Agreed on th first point--I heavily implied emergence in some of my arguments, but the topic is so big that it's really a separate essay topic.
On the second, that train if thought leads into some very dark (and unprofitable) philosophical territory, which I think is not necessary to trod. The macrostructure of the cosmos allows emergence to explain the whole deal. Evolution is another sort of emergent behavior.
A wonderful essay, but with two elements left unaddressed:
A. The concept of emergent properties. We know that fluid dynamics does not work on a molecular level. Yet we have a whole sub-branch of physics that exists because molecules flowing together create the emergent properties that allow rivers to reach the sea, plumbing to exist, and airplanes to fly. So... is "consciousness" or "the soul" an emergent property? If so, what conditions at the lower levels are required for it to emerge?
B. A static world versus an evolving one. Plato's cave and much of our historical philosophy is based on an unchanging world in which if something wasn't ideal, it had to be "outside" our world and experience. Yet in an evolving one, perhaps the ideal is yet to come? It's an interesting end run around pre-determinism vs. free will because "God" doesn't exist--yet.
(And for what it's worth. Playing with the concept of Time really mucks up a lot of traditional theology. But that's for a different day).
I wrote a short piece on these same questions in 2012.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150913201930/http://variationselectioninheritance.podbean.com/2012/12/13/free-enough-will/
Yours is much better. Thank you.
Agreed on th first point--I heavily implied emergence in some of my arguments, but the topic is so big that it's really a separate essay topic.
On the second, that train if thought leads into some very dark (and unprofitable) philosophical territory, which I think is not necessary to trod. The macrostructure of the cosmos allows emergence to explain the whole deal. Evolution is another sort of emergent behavior.
A wonderful essay, but with two elements left unaddressed:
A. The concept of emergent properties. We know that fluid dynamics does not work on a molecular level. Yet we have a whole sub-branch of physics that exists because molecules flowing together create the emergent properties that allow rivers to reach the sea, plumbing to exist, and airplanes to fly. So... is "consciousness" or "the soul" an emergent property? If so, what conditions at the lower levels are required for it to emerge?
B. A static world versus an evolving one. Plato's cave and much of our historical philosophy is based on an unchanging world in which if something wasn't ideal, it had to be "outside" our world and experience. Yet in an evolving one, perhaps the ideal is yet to come? It's an interesting end run around pre-determinism vs. free will because "God" doesn't exist--yet.
(And for what it's worth. Playing with the concept of Time really mucks up a lot of traditional theology. But that's for a different day).
I don't know if this video proves anything at all, but it's a fun video of my dog, Toby, who has his own sense of reality.
https://individualistsunite.substack.com/p/toby-video?r=z324w