Here's a brief overview of how the brain works by Anil Seth

I realize that some people don't resonate with Andy Clark's writing style as much as I do. So for those who find the excerpts I've been sharing from Clark's book, The Experience Machine, to be unduly confusing, here's a blog post I wrote in 2021 about the views of a neuroscientist, Anil Seth, with views similar to Clark's.

Everybody's brain is producing a kind of hallucination

Comments

[Appreciative Reader]

Haha, I enjoyed reading that thread! And, heh, although it might sound very very conceited of me to say this, but to hell with false modesty and let me say this anyway: I enjoyed reading specifically my own comments in that old thread.

It was awhile back, and I'd forgotten this exchange, so that reading Appreciative Reader's comments was, bizarrely enough, was like reading someone else's words.

(Like I said, I'd forgotten this thread completely. My first thought was, "Who the hell's writing in my name?" My next thought was, "Hey, I agree with this ...interloper, this impersonator." Then I checked the date. And, yes, then I did remember that the exchange had taken place --- but even then not the content of it, not until I read the whole thread.)

And I found myself agreeing fully with the arguments and sentiments that that older (younger!) version of me had expressed, in all of that thread.

--'

SantMat64, if you're reading this: You'd protested Brian's labeling of mild gentle Spence's beliefs and pronouncements as dangerous. Well, if you'd care to read this very long thread, you'll find your answer there. I still think those same things, but at this moment I have neither time nor energy to write so much; and I'm not sure I'd be able to put my thoughts across as well now even if I did try: but that old version of me, that I'd forgotten about, seems to have answered the question you'd posed, and answered it persuasively (at least in my evaluation, which admittedly might be biased towards towards a guy I like well enough.)

---

Qualifications to the above, just in case. Should be obvious, but just in case

1) That doesn't detract from other kinds of danger.

2) This isn't about Spence particularly, whom I've the highest regard for, and whom I know long enough to know he's a kind, gentle soul. It's the principle of the thing. Like the analogy old-forgotten-me had presented about beneficent dictatorships, in his last comment in that thread. Believing unevidenced things is sure recipe for disaster, even though in particular cases it may well turn out to be beneficent. (Heh, a dilemma Republican Rome of old would've grappled extensively with! The dictator thing I mean. They were smart, those ancients; and contemplated that option only when circumstances were dire. Only a fool would hand over the reins to a dictator unless the situation were truly dire, or the reins of pronouncing on factuality to seers, no matter how gentle and mild some individual dictator or some individual seer might be. It's the principle of the thing.)

[Ron E.]

It is interesting to learn and have insights into how the brain works: it is also interesting to delve into issues such as mind, self and consciousness. The human brain, being evolved to enquire and discover will always pursue such questions – and there will always be those that wants answers that appear to offer some sort of magical, out of this world panacea that tells us that we are special, that we are more than mortal flesh and blood.

Of course, there are and always will be questions, questions that philosophy and science engage in – and of course questions are part of an inquiring nature and its discoveries only add to the awe and wonder of life.

Humans are peculiar in that we have developed brains that can form concepts, many are concepts that attempt to find meaning, meanings that give us some sort of hope or fulfilment to assuage our mortal fears and insecurities.

Basically, we belong, and are part of the natural world, along with rivers, mountains, sky, wind, plants and animals and are subject to the natural laws of birth and death. There is no need to include anything extra, that is, anything ‘super’ natural, to understand ourselves and the world at large.

[um]

@ Ron

>> There is no need to include anything extra, that is, anything ‘super’ natural, to understand ourselves and the world at large.<<

UNLESS .. one is confronted with an SPONTANEOUS occurring inner experience, experience where powers have form and communicate with us.

Unless one considers Abraham etc as liars, one has to believe that they had to deal with such experiences.

[Ron E]

Um - Whatever, all inner experiences probably quite natural as well. Unless of course we make them something special via thought. But still, very natural.