(2017-10-04, 09:54 PM)nbtruthman Wrote: I agree, this is actually an extension of the empirical argument.
To slightly expand on my earlier remarks, the meditation example would require that the brain processing change itself in just the right ways so as to generate epiphenomenal conscious acts of will that are directly correlated to the subsequent physical brain changes observed, like in the case of the continuance of meditation in the face of boredom, fatigue, etc.. Why should it do this, why would it bother when the conscious will itself is just an epiphenomenon with no causal efficacy in the world? Why generate epiphenomenal consciousness in the first place, since the added necessary brain neural complexity and processing would have an energy and other costs with no physical advantage in survival, etc.?
You seem to assume that it takes something of an extra effort for the brain to produce conscious epiphenomena, but according to epiphenomenalism, conscious epiphenomena are the inevitable by-product of certain types of cerebral computational processes. So there is no goal whatsoever the brain wants to accomplish with generating consciousness. Certain cognitive processes simply can't help generating conscious epiphenomena. It's just a brute fact of nature.
It is a weird theory, but physicalists will do anything to protect their world view.