Dear Bruno, allow me to interleave below as [JM]: remarks.
John
----- Original Message -----
From: Bruno Marchal
To: everything-list.domain.name.hidden
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 9:13 AM
Subject: Re: Speaking about "Mathematicalism"
Le 09-avr.-07, à 16:40, John M a écrit :
Stathis,
I am weary about the view of 'computationalism' based on that emryonic binaryly digital toy we used yesterday. I let my tech. immagination wander and think about analog computers dealing in meanings and functions rather than bits 0 or 1.
BM:
But there is no universal analog computers. Analog machines can be made universal by making them able to compute the "sinus" function, but this is a way to implement a digital universal machine in an analog one.
And then why would real "analog machine" be more able able to deal with meaning and functions?
[JM]: I am not talking about 'analogizing' the digital kraxlwerk. I am REALLY referring to a NEW incention (discovery), like the digital computer was originally, dealing with some contraption of comparing - handling concepts, functions, meanings, ideas.I agree: it is beyond our today's level of reality(!). I do not believe that the digital-comp select analoguizing function can be universalized. I am talking about a principally different action of the future in spe. Free idea (your 'science').
In such sense
SUCH 'physical 'COMPUTER' will run a conscious program,
Why? You talk like if it was obvious that consciousness is related with actual third person real numbers (analog object)? At least comp explains completely why consciousness is related to real numbers, but only from the first person perspective. This is coherent with the fact that consciousness is a first person notion.
[JM]:
When I formulate my thoughts I do not start from 'numbers', real, Godel or not. Math comes in my thoughts as PART of a world - whether such world exists or not - and not vice versa.
So far I did not get a satisfactory argument from 'outside the numbers-started image' why the elusive numbers should be responsible for all change and activity. Hence my number=god.
Ref: your next remark.
not a mechanisedly 'consciousified' digital program.
John, with all my friendly respect, I think you miss the impact of Godel's theorem. Somehow, we know (provably so with the comp assumption) that we don't know what numbers or machines are capable of.
But ok, you are just arguing for the non-comp assumption. I have nothing against it, unless you pretend that the mind-body problem would be easier to solve in such frame. it is actually not the case.
[JM]: WHAT mind-body problem? the fiction of 'matter' as body upon the unidentified ideational existence? Making the essence dependent from the consequentially drawn-up physical world?
Adding third person infinities makes things more complex, and in general such moves are used to hide the problem instead of solving it or even just better formulating it.
[JM]: your problem when starting from the math-concept
If called 'computer' at all, it is a tool. Call it 'god' and you are out.
*
I cannot blame Peter to be stubborn in "that's we have, (rather: see), that's we love" pragmatism. I am irresponsible enough to allow speculative conditional fantasy.
That's my definition of science. Speculative conditional fantasy. Even Grand Mother physics, with theories like "the sun will rise tomorrow", become scientific only when grandmother adds "let's hope".
All theories are hypothetical, even the implicit theories our brain supports since million years. Of course those theories are more difficult to put in doubt. But science appears when people have been able to take distance with such "obvious truth", like the primacy of the material world.
[JM]: thanks for the consentual formulating.
Of course only into my 'narrative'. But IMO advancement needs a free unrestricted mind and includes fantastic ideas.
OK. But not if those fantastic ideas are used to burry problems instead of formulating them or solving them. It could perhaps be arguable that fantastic ideas like "God" or its dual idea "Matter" have been used since a long time to bury the initial deep questioning.
[JM]: only if one starts from your 'beginning'.
My narrative is immune to such difficulties - of course I have no complete system.
Right or wrong. And of course I am not certain myself.
That is the best I wish you ...
Bruno
[JM]: thanks for the response
John
http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~marchal/
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Received on Wed Apr 11 2007 - 15:11:06 PDT