Re: MD Intellect as Consciousness

From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Tue Jul 26 2005 - 13:43:19 BST

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    Hi Arlo,

    > [Robert challenged]
    > Each culture shares the same mind, because it shares the same language and
    > the same ideas. If you disagree, tell me with what you think if not with
    > words.
    >
    > [Platt responded]
    > > Consciousness is the faculty that perceives reality, forms judgments and
    > > chooses values. My cat is conscious. Mind is the faculty of creating,
    > > collecting and manipulating symbols that stand for patterns of
    > > perceptions. This faculty defines humans. Mathematicians think without
    > > words.
    >
    > [Arlo jumps in]
    > Mathematicians (good ones) come to internalize complex mathematical
    > operations as symbols that perhaps don't necessarily have "word"
    > counterparts. For example, perhaps the number I call "two" is in the mind
    > of a mathematician just the symbol "2", or some other semiotic sign, but
    > explain how a mathematician can do math without relying on a semiotic
    > system? Indeed, explain to me how "math" is NOT itself a semiotic system?
    > Does the number "two" exist somewhere outside of semiosis? Does "addition"
    > or "division"?
    >
    > Thinking (after pre-intellectual awareness) is entirely semiotic. Can you
    > give me any example of a "thought" (not a pre-intellectual response to
    > Quality) that is not mediated by signs and symbols of one's cultural
    > system? Whether words, or numbers, or shapes with cultural meaning?

    How does what you say disagree with "Mind is the faculty of creating,
    collecting and manipulating symbols that stand for patterns of
    perceptions?" Are you simply restating that "thinking is semiotic," i.e.,
    necessarily symbolic? I don't know of anyone who would argue otherwise.

    Platt
      

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