[visarga]

> fMRIs say where blood is flowing in the brain, but that's hardly enough to explain the phenomenon of subjective experience.

fMRI scans correlate well with neural net embeddings. That is a great hint. We just need to look at the semantic spaces developed in these models, by a purely mechanistic process, to see how it goes from data to semantics.

[smokedetector1]

The idea that we will just need to do that is a form of faith, no more rational (in my opinion, less so) than belief in a soul.

[CooCooCaCha]

Making up nonsense will always be easier than actually understanding reality.

Just because we can’t explain something right now does not mean you can insert whatever you want into that hole and assert it’s just as valid as any other explanation.

[smokedetector1]

It's funny how much I agree with your whole comment ;)

Also, "making up nonsense" is a very disrespectful, and intellectually dishonest, way to approach someone's understanding of life which is hard-earned through experience and thousands of hours of introspection and study. Consider that people who disagree with you on this may still be just as educated and smart as you are.

[CooCooCaCha]

Not if they think making up supernatural explanations is valid.

It’s the same logic as God of the gaps. Science doesn’t understand something yet so better fill it up with feel-good made up stuff and pretend it’s just as valid as actual science.

[smokedetector1]

To me, this theory is Science of the gaps. "Science can't prove it yet, but it will." :shrug: That's faith, not logic.

[CooCooCaCha]

One of the stupidest things I’ve read on here. Science has an incredible track record. Faith doesn’t.