1 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
View submission: /r/philosophy Open Discussion Thread | January 27, 2020
so I have had a question on the body. we understand how the mind gains information through its sense, we understand the make up of the body through anatomy. besides that do we have other explanation about the body? I have heard some people like using the concept of we are in a meat robot that we control. why do we negate the concept on one solid cohesive mass. when we look at someone we see them as a whole not as a sum of parts. why do we break ourselves down into section and keep them that way, instead of placing them back together? how is it that we are so good at deconstruction than reconstruction? there might be a field of thought that I am missing.
metaphor for this. we found a watch and removed the exterior to see the gears and springs and determined that this is what makes up a watch. then stating that the hands, face and casing are separate.
Comment by hubeyy at 01/02/2020 at 16:06 UTC
1 upvotes, 2 direct replies
we found a watch and removed the exterior to see the gears and springs and determined that this is what makes up a watch. then stating that the hands, face and casing are separate.
Well, if we want to find out how the watch works then it makes sense to look at the mechanics of it. To understand the mechanics we need to look at the separate parts and see how they work.
If we want to find out how human cognition works then it makes sense to look at the "mechanics" of human cognition, so at nerves and the brain. Why would we want to do that? Firstly, it's useful. For example, when someone has neurological issues then knowing about the "mechanism" of human cognition is really important to help. Secondly, it tells us about our place in the world and how we can understand ourselves. Understanding the "mechanics" furthers our understanding of how we think and why we think that way.
Thirdly, our consciousness is also quite puzzling. How can subjective qualities arise out of physical stuff? Or is that question presupposing something? One avenue is to look at the "mechanics" and see if the question dissolves. For example, without knowledge of chemistry it's puzzling why some liquid gets hot and changes its properties when we mix something into it. Looking at the "mechanics" of it in detail, by conceptualizing and testing atomic theory, chemical phenomena don't seem puzzling anymore. Trying to understand consciousness in the same way seems like a good approach.
Comment by Annathematic at 01/02/2020 at 15:36 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It’s not a meat robot in the sense that it can be reduced to that in its totality. It is in the sense that that is what it’s function is, essentially. If I want my nervous system, or my sensory perception to be as sharp as possible, then I want to remove any static input being received simply because of the work that my body must do to support it’s self. My ideal physical interface with my position on this planet would be to feel like my nervous system and brain are floating freely and able to move across the surface of this planet as though it were independently suspended. Obviously we can’t do this, so the body has developed to try to mimic that feeling when it is functioning properly. The goal is not to “feel nothing”, but to feel what I want to feel. For instance, when I walk or run, I don’t want to have to consider the input of the impact on my feet or legs. So I have been working on my kinetic chain in order to help straighten my spine and align my hips. All of this must work together in order to create a scenario where I can walk without pain. It starts with the question, can I cup my toes while I walk? If I can, then it helps me to correct my gait so that I can better achieve my ideal posture while moving. The mind wants to do with the body what it wants, without having to take it into consideration. In order to do that, the mind must consider how to optimize the body.