Quote:
Originally Posted by Actor
The guy asked "What was the purpose of consciousness when reproduction was doing just fine?" Evolution has no purpose, ergo, the guy does not understand evolution.
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That's nothing more than a handwave to ward off final causes in nature, because per the Early Moderns, final causes couldn't be quantified. Moderns use it to ward off You-Know-Who.
But I'll play along, and state that I was paraphrasing Tallis from memory, quite likely incorrectly inserting "purpose". Substitute "function" if you like...What was the function of consciousness since reproduction was doing fine?
Back to the point, though. Nagel, Tallis, David Chalmers get ridiculed by the scientific orthodoxy and its high priest, Daniel Dennett, for
questioning current theories about consciousness. On the other hand, way back in the 17th century Cardinal Bellarmine wrote to Galileo's bud that if Galileo could present evidence for heliocentrism, “if there were a true demonstration, then it would be necessary to be very careful in explaining Scriptures that seemed contrary”.
