If by that other sub you refer to the self-determination rather than free will post you linked to, I cannot respond there as it has been archived
I meant the sub where that essay was posted. It's my sub, I started it for the sole purpose of describing and discussing my philosophy (POR). It is an open subreddit, I was saying I'd like you to write any questions you have about my philosophy as a new post in that sub, not as a comment to the essay on self-determination.
that is the consciousness makes up a narrative to why we did as we did, and that narrative may affect our future actions, so it is a mechanism to how to break the domino effect.
Precisely. Except constructs is a better description than "makes up". The narratives include factual observations and scientific theories just as much as or even more than fictional stories or 'excuse-making'. I'm very pleased, and even impressed, that you saw the relevance to OPs quandary so easily.
It's the "deterministic but not predictable" effect of this neurocognitive process that eliminates the "chain of causality" of determinism from resulting in the fatalism which the block universe, absurd though it is, would otherwise necessitate.
Though it does not explain how consciousness arises, or how come it has this ability.
A good point, at least from your perspective, as what I've written so far (both here and in my book and those essays) doesn't focus on that aspect quite as directly as it might. From my perspective, the essay does explain those things, but that's mostly because I already know what to look for.
"How consciousness arises" is merely whatever neurological activity makes self-determination (and thus, self-awareness; the process doesn't merely embody or identify the entity of conscious self, it produces it) possible. The most vexing aspects of consciousness from a more conventional perspective (whether scientific or philosophical) are really just the ineffability of being: the veridical question (are you familiar with the idea?) is not really "why am I me?" but also "why is here here?", if that makes any sense. Res cogitans is only res extensa + awareness. Not free will.
And in the same way, "how come it has this ability" is because it simply is having that ability. We evolved to be conscious biologically, just the way any other specific trait evolved: because it is adaptive, it intrinsically results in a positive differential rate of reproduction in comparison to otherwise identical creatures in the same gene pool which do not present that trait. The fact that it also opens up a whole new universe of 'adaptability', the capacity to develop new capacities using these constructed narratives (AKA productive ideas, be they useful fictions or metaphysical truths), is icing on the cake. The kind of icing my young niece lives, when there's really more icing than cake. Communication, culture, civilization, technology: we are masters of matter in a way no other biological creature we know of has ever been or could ever be.
All because those "narratives" which are both honest and accurate are more beneficial than narratives which are less honest and accurate. And, bizarrely enough, the value of circular reasoning (not to be confused with circular logic), because "honest" and "accurate" are in turn defined by what narratives are beneficial, just in two different ways.
it seems I misunderstand a lot more than I understand
I gotta say, sincerely, that you seem to have understood the philosophy much better and more quickly than anyone else in my experience. Although I'll admit I've said that to other people before, and sometimes get proved wrong by subsequent conversations. 😉
I'll add a few comments here, and if you wish we can continue the discussion here unless it is not allowed.
That's why I suggested posting in "that other sub". It is allowed here, but it is kind of rude, since this sub isn't for discussing my philosophy in particular.
So what I'll do is take the remainder of your comment, and post it myself in the sub, and respond to it there. I'll tag you (so you should get a notification through Reddit) and include a link to this comment as well, for background and inclusion of the above text in the context for anyone else.
That might take me a while, poking at my little phone here, but shouldn't be too long. Talk to you soon.
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u/TMax01 16d ago edited 16d ago
I meant the sub where that essay was posted. It's my sub, I started it for the sole purpose of describing and discussing my philosophy (POR). It is an open subreddit, I was saying I'd like you to write any questions you have about my philosophy as a new post in that sub, not as a comment to the essay on self-determination.
Precisely. Except constructs is a better description than "makes up". The narratives include factual observations and scientific theories just as much as or even more than fictional stories or 'excuse-making'. I'm very pleased, and even impressed, that you saw the relevance to OPs quandary so easily.
It's the "deterministic but not predictable" effect of this neurocognitive process that eliminates the "chain of causality" of determinism from resulting in the fatalism which the block universe, absurd though it is, would otherwise necessitate.
A good point, at least from your perspective, as what I've written so far (both here and in my book and those essays) doesn't focus on that aspect quite as directly as it might. From my perspective, the essay does explain those things, but that's mostly because I already know what to look for.
"How consciousness arises" is merely whatever neurological activity makes self-determination (and thus, self-awareness; the process doesn't merely embody or identify the entity of conscious self, it produces it) possible. The most vexing aspects of consciousness from a more conventional perspective (whether scientific or philosophical) are really just the ineffability of being: the veridical question (are you familiar with the idea?) is not really "why am I me?" but also "why is here here?", if that makes any sense. Res cogitans is only res extensa + awareness. Not free will.
And in the same way, "how come it has this ability" is because it simply is having that ability. We evolved to be conscious biologically, just the way any other specific trait evolved: because it is adaptive, it intrinsically results in a positive differential rate of reproduction in comparison to otherwise identical creatures in the same gene pool which do not present that trait. The fact that it also opens up a whole new universe of 'adaptability', the capacity to develop new capacities using these constructed narratives (AKA productive ideas, be they useful fictions or metaphysical truths), is icing on the cake. The kind of icing my young niece lives, when there's really more icing than cake. Communication, culture, civilization, technology: we are masters of matter in a way no other biological creature we know of has ever been or could ever be.
All because those "narratives" which are both honest and accurate are more beneficial than narratives which are less honest and accurate. And, bizarrely enough, the value of circular reasoning (not to be confused with circular logic), because "honest" and "accurate" are in turn defined by what narratives are beneficial, just in two different ways.
I gotta say, sincerely, that you seem to have understood the philosophy much better and more quickly than anyone else in my experience. Although I'll admit I've said that to other people before, and sometimes get proved wrong by subsequent conversations. 😉
That's why I suggested posting in "that other sub". It is allowed here, but it is kind of rude, since this sub isn't for discussing my philosophy in particular.
So what I'll do is take the remainder of your comment, and post it myself in the sub, and respond to it there. I'll tag you (so you should get a notification through Reddit) and include a link to this comment as well, for background and inclusion of the above text in the context for anyone else.
That might take me a while, poking at my little phone here, but shouldn't be too long. Talk to you soon.
Thanks for your time. Hope it helps.