Re: A few theories on consciousness...

[John M <***>]

Hail to the New List-Owner!

I hope it is not the line of the 'new deal' to expand
the frequently diluted and erring topical variety of
this list into another (I believe: not RR-originated)
topic, like the elusive 'consciousness'? That would be
disasterous, however if I may ask: did RR have some
identification for this historical noumenon? Just look
at the Tucson yearly Conferences over a decade and a
half, where thousands of professional researchers of
the "field" (which one? Ccness branches into a lot)
did not agree even how to identify this monster. I
made a definition in 1992 and it still lingers with no
real refutation, (This is the 6th discussion list for
it) generalizing that beast into ALL of the wholeness:


Acknowledgement of - and response to - information. 
(Of course it requires a definition of info, not like
the Shannon-type - briefly: recognized difference etc.
where I vocabularized 'difference' as 'existence', but
let's not go into this here).
It covers from an anion, attracted to a + charge, all
the way to G.B.Shaw. Not a 'human' (or bio) attribute.

Every smart researcher includes in his Ccness whatever
he feels as needed to his theoretical stance. I am on
the side of 'process' - it is NOT a thing. 
Please, Judith, if you quote RR in this respect, try
to find words from at least the 70s or later, since
IMO the RR-theory of the total's complexity started to
shape up and be casted into words in his later period.

Let me pass on arguing with certain parts in the text
you submitted. It is an ongoing struggle of really
well eucated and talented minds and I am still in it
on 4 (5?) lists for its diverse aspects.

It may be another quagmire for this list.

I hope I did not start it already!!!!!!

John M



--- Judith Rosen <***> wrote:
> 
>   From 
>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20050808/sc_space/whygreatmindscantgraspconsciousness
> Why Great Minds Can't Grasp Consciousness
> Ker Than
> LiveScience Staff Writer
> LiveScience.com Mon Aug 8, 2:23 PM ET
> 
> Excerpt:
> 
S N I P