I had written: "In that sense, I also use "supernatural" to describe
what I do when I perceive two or more courses of action I might take, and
decide among them, and do one of them. If I did not assume this, I would
have to assume determinism, absence of free will, etc."
Jon answered: "Not sure what you mean on this. Are you saying that the
ability to perceive different courses of actions and chose between them
is supernatural?"
I am saying precisely this. I am defining "supernatural" as some
action/event that takes place outside the world's usually deterministic
framework. La Place thought that everything was "particles hitting
particles" and so his "atomic materialism" could, in theory, predict the
entire future of the universe if one knew, at any time, the exact
position, mass, momentum etc. of every particle in the universe. QM has
modified that, of course, but still we assume a deterministic world in
our science.
Now I order you, as soon as you read this line, to raise your right arm.
Now -- either you did, or did not do that. Whatever, I forced you to make
a decision between raising, not raising, or an infinity of partial
raising of your right arm. The decision was made in your mind, and your
arm responded accordingly. Skinner, Crick, Dawkins and others argue that
there was nothing supernatural there -- nothing but "particles hitting
particles." If they are right, your mind, all our minds, are just
observers "along for the ride" with no capability to affect anything or
anybody. If they are right, and I were to argue their case, I would be
caught in a "performative self-contradiction," arguing so as to change
your mind when my argument says that whatever your mind is, if indeed it
is anything at all, is going to do what it is going to do anyway.
So -- yes -- I do consider "mind," as nonnatural. Therefore, in the
absence of a middle term, "supernatural." With considerable limitations,
to be sure. But still neither an epiphenomenon nor "particles hitting
particles."
Burgy (John Burgeson)
www.burgy.50megs.com
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