RE: virus: materialism and other worldviews

Sodom (sodom@ma.ultranet.com)
Thu, 18 Feb 1999 16:31:33 -0500

I'd say, you cannot simultaneously be a
materialist, and a realist about consciousness, because consciousness is not a material thing.
--

Robin

My .02 says: The problem is not that consciousness as a material thing is beyond understanding in principle. As a realist, understanding that the complexity of consciousness in the material sense is beyond our skills is better. They can co-exist if you take this cheap way out. Consciousness is a material thing that our perception cannot distinguish as such, like music. Abstract in the extreme of which all parts are basic physics as is our response. I see why we wrestle with this problem. There needs to be a term that describes the Materialist who realizes that not all is within grasp.

Bill Roh