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The Forum > Article Comments > A materialist creed? > Comments

A materialist creed? : Comments

By Peter Sellick, published 27/10/2014

There is no way we can bridge the gap between the material and our experience of being conscious.

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Dear Poirot,

<<Does my consciousness exist?>>

I don't think that there is any such object in existence. That you are conscious is technically an adjective, but more like a verb, and in any case not a noun. Language is useful to describe the relationships between objects, but as you are not an object and the one being conscious (or unconscious, as the case may be) is YOU, it breaks down and might produce false ideas.

---

Dear Pericles,

<<The question remains, why did you (or even "YOU") choose to employ capital letters for the personal pronoun>>

The capitals were intended to highlight the emphasis of the sentence. If we were talking, I would accentuate that word.

<<if you don't have any explanation as to why you do so?>>

Quite the contrary: I was actually critical of Peter Sellick over his idea of differentiation between mind and body, of which I am sceptical.

<<I say strange, because I cannot detect from what you write, any actual thought pattern that is in any way consistent. Perhaps your thinking is of a different quality to mine.>>

I think that this is probably because you identify yourself with your mind. YOUR mind - you are not that mind, you have it (assuming it even exists separately of the brain), you are not it.
Posted by Yuyutsu, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 10:58:55 AM
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Yuyutsu,

If I'm "YOU" (ME) - then you can obviously define me as something that differs from everything else.

How can you do that if I don't exist - as anything?

"I think that this is probably because you identify yourself with your mind. YOUR mind - you are not that mind, you have it (assuming it even exists separately of the brain), you are not it."

Apparently Pericles is God as well.

We all are.

And even though Yuyutsu often chooses to refer to God as "He" for convenience sake - he also maintains God doesn't exist as any sort of entity.
Posted by Poirot, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 11:25:31 AM
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All I can say is that the only spirit I believe in is rectified spirit.
Posted by plerdsus, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 10:06:02 PM
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Dear Poirot,

<<If I'm "YOU" (ME) - then you can obviously define me as something that differs from everything else.>>

I cannot define you, nor would I ever dare to try. What makes you say that I "obviously" could?

<<How can you do that if I don't exist - as anything?>>

I cannot.

<<Apparently Pericles is God as well. We all are.>>

Exactly so!
Posted by Yuyutsu, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 10:49:57 PM
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Yuyutsu,

"I cannot define you, nor would I ever dare to try. What makes you say that I "obviously" could?"

Yes, I realise you're quite adept at evading the crux of questions you find difficult to answer...so let's try agin, shall we.

As you are aware, I did not ask you to "define me" per se.

I remarked that by labelling me "YOU" that you were able to "define me as something that differs from everything else."

In addressing me as "YOU", you were singling out my entity as separate from other entities and the general milieu....none of which, according to you exists.

How is it possible to differentiate between entities if none exist and/or are God - who also doesn't exist
Posted by Poirot, Thursday, 30 October 2014 7:22:18 AM
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Dear Poirot,

I can only relate to what you write here, not to what you have in mind.

So I'm reading the questions you posted to me:

<<In addressing me as "YOU", you were singling out my entity as separate from other entities and the general milieu>>

I have not claimed that you are either separate or an entity.

Now unlike your last post you are asking me about your entity ("MY entity"), but in my last post I wasn't relating to that entity (by which I presume you refer to your body-mind), I was then relating to you.

<<none of which, according to you exists.>>

Your entity exists, this is quite apparent.

<<How is it possible to differentiate between entities if none exist and/or are God - who also doesn't exist>>

But entities do exist - YOU are not an entity though.
Posted by Yuyutsu, Thursday, 30 October 2014 8:12:12 AM
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