consciousness

[Libby von H]

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Descartes had to invoke ocassionalism to even make sense to himself
Occasionalism is a philosophical doctrine about causation which says that created substances cannot be efficient causes of events. Instead, all events are taken to be caused directly by God.

 

[scruffy]

I only remark that you make the most basic of all mistakes, explaining a transcendental , a given of creation.
You are like the person trying to simplify what Truth , Beauty , or Goodness is.
What if consciousness is start and not a result.

Consciousness is an active PHYSICAL process that depends on a biological substrate.

That's what's new here - the PHYSICAL mechanism.

No one ever in all of history, has thought in these terms.

The biology is only there to support the underlying physics.

If you're into religion, this should resonate with you. The vocabulary may be different, but the physics is immutable.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

It's red because we SEE it that way, not because of any inherent physics. The same wavelength could be perceived as red by one organism and yellow by another.

Which may be a totally moot point. We have a concept of "red", because we can form abstract concepts and possess the ability of introspection.

Animals do not. At no point does an animal stop to distinguish a color from another and contemplate that.

This stuff hurts my brain.

 

[scruffy]

Which may be a totally moot point. We have a concept of "red", because we can form abstract concepts and possess the ability of introspection.

Animals do not. At no point does an animal stop to distinguish a color from another and contemplate that.

This stuff hurts my brain.

Would it still be red if no one ever told you it was red?

No... "red" depends on area V4 of the visual cortex.

Colour centre - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

In humans there is color blindness due to loss of sensory input, but there is also a condition called cerebral achromatopsia.

Cerebral achromatopsia: colour blindness despite wavelength processing - PubMed

Cortical colour blindness is caused by brain damage to the ventro-medial occipital and temporal lobes. A possible explanation is that the pathway responsible for transmitting information about wavelength and its subsequent elaboration as colour has been destroyed at the cortical level. However...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

(check the references too)

The senses are embedded into the cerebral mantle in a peculiar way. There is also a condition called synesthesia, where you hear colors and see sounds. (Maybe you have to drop enough acid, I dunno - but it exists).

Sense and sense abilities: How synesthesia changes what people experience

Having synesthesia can cause you to taste words, hear colors and more. For some, the horse might truly look like it has a different color.

my.clevelandclinic.org