From: Platt Holden (pholden@sc.rr.com)
Date: Mon Feb 23 2004 - 12:47:20 GMT
Hi DMB, Kessler
> How does a universe emerge from nothing at all?
>
> Nobody knows and there do not appear to be any reasonable theories either.
> Just put this in the too hard basket for now and work on something more
> interesting.
You and DMB agree:."Don't ask."
> How does life emerge from nonlife?
>
> There are at least several very interesting theories. Work continues
> apace; expect much progress. Have you never read any science?
>
> How does consciousness emerge from a lump of meat?
>
> There are at least several very interesting theories. Work continues
> apace; expect much progress. Have you never read any science?
Your faith in science seems as strong as that of a religious fanatic. All
the scientific theories I know about in either case depend on some
rearrangement of elements that in themselves lack the qualities in
question. For science, it's always more deriving from less.
The scientific explanation offered for such "more from less" miracles is
to say they "emerge." What the explanation overlooks is that "emergence,"
like "chance," is a descriptive, not an explanatory concept. "Emergence"
from some lucky combination of chemicals or fortunate arrangement of nerve
networks explains nothing. The explanation amounts to "Oops."
If you know of any scientific theory about the beginning of life or
consciousness that has been verified by repeatable experiments, please let
me know. Any conscious robots out there that you know about? Do you have
faith that it's just a matter of time before conscious robots are
manufactured?
Platt
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