In message <19990219203632.AAA9800@[204.96.32.212]>, Wade T.Smith
<wade_smith@harvard.edu> writes
>>materialism can't explain what consciousness is.
>
>But it's working on it, while the 'other' half of your dualism is still
>working on definitions of 'is'....
After quite a bit of head scratching, I'm guessing that "my" dualism here is materialism versus philosophy.
Didn't you take my point, that materialism is a form of metaphysics?
And don't you think it might be useful to be clear on just what would constitute an explanation of consciousness?
>Consilience, first and foremost, is an attempt to erase all vestiges of
>this false dualism, which no longer needs to be maintained, and, indeed,
>needs to be "scuttled and left rotting on the shore."
Is this materialism vs philosophy, subjectivity versus objectivity, or what?
And is the best way to scuttle a dualism, to choose one half and reject the other, or to see how come maybe, in the "big picture", it's the opposition between them that's unreal?
>And Wilson will also agree with you
You've been agreeing with me??
>about the paths determined by this
>dualism- they have proven to be good ones to follow, up 'til now.
Dualism's a good thing now???
>There
>are too many things to consiliate now to ignore or to stay to either
>side, insisting that strong fences make good neighbors. In science, as
in
>all natural things, there are no borders.
Well, I agree with that, anyway. I think.
-- Robin