At 09:30 PM 11/8/01 -0800, Phil wrote:
>Take away all the sensory references, however, and someone with a
well-developed set of mathematical or epistemological concepts could
function quite well in a total sensory deprivation environment. How are we
aware of these mental constructs internally?
We tie them to symbols, language, etc., which are the memories of sensory
experience. The question is: are there internal events which could be
used for this purpose? Emotions come to mind, although they, too, are
composed of sensory events. Are there purely internal events not tied to
any sensory input of which we are aware or can become aware?<
Repost: Here is my thought: It seems that there is a "current
non-sensory" (Max More phrase which he and I agreed upon works for us when
aruging this topic today) experience that helps to explain the state a
person experiences when he or she does not rely on past sense input vs a
current (immediate) conjecture/experience. A mathematician can conjure up
a formula in her head in a present/current experience. However, her
ability to experience/conjure it is based upon her *past* experience of
knowing what the formula looks like. We can conjecture ideas, but usually
they are based on past information. We can conjure ideas in the current
without sensory input, although it seems that the conjectures stem from
past sensory experience.
If a person is born without vision, audition, the sense of touch or feel,
an inability to smell, or to experience balance, that person resides in a
void with only the innate mental programming and the functioning of brain
waves. He cannot hear the outside world, see it, taste it, touch it, feel
it or perceive it through balance. What type of sensory experiences does
this person have?
Natasha
"I'd rather be inebriated on a classic life than a 1996 classic Merlot."
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat May 11 2002 - 17:44:18 MDT