Yet another materialist consciousness theory

Another non-starter materialist theory of consciousness. It looks like they are getting desperate.

From:
https://uncommondescent.com/mind/at-the-...ays-maybe/
https://thedebrief.org/is-consciousness-...ays-maybe/
https://journals.lww.com/cogbehavneurol/...em.19.aspx  (original paper)

A recent study published in the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology proposes a new theory of consciousness, suggesting subjective awareness is merely a memory system that records our unconscious interactions with reality.

Unique to other theories on the mystery of consciousness, researchers propose that the majority of the time, humans do not directly make decisions or perceive the outside world. Instead, these activities are performed unconsciously and then milliseconds later we consciously remember doing them.
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A vast majority, if not all, of human behavior is actually performed unconsciously and consciousness is simply the memory of having performed specific actions,” said Dr. Andrew Budson, a professor of neurology at Boston University, in an email to The Debrief.
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Researchers further acknowledge that in support of their hypothesis, they intentionally ignored many of the most significant parts of any complete theory of consciousness, such as the so-called “hard problem” or how a collection of biological material can produce subjective awareness."

Notes:

- The researchers ignore the self-contradiction of the theory, in that they claim the conscious memory of just previous unconscious decisions and other processing is the basis for consciousness. They start out by presupposing the very thing that they are supposedly trying to explain. 

- An alternate conclusion can be reached based on these observations of neurological activity and consciousness awareness of a decision: according to the spiritual model of humans being composed of spirit and body, these results are consistent with the spirit deciding to act, then the consciousness (dependent upon the brain) registering this decision a moment later.

- The researchers also cite Dr. Benjamin Libet's experiments as corroborating this theory, ignoring Libet's "free won't" findings.

- On top of all this, the researchers state that they deliberately ignored the Hard Problem.

On top of all this, the researchers state that they deliberately ignored the Hard Problem.

I don't know what to say other than it's a complete joke. What I actually think privately is unrepeatable (very impolite). They talk about these things as if they apply to others, not themselves. The only thing (their minds) that is vital about them has become some kind of "bug" on their shoulder they want to squash. But they still want to retain their faculties.

The first comment on Uncommon Descent is good:

AaronS1978
October 7, 2022 at 1:59 pm

This is garbage and completely depends on outdated research. Libets experts was literally debunked, and the notion of the decision being made ahead of time is an artifact of a poorly done experiment

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/09/free-will-bereitschaftspotential/597736/

https://aphilosopherstake.com/2012/08/10/neuroscience-and-free-will-new-study-debunks-libets-interpretation/

https://mindmatters.ai/2019/09/was-famous-old-evidence-against-free-will-just-debunked/

If you want more details

https://neurophil-freewill.org/

And yes your brain records your consciousness experiences this is not knew

[Ninshub]

This one's quite good too!

Origenes
October 8, 2022 at 5:23 am

“A vast majority, if not all, of human behavior is actually performed unconsciously and consciousness is simply the memory of having performed specific actions,” said Dr. Andrew Budson, a professor of neurology at Boston University.

So, if I understand you correctly Andrew, when you cobbled together your statement you did so unconsciously, only to remember it afterwards?

… all our decisions and actions are unconsciously made–and we simply fool ourselves into believing we consciously made them (…).

So Andrew, given that all your statements are made unthinkingly, including your statements about consciousness, why exactly should we care about anything you say?

On top of all this, the researchers state that they deliberately ignored the Hard Problem.

Then they have no way of explaining consciousness.  The Hard Problem s the fundamental issue.

So, if I understand you correctly Andrew, when you cobbled together your statement you did so unconsciously, only to remember it afterwards?

So Andrew, given that all your statements are made unthinkingly, including your statements about consciousness, why exactly should we care about anything you say?

 

LOL they're good! The fellow ought to be embarrassed.