Re: Mental vs. Physical

Anders Sandberg (nv91-asa@nada.kth.se)
Fri, 7 Feb 1997 12:43:27 +0100 (MET)


On Thu, 6 Feb 1997, Kathryn Aegis wrote:

> My doctor told me something very important about mental alertness
> once. She said that many people have minor sinusitis or congestion that
> they don't notice, but it is just enough to cause low-level fatigue
> and lesser memory, because less oxygen is processed. And it could be
> caused dust mites, particulates, carpeting. Relatively minor measures
> like an air filter or dust control protocols can markedly increase your
> breathing efficiency--and, in turn, mental alertness--if this is the case.

I think this is largely true, although I doubt it is oxygen deprivation
that is the main problem (the lungs are good at getting it; it is getting
rid of carbon dioxide that is the problem). Sinusitis seems to markedly
decrease my mental ability (or at least my peak ability, I'm quite good at
standard work while having a cold) for some reason [Bizarre medical theory
of today: somehow it clogs up the nearby hippocampus :-)].

> >moravecian platonic materialist
>
> I *think* I understand this, but would you define it?

The stuff that makes up reality is information (which may also be the
stuff qualia are made of). The universe is a huge system of information
which is presumably consistent. All self-consistent systems ("universes")
exist in some kind of "world of Forms", but which is just as material as
our universe (i.e. platonic materialism). Universes can be part of each
other, be simulated or emulated inside each other etc.

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Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
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