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I don't think it's useful to blame consciousness in the context of this thread. Why not keep going and blame the big bang for the mass shooting in Austin yester

I don't think it's useful to blame consciousness in the context of this thread. Why not keep going and blame the big bang for the mass shooting in Austin yesterday morning? Technically true, but not useful to point out. Additionally, you're assuming there is such a thing as objective reality. Your 1+1=2 example is based on manmade axioms. It's not an objectively true statement, it's a conclusion based on an approximated system of logic that humans have invented for convenience. How much is "one" apple, for example? If "1" in your equation represents an apple, can you swap one apple for another and have an equivalent result?

mistermann 5y ago
I think of it much as you might when debugging a systems problem: it seems to me that the nature of consciousness is likely the least distant and most impactful entity that we are able to exert influence upon. I do indeed assume there is an objective reality, as it seems you do (or did) as well. Something I find very interesting about this theory is that it regularly invokes a solipsism response when someone is exposed to it, even though it is a very simple idea that is fairly consistent with mainstream psychology and neuroscience.
- simplify 5y ago
  The reason I point out the problem of objective reality is your comment of "is this almost certainly an objectively and comprehensively true statement? I suspect not". Perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying. In fact I don't think I understood the point you were trying to make at all. Not being snarky, I'm just now confused.
  - mistermann 5y ago
    I was being extremely precise (because I believe the problem is extremely important). So, my interpretation of "Tribalism is the underlying cause of most of humanity's bad behavior", focuses on the words "the" and "most", as well as the general idea of what ails humanity. I would say that this aspect is extremely truthy and extremely important, but I believe it is even more true that the particulars of consciousness itself is THE root cause of all the world's problems...and not just in a "well duh, no shit" sense, but in a this is where humanity should be focusing its very best minds sense. I believe the problem is blatantly obvious and well known, but for some reason we seem unable to take it seriously.

mistermann 5y ago

I think of it much as you might when debugging a systems problem: it seems to me that the nature of consciousness is likely the least distant and most impactful entity that we are able to exert influence upon. I do indeed assume there is an objective reality, as it seems you do (or did) as well. Something I find very interesting about this theory is that it regularly invokes a solipsism response when someone is exposed to it, even though it is a very simple idea that is fairly consistent with mainstream psychology and neuroscience.

simplify 5y ago
The reason I point out the problem of objective reality is your comment of "is this almost certainly an objectively and comprehensively true statement? I suspect not". Perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying. In fact I don't think I understood the point you were trying to make at all. Not being snarky, I'm just now confused.
- mistermann 5y ago
  I was being extremely precise (because I believe the problem is extremely important). So, my interpretation of "Tribalism is the underlying cause of most of humanity's bad behavior", focuses on the words "the" and "most", as well as the general idea of what ails humanity. I would say that this aspect is extremely truthy and extremely important, but I believe it is even more true that the particulars of consciousness itself is THE root cause of all the world's problems...and not just in a "well duh, no shit" sense, but in a this is where humanity should be focusing its very best minds sense. I believe the problem is blatantly obvious and well known, but for some reason we seem unable to take it seriously.