Philosophical Speculations

Regarding the 'Baloney' argument (see previous post), I don't think it is simpler to assume the existence of other minds than it is to assume my mind can create appearances of behaviors which suggest the existence of other minds, so I don't think this argument successfully refutes solipsism. Solips...

I don't believe in solipsism, nor that thinking is only trivial or illusory. Solipsism was mentioned just to remark that objecting to the reality of un-consciousness by appealing to personal experience is problematic, as this also excludes the reality of other minds too. So either you stay to your ...

Re solipsism, I'm not aware of any arguments to defeat solipsism, but that does make it a good philosophy. In fact it's a dead-end useless POV, and all ontologies, including materialism/physicalism and idealism, require inferences that include a world outside of the finite mind.

Materialism claims that consciousness, including any and all experiences and sense of self; are generated by the brain, and perhaps other organs and tissue in the body. So, if the brain dies, consciousness and any sense of self dies. Materialism is very easy to understand - until one stops to think ...

Actually, that is what is claimed by materialism - - Any physical process can be expressed as a computaion. QM does not change this.
The brain is a machine - and there is no ghost in the machine.

Who says every experience can be described with an equation? No one that I know of. There are many non-computable problems. As Robert suggests, materialism says that if one could know everything re the physics, every and all experiences can expressed as a computation. Introduce any other notion and...

I don't see how materialism (brain produces consciousness) is compatible with qualia. Specifically, if every experience can be described with an equation, or set of equations, there is no need for the word 'qualia' . . . that is, using phrase 'qualia' adds no additional value. IOW, once the material...

If I were to take a shot at this: If consciousness ends at death, that is because consciousness is a product of the brain. Brain death = end of consciousness. The implication of the brain as source of consciousness is that every experience, thought, image, emotion, etc, is a product of your brain - ...

I'm not sure if I'm properly following the discussion above - what I would offer is that according to Idealism - ideas, conscious experience, mind and what we call matter, all arise together. They can not arise from each other - they are the same 'substance'. According to Idealism, this 'substance' ...

Here is even a shorter essay . . .

Point to something/anything outside consciousness.