From mindless mathematics to thinking meat?
Matt Visser
arXiv Preprint Archive July 27, 2017 preprint
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Physics.hist-ph Philosophy of physics Foundations of physics Conceptual physics Metaphysics of physics Theoretical foundations Consciousness Mind-body problem Awareness Sentience Teleology Purpose Intentionality Final causes Goal-directedness Scientific methodology Epistemology Limits of science Conceptual analysis Unresolved problems |
| Key points | Argues that the 2017 FQXi essay contest theme is premature because no adequate mathematical or physical theory of consciousness exists, making resolution unlikely. |
Abstract
Deconstruction of the theme of the 2017 FQXi essay contest is already an interesting exercise in its own right: Teleology is rarely useful in physics --- the only known mainstream physics example (black hole event horizons) has a very mixed score-card --- so the "goals" and "aims and intentions" alluded to in the theme of the 2017 FQXi essay contest are already somewhat pushing the limits. Furthermore, "aims and intentions" certainly carries the implication of consciousness, and opens up a whole can of worms related to the mind-body problem. As for "mindless mathematical laws", that allusion is certainly in tension with at least some versions of the "mathematical universe hypothesis". Finally "wandering towards a goal" again carries the implication of consciousness, with all its attendant problems. In this essay I will argue, simply because we do not yet have any really good mathematical or physical theory of consciousness, that the theme of this essay contest is premature, and unlikely to lead to any resolution that would be widely accepted in the mathematics or physics communities.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |