your brain's reaction=20
>circuitry, the
>synaptic logic which directs your brain's reactions to its=20
>experiences.
Locke and Berkeley said much the same thing 300 years ago....
The
>configuration of your brain's experiential-reaction circuitry=20
>(ERC)
Where does this come from? Is it a neologism?
>is
>something over which you have potential control -- i.e. it has=20
>the capability
>of "designing" its own configuration. As a "human being", your=20
>primary tool
>for configuring your ERC logic is your language.=20
If we assume that ERC is synonymous with consciousness (is it?)=20
then this is just linguistic determinism and has been around since=20
Whorf, Sapir and Vygotsky in the 1930s.
=20
> We tend to fail to recognize,
>however, that the words we use to describe a thing, and the thing=20
>itself, are
>not the same thing.=20
Example?
>We tend to fail to recognize this because,=20
>culturally, we
>do not express this distinction in our usage of our language.=20
Yes, but if we did it might be maladaptive. To say: that isn't a=20
lion that is approaching me, but only the electrical activity in=20
my brain consequent on the reflection of light from a=20
large....etc, by that time you've been eaten. Surely that's what=20
evolutionary epistemology is all about???
>This is why we must extend the scientific method to our lives in
>general.
Really? So who lives according to scientific method?
So far I've got one neologism, a few good, but old, ideas, and=20
definitely no paradigm shift.
Derek
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