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PaavoPylkknenCenterofExcellenceinthePhilosophyofSocialScienceDepartmentofPhilosophy,UniversityofHelsinki,FinlandDepartmentofCognitiveNeuroscienceandPhilosophy
UniversityofSkvde,Sweden
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MuchofcontemporaryAnglo-Americananalyticalphilosophyiscommittedto
physicalism: everythingisphysical,or
everythingisinanappropriatewaydependentuponthephysical(supervenience)
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Physicalismisanimpressiveprofessionalactivitity,characterizedbythehighstandards
ofargumentationandclaritytypicalofanalyticalphilosophy
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However:thereisonemajorproblemwithphysicalism
Ittendstoleaveoutphysics!Quantumtheoryandrelativity
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Cf.Searle(1992):themajortheoriesinphilosophyofmind(behaviourism,
functionalism,eliminativematerialism)areimpressive
Buttheyhaveoneproblem:theyleaveoutthemind(consciousness)!
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Similarly,duringthebehavioristera,psychologytendedtoleaveoutthemind/
consciousness
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So:physicalistsignorephysics,psychologistsignorethemindJ
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Itcouldbethecasethatcontemporaryphysics(quantumtheoryandrelativity)is
competelyirrelevantintheexplanationofconsciousness
Forexample,consciousnesscouldbereducibletoprocessesattheclassicallydescribablelevelofreality
e.g.mechanisticcomputationimplementedinclassicallydescribableneuralprocesses
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However,manyargumentssuggestthatconsciousnesscannotbereducedtosuch
mechanisticprocesses(e.g.Chalmers1997)
ofcourse,itdoesnotfollowfromthisthatconsciousnessisreducibleto,say,quantumlevel
processes
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Fact:quantumandrelativityphysicsrequireustochangeradicallyourgeneralworldview
Inthecontextofsuchanewworldviewwemaybeabletounderstandconsciousnessinanewlight
Letusconsidersomesuchnewworldviews
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Arefreshingexceptiontothemainstreamofanalyticalarm-chairphilosophy:
JamesLadymanandDonRossEveryThingMustGo:MetaphysicsNaturalized
OxfordUniversityPress,2007
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Wedenythelocalsupervenienceofthementalonthephysical,thetokenidentityof
mentalstatesandphysicalstates,theexistenceofahierarchyoflevelsofreality,andtheclaimthatallcausationisphysical
causation.(38-39)
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Theiraimistopresentaversionofnaturalizedmetaphysics
Inparticular,tounifyweaklythespecialsciencesbyreferencetofundamentalphysics
So:thekeypointisunification,andfundamentalphysicsplaysanimportantroleinthis
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Itisthatpartofphysicsthatisimplicitlytestedbyeverymeasurementthatcouldbe
takenatanyscaleofrealityandinanyregionoftheuniverse.
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Itisweakbecauseitisnotreductionist
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Fundamentalphysicsconstrainsallspecialsciences(includingthepartsofphysicsthat
arenotfundamental)
But:itdoesnttrackinformationatthemultiplescalesnecessaryforcapturingmost
oftherealpatterns(Dennett1991)thataretheobjectsofstudyinchemistry,biology,geology,economicsandsoon.
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thereisnofundamentallevel
therealpatternscriterionofrealityisthelastwordinontology
thereisnothingmoretotheexistenceofastructurethanwhatittakesforittobeareal
pattern.
rejectstheassumptionthattheworldconsistsoflittlethings&thatrealcausationconsistsof
bangingsofthesethings
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Hence,particlesorspacetimepointsarejustpatternsthatbehavelikeparticlesor
spacetimepointsrespectively,justasAtigerisanypatternwhichbehavesasatiger
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Saunders:Iseenoreasontosupposethatthereareultimateconstituentsoftheworld,
whicharenotthemselvestobeunderstoodinstructuralterms.SofarasIamconcerneditsturtlesallthewaydown(2003d,129).
Or:realpatternsallthewaydown
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Itpresupposesthatrealityisstructuredintolevelsinthefirstplace.
Thestandardwayinwhichtheselevelsaredistinguishedisaccordingtosize.
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E.g.thedomainsofdifferentspecialsciencesareidentifiedwithdifferentscales:
theatomicforphysics themolecularforchemistry
thecellularforbiologyetc.
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ButLR:thisislimited
economics,forexample,canbeappliedtoanantcolonyortheworldeconomy,andevolutionarytheorycanbeappliedtoentitiesofanysize(even,accordingtoSmolin(2000),tothewhole
universe).
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Furthermore,inaccordancewithphysics,LRregardthestructureofspaceandthemetric
usedtomeasurelengthasthemselvesemergentstructures.
thus:wecanhardlytreatthemasafundamentalframeworkwithinwhichtodescribethelevels
againstwhicheverythingelseexists!(2007:179)
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Ontologyisscalerelative:allrealpatternsexceptthoseoffundamentalphysicsare
detectableatsomescalesbutnotatothers.
Thesamepointappliestoeverydayphenomenatrackedbyreferencetotheparochialpractical
purposesofpeople,suchastables,hockeygames
andcapitalcities
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LRprovidereconstructionsofimportantconceptsinphilosophyofsciencesuchas
causationandlawsintermsofrecurrenttypesofstructuralrelationsamongrealpatterns.
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Claimsthathavebeenthoughttobelawsinthehistoryofmodernsciencedescribesuch
structuralrelationsinmathematicalterms
thesemathematicaldescriptionssurviveepisodesoftheorychangeinapproximateform.
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[O]ntologyissubstantiallylargerthanwhatpeoplecaneverbeexpectedtobeinapositiontospecify.
Oursisthusarealismoflushandleafyspacesratherthandeserts,withscienceregularlyrevealingnewthicketsofcanopy.
Quineappreciateddeserts
But:LRthinkthefactsnowsuggestthatwemustreconcileourselvestolifeintherainforest.
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PeterUnger(2001)arguesthatourknowledgeoftheworldispurelystructural
andthatqualiaaretheunknowablenon-structuralcomponentsofreality.Onourview,thingsinthemselvesandqualiaareidle
wheelsinmetaphysics(p.154)
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Ifcognitivescienceconcludesthatmentalconceptsdonottrackanyrealpatternsthen
thetheoryofmindwillhavetogo.
LRdonotatpresentthinkthatbehaviouralandcognitivesciencesaretendinginthis
direction
thoughtheydothinkthatthefolktheoryofmindisclearlyfalseinallsortsofimportantways
But:theissueisnotuptophilosophers.
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Philosophersofmindtypicallyrelyontheirintuitionswhenreasoningabouttheplaceof
consciousnessinnature But:LRremindusthatintuitionsare
thebasisfor...everydaypracticalheuristics...theyarenotcognitivegadgetsdesignedto
producesystematicallyworthwhileguidanceineitherscienceormetaphysics.(2007:10)
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Inanygiveninstance,itmaybethatourconceptsandintuitionsaboutthereal
patternswearetrackingmaybewidelymistaken,aswithintuitionsaboutqualiaandphenomenalconsciousstates(Dennett
1991b). So:LRleaveoutconsciousness!
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LRprojectisarefreshingattemptdevelopaworldviewimpliedbycontemporaryphysics
andthespecialsciences
But:forthosewhoseintuitionssuggestthatconsciousexperienceisrealtheirprojectis
frustrating
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Arethereotherschemesofnaturalisticmetaphysicswhicharemoreconsciousness-
friendly?OnesuchisDavidBohmsimplicateorderframework
Whichincludesthemorenarrowandspecificontologicalinterpetationofquantumtheory
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34
Forthemechanist Startfromseparateandindependentlyexistentparts
Deriveallwholesthroughabstraction,explainingthemastheresultsofinteractionofparts
Intheimplicateorderapproach
Beginwiththeundividedwholenessoftheuniverse
Derivepartsviaabstractionfromthewhole
Explainthemasapproximatelyseparable,stableandrecurrent,butexternallyrelatedelementsmakinguprelativelyautonomoussub-totalities,tobedescribedintermsofanexplicateorder
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RAINFORESTREALISM
Deniestheexistenceofahierarchyoflevelsof
reality
Thereisnofundamentallevel
IMPLICATEORDER
Acceptsthelevelsmetaphoruptoapoint
Qualitativeinfiniteofnature
Thereisnofundamentallevel
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RAINFORESTREALISM
Scalerelative Structuresarefundamental
IMPLICATEORDER
Contextrelative(athingisrealinitscontext,e.g.an
atom)
Movementisfundamental
Implicateorderprevailsinthemovementandgives
risetoexplicateorder
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RAINFORESTREALISM
Scepticaloftheirexistence Why?
Ourintuitionsaboutqualiaandphenomenalconsciousstatesarewidelymistaken
Resultoftheirverificationism
IMPLICATEORDER
Allowsfortheexistenceofqualiaandphenomenalexperience,atthehigherlevelsoftheimplicateorder
Inferencetothebestexplanation
Thebestexplanationforthefactthatweseemtobeconsciousisthatweareconscious
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Ithinkthereisroomtoaccountforthephenomenalstructureofconsciousnessinboth
LRsrainforestrealismandBohmsimplicateorder
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Kant&thephenomenologists
VanGulick:challengeistoexplaintheorderandconnectednesswefindwithinexperience,its
conceptualorganization spatio-temporalstructure
emotivetonesandmoodsthefactthatourexperienceisthatofa(moreorless)unifiedselfsetoveragainstanobjectiveworld
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RAINFORESTREALISM
Theimportantrealpatternsinsciencearenot
reducibletofactsaboutthe
intrinsicpropertiesornaturesofindividual
objects. LRdefendametaphysicsthatdoesnottake
individualthingstobefundamental
IMPLICATEORDER
Individualsarederivedviaabstractionfromthewhole
Individualsareapproximatelyseparable,stableandrecurrent,andexternallyrelatedelements
Theymakeuprelativelyautonomoussub-totalities,tobedescribedintermsofanexplicateorder
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RAINFORESTREALISM
causationandlawsarereconstructedintermsof
recurrenttypesof
structuralrelationsamongrealpatterns.
IMPLICATEORDER
Acausalinterpretationofquantumtheoryispossible
(Bohm1952)
Non-localinteractionsgobeyondtraditionalnotions
ofcausality
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INDIVIDUALSACROSSSCIENCES:AREVISIONARYMETAPHYSICS?
Paris,Paris-SorbonneUniversity,May18-20,2012
Thisconferencewillgathermetaphysicians,philosophersofbiologyandphilosophersofphysicsandchemistrytoofferareflectiononcriteriaofindividualityindifferentsciencesandtotrytodevelopaunifiedaccountonthenotionofwhatanindividualis.
http://individuals2012.sciencesconf.org/
