Is the Filter Theory committing the ad hoc fallacy and is it unfalsifiable?

This is based on a few odd YouTube comments I'd seen on one of those Closer to Truth YT videos, as well as a pretty shoddy video criticising someone on a Closer to Truth video. The criticism video can he found here if you're interested. Scrolling down, there are a handful of comments that criticise the YouTuber that I kinda liked, but then again, these are YouTube comments. 

These commenters claim that the Filter Theory is committing the ad hoc fallacy and is used as an 'excuse' to explain the effects of alcohol, drugs and brain damage on consciousness in a non-materialist manner. They also claim it is unfalsifiable, but I get the feeling that's not the case given the topics discussed on this site.

This got me thinking. Is the Filter Theory of consciousness really an ad hoc 'excuse'? Is it also unfalsifiable?

Disclaimer:
As noted here there's a good reason to reject this is proof materialism/physicalism is true, given these skeptical parties that continue to doubt the physicalist/materialist faith.


Additionally, whatever is shown by parapsychology or neuroscience, here are four good reasons to reject the religion of physicalism/materialism.

This is based on a few odd YouTube comments I'd seen on one of those Closer to Truth YT videos, as well as a pretty shoddy video criticising someone on a Closer to Truth video. The criticism video can he found here if you're interested. Scrolling down, there are a handful of comments that criticise the YouTuber that I kinda liked, but then again, these are YouTube comments. 

These commenters claim that the Filter Theory is committing the ad hoc fallacy and is used as an 'excuse' to explain the effects of alcohol, drugs and brain damage on consciousness in a non-materialist manner. They also claim it is unfalsifiable, but I get the feeling that's not the case given the topics discussed on this site.

This got me thinking. Is the Filter Theory of consciousness really an ad hoc 'excuse'? Is it also unfalsifiable?

One really has to try and nail down ones ideas about perception, before one can make any attempts to even discuss this stuff, otherwise you find everybody you're discussing the same things with, are all actually coming at the question from totally different perspectives.

Very broadly that's between indirect or direct perception, but often some people accept some things but not others, and end up having an incoherent mixture of things they do/do-not accept. Other's have more developed ideas, others are unsure and open minded, and many others haven't ever challenged their ideas about perception, and naively assume some basic version of direct perception.

Personally I've always considered the filter theory to be an analogy or comparison. For example, if we say the sun is like an orange, that is not saying the sun actually is an orange. Whenever I hear the filter theory described, it tends to not impact me as being factually correct, but is a way of expressing an idea.

It seems to me that whether the filter model is entirely correct or not, the production model does not account for all the data that suggests consciousness is something separate or separable from the brain.

I guess it depends on what, exactly is being filtered?

I'd have to review the history of the filter/transmitter theory, but IIRC it came about - in its modern incarnation at least - as a result of looking at Psi evidence. So it was a theory meant to account for evidence, not made to get around evidence.

I think this idea of the brain as Filter/Transmitter needs to be refined, for reasons I've recently posted elsewhere, but I don't think it is committing the ad hoc fallacy.

Personally I find the explanations put forth by the materialist evangelicals on how matter with no mentality leads to mind to be woven out of whole cloth...

I guess it depends on what, exactly is being filtered?

I'd have to review the history of the filter/transmitter theory, but IIRC it came about - in its modern incarnation at least - as a result of looking at Psi evidence. So it was a theory meant to account for evidence, not made to get around evidence.

I think this idea of the brain as Filter/Transmitter needs to be refined, for reasons I've recently posted elsewhere, but I don't think it is committing the ad hoc fallacy.

Personally I find the explanations put forth by the materialist evangelicals on how matter with no mentality leads to mind to be woven out of whole cloth...

Aldous Huxley had a variation of the filter with his reduction valve metaphor. Might that work better as an adjusted filter theory?

Aldous Huxley had a variation of the filter with his reduction valve metaphor. Might that work better as an adjusted filter theory?

Hi Silver

As a matter of interest, difference do you think it would make?

Not sure honestly, I just remember seeing the reduction valve idea talked about a lot in relation to the filter theory. I guess the reduction valve idea would help explain scenarios where brain damage results in an expansion of consciousness when usually the damage to the filter would directly result in issues to how consciousness interacts with the brain. Bit simplistic I guess but figured I’d mention it.

Not sure honestly, I just remember seeing the reduction valve idea talked about a lot in relation to the filter theory. I guess the reduction valve idea would help explain scenarios where brain damage results in an expansion of consciousness when usually the damage to the filter would directly result in issues to how consciousness interacts with the brain. Bit simplistic I guess but figured I’d mention it.

Ah  yes. It was worth mentioning imho. I guess it’s perhaps what one might predict if the filter model was correct: sometimes damaging the filter appears to reduce the expression of consciousness and sometimes it actually increases the expression by removing the natural restriction.

Aldous Huxley had a variation of the filter with his reduction valve metaphor. Might that work better as an adjusted filter theory?

I just think we need to account for the world impacting the mind -> Diets and Depression, Alcohol, Psychedelics, etc.

A reduction valve, to me, gets us in the right direction but like many analogies I think it isn't quite up to describing what is happening.