Phenomenal consciousness is alien to us: SETI and the Fermi paradox

Re:Phenomenal consciousness is alien to us: SETI and the Fer... by w0de0 on Sunday October 20, 2024 @01:54PM (#41897166)

There are no other phenomena which we accept as real - where “accept as real” is an ability to correctly predict and manipulate, ie, create technology - based purely on qualia. This is the essence of physicalism. The hard problem of consciousness is therefore broadly acknowledged.

“Reductive physicalism” doesn’t need to be saved; there’s nothing else; physicalism is the fundamental philosophy of science, the prerequisite for a functional, predictive physics.

Consciousness is the quandary, not physicality.

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Re:Phenomenal consciousness is alien to us: SETI and the Fer... by walleeee on Sunday October 20, 2024 @02:04PM (#41897240)

To quote Penrose:

"I don't like the word materialism because we don't know what the material is."

It's all a quandary, no? Wonderfully useful predictive models aside, we have almost as little metaphysical/ontological purchase as we have w.r.t. qualia.

And though it is difficult to argue with physicalism (broadly conceived), there are compelling critiques of reductive physicalism.

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