the reason the issue of the relationship of mind
to the physical world cannot be solved is
our window to the world - the physical world
cannot itself be included in our picture of the world
so where does this leave us?
just where we started
just where we are
we can as it were describe our dilemma (if so regarded)
what then - is the question?
what status - ontological do we give consciousness?
I understand the idea of anomalous monism -
but what does it amount to really?
we say consciousness is physical but cannot be
explained by physical law
but this is not satisfactory
it's really an ad hoc theory - the mind is rendered
ad hoc
I think we need to say consciousness is within the
physical conception - an unknown - unknown -
fair and square
it is also to recognize that physical theory operates
fine - given consciousness - but consciousness is not
included in the picture - in the theory
the mind here - consciousness - is a presupposition -
to physical theory - to our knowledge of the world
it is I would suggest - ontologically - an undefined
constant
so
we can't say what the mind is
we know though it is necessarily related to the
(physical) world
awareness - what I call reflectivity - (I know that
I know) is - if you like - the mind as it appears
(bear this in mind - and the point that we cannot
explain it in any final sense)
the question we can ask about the relationship
between thought and act is
could the physical world - be (ontologically) related -
connected to the non-physical?
on the face of it the answer is no
(short of a very interesting theory we would accept this)
on the other hand we cannot say that the mind -
consciousness is physical
we cannot say that it is -
but at the same time because we cannot say what the
mind is -
we cannot say - positively what it is not -
the unknown here - cuts both ways
what we have here is a sceptical monism
and back to awareness for a moment -
awareness may not be relevant in understanding the
relationship between thought and action
this is to say - to suggest i.e. - that awareness may
accompany - be a parallel dimension to the connection
between thought and act -
this is just a speculation based on the possibilities
of the sceptical monism thesis
