Consciousness
May. 24th, 2005 01:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caraigThere's an "article" on Slashdot that talks about a guy who claims that by 2050 the rich will be able to "download" or copy their brains into computers and effectively live forever; the technology to do this for the rest of us slobs will be in 2070-2080. At least as he claims. Naturally this sort of discussion triggered commentary regarding the human soul.
One thing that irked me was something to the effect of this:
Look, my beliefs are my own. I don't force them on anyone. I reserve the right to alter these beliefs based on evidence, experience, and revelation such as might happen. I believe that there's more to life and consciousness than just these jars of clay, these biological machines as incredibly complex and magnificent and flawed as they are. There are just some philosophical questions science just can't and shouldn't try to answer. So there's no cognitive dissonance here, to me anyway.
That being said it bothers the hell out me that I'm now seeing slavering zealots on both sides of the debate. I mean, what the hell? I'm labeled as a heathen materialist by one side; and a delusional spiritualist by the other? Bite me. Just, bite me, both sides. Sigh. Why do I get myself worked up about the stupidest things? Is it even bloody well possible to remain tolerant in the face of intolerance? Meh. Hate my life.
Anyway, going up to Main for a few days starting Wednesday. Bloody long trip, about 10 hours, but, ehn. More later if anything comes up. Pax.
One thing that irked me was something to the effect of this:
I'd like to think I'm more than just the patterns in my brain.Okay, have I missed something, or is this sort of thing fashionable now? I realize that spirituality of all sorts has a kind of bad rap right now. I'm not exactly happy with how things in Kansas are shaping up and I feel kind of queasy when religion is used as an excuse/reason to hurt people. But I still believe that there are matters of belief, faith, and metaphysics that we haven't solved yet, that there are things that can't be measured by physical instruments and that are 'beyond science,' so to speak. That's why I use the phrase 'metaphysics' so much.Yeah, I agree! Darned science, getting in the way of my delusions!
Look, my beliefs are my own. I don't force them on anyone. I reserve the right to alter these beliefs based on evidence, experience, and revelation such as might happen. I believe that there's more to life and consciousness than just these jars of clay, these biological machines as incredibly complex and magnificent and flawed as they are. There are just some philosophical questions science just can't and shouldn't try to answer. So there's no cognitive dissonance here, to me anyway.
That being said it bothers the hell out me that I'm now seeing slavering zealots on both sides of the debate. I mean, what the hell? I'm labeled as a heathen materialist by one side; and a delusional spiritualist by the other? Bite me. Just, bite me, both sides. Sigh. Why do I get myself worked up about the stupidest things? Is it even bloody well possible to remain tolerant in the face of intolerance? Meh. Hate my life.
Anyway, going up to Main for a few days starting Wednesday. Bloody long trip, about 10 hours, but, ehn. More later if anything comes up. Pax.
