Social Purpose of consciousness

therealdope said:
Consciousness is a bullshit topic that philosophers continue to promote discussion of to keep themselves relevant.

I can't count how many podcasts I've listened to where a philosopher talks about the 'big questions' in life, a.k.a. consciousness. Inevitably they always say something like, "well there must be something more than just chemistry!!". Really? Why is that?

The idea of free will and consciousness can easily be explained as a description of an emergent property that is the net result of very simple, and well described physical processes, combined with randomness (stochastic processes). That's the null hypothesis. The burden of proof is on the 'consciousness is special' crowd to show otherwise.
Click to expand...

what if we’re part of a simulation mannnn
 
If God does not exist then consciousness has no purpose. Everything is just a random blip in endless uncaring chaos. Any meaning and purpose are at best an illusion or delusion on the part of irrational monkeys screeching into the darkness.

If God does exist then the purpose of consciousness is almost certainly to have a loving and fulfilling relationship with Him and our fellow humans. To know and be known. To love and be loved.
 
it’s given to us so that we can behold His glory imo
 
i dont think consciousness has a purpose. instead it is a fundamental aspect of creation. it didn't develop because of a "need" creation exists because of consciousness..... because there is a conscious being (god) who created beings who would enjoy existing.
 
Sam Harris is pushing past "pure rationalism" and exploring spirituality because of the deeply mysterious nature of consciousness.

“That we’re here and experiencing the world at each moment in the light of our consciousness is a deeply mysterious and profound fact, which, the more you pay attention to it, the more your experience begins to echo some of the claims of religious patriarchs and matriarchs down the ages.”



In the discussion he tells them that there is “a place for the sacred in our lives”, and Dawkins looks askance, as if Harris were about to get out a prayer mat.

Yet for such a combative rationalist, he remains incongruously keen on what the besandalled used to call self-transcendence. One of his more recent books was entitled Waking Up: Searching for Spirituality Without Religion. Harris sees no contradiction between his objective studies of the mind and the subjective experience of escaping its perpetual noise. They’re both means of understanding consciousness, he says.

“That we’re here and experiencing the world at each moment in the light of our consciousness is a deeply mysterious and profound fact, which, the more you pay attention to it, the more your experience begins to echo some of the claims of religious patriarchs and matriarchs down the ages.”

“We are sleepwalking, and when you learn how to meditate, you recognise that there is another possibility, which is to be vividly aware of your experience in each moment in a way that frees you from routine misery. Meditation is simply the practice of learning to break the spell and wake up.”

Harris, no slouch when it comes to the commercial possibilities of new tech, has just released a meditation app. Despite all this, when I ask him what this spirituality answers to in his character, he says something I find quite unexpected.

“We need to live our lives with more than just understanding facts,” he says. “Not being wrong is not the ultimate state of being for people in this life.”
 
ocfightfan said:
If God does not exist then consciousness has no purpose. Everything is just a random blip in endless uncaring chaos. Any meaning and purpose are at best an illusion or delusion on the part of irrational monkeys screeching into the darkness.

If God does exist then the purpose of consciousness is almost certainly to have a loving and fulfilling relationship with Him and our fellow humans. To know and be known. To love and be loved.
Click to expand...

you’re basing that on the assumption that if there is a God that God would be benevolent.

And also why does there need to be God for there to be consciousness beyond the physical?
 
unimackpass said:
Sam Harris is pushing past "pure rationalism" and exploring spirituality because of the deeply mysterious nature of consciousness.

“That we’re here and experiencing the world at each moment in the light of our consciousness is a deeply mysterious and profound fact, which, the more you pay attention to it, the more your experience begins to echo some of the claims of religious patriarchs and matriarchs down the ages.”



In the discussion he tells them that there is “a place for the sacred in our lives”, and Dawkins looks askance, as if Harris were about to get out a prayer mat.

Yet for such a combative rationalist, he remains incongruously keen on what the besandalled used to call self-transcendence. One of his more recent books was entitled Waking Up: Searching for Spirituality Without Religion. Harris sees no contradiction between his objective studies of the mind and the subjective experience of escaping its perpetual noise. They’re both means of understanding consciousness, he says.

“That we’re here and experiencing the world at each moment in the light of our consciousness is a deeply mysterious and profound fact, which, the more you pay attention to it, the more your experience begins to echo some of the claims of religious patriarchs and matriarchs down the ages.”

“We are sleepwalking, and when you learn how to meditate, you recognise that there is another possibility, which is to be vividly aware of your experience in each moment in a way that frees you from routine misery. Meditation is simply the practice of learning to break the spell and wake up.”

Harris, no slouch when it comes to the commercial possibilities of new tech, has just released a meditation app. Despite all this, when I ask him what this spirituality answers to in his character, he says something I find quite unexpected.

“We need to live our lives with more than just understanding facts,” he says. “Not being wrong is not the ultimate state of being for people in this life.”
Click to expand...

something very unlikeable about the harris fellow for me for some reason. Not sure what.
 
AristotleAmadopolis said:
something very unlikeable about the harris fellow for me for some reason. Not sure what.
Click to expand...

His smug assumption that he's always right is intolerable. Instead of saying I have a hard time believing in the idea of god because of xyz (the way normal people discuss issues) he condescendingly claims it's just stupid to even entertain the idea. He doesn't e even blink at the reality that people smarter than him differ.
His little disciples parrot everything, with the same nasal superiority, believing it makes them sound intelligent.
 
AristotleAmadopolis said:
something very unlikeable about the harris fellow for me for some reason. Not sure what.
Click to expand...

His smug assumption that he's always right is intolerable. Instead of saying I have a hard time believing in the idea of god because of xyz (the way normal people discuss issues) he condescendingly claims it's just stupid to even entertain the idea. He doesn't e even blink at the reality that people smarter than him differ.
His little disciples parrot everything, with the same nasal superiority, believing it makes them sound intelligent.
 
unimackpass said:
His smug assumption that he's always right is intolerable. Instead of saying I have a hard time believing in the idea of god because of xyz (the way normal people discuss issues) he condescendingly claims it's just stupid to even entertain the idea. He doesn't e even blink at the reality that people smarter than him differ.
His little disciples parrot everything, with the same nasal superiority, believing it makes them sound intelligent.
Click to expand...

militant atheists have a lot in common with super religious people actually ha.
 
AristotleAmadopolis said:
militant atheists have a lot in common with super religious people actually ha.
Click to expand...

This is true, both are fudimentalists.
I can usually have a more productive conversation with a agnostic than a young earth creationist, however there's some salt of the earth fundimentalists out their but they just have some blind spots.
 
Well.... If we weren't conscious, then we'd be unconscious.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,147
Messages
55,470,174
Members
174,787
Latest member
Biden's Diaper

Share this page

Back
Top