yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Supervenience


2m read
·Nov 8, 2024

One of the questions was, "Um, how is it that logic supervenes on our brains?"

And I think it's a good question.

Um, I think it's a question that we're not currently in a position to give a full answer to.

Um, for that, our understanding of how the brain and the mind are interrelated needs to be, uh, much more advanced than it currently is.

Um, but I think by way of analogy, I can give you an idea of how, uh, a materialist conception of the mind—how it, how it can, how it approaches this question.

Anyway, so to take the example of a computer, um, we know exactly, uh, the parts that make up a computer, and we know exactly what happens in those parts in order for the computer to do the things it's expected to do.

Ultimately, what happens inside a computer is electrons move around.

That's all it is at a basic level, and yet we're happy to say things like the computer calculates, uh, a sum, an equation, or the computer displays a web page.

And yet we don't feel the need to posit some kind of immaterial entity or immaterial knowledge or symbol or something from another realm that somehow is injected into the computer that enables it to do these things.

We know exactly what's in a computer, what happens in a computer, and we also know that in a manner of speaking, the result is greater than the sum of its parts.

The ability to calculate or to display a web page supervenes on the fundamental activity of electrons in a computer.

And what the materialist worldview says, or at least the version that I'm familiar with, is that in a similar way, the electrical and chemical activity inside the brain gives rise to Consciousness, thought, abstract Concepts, etc.

So logic, as in our internal representation of the most general features of the reality in which we find ourselves, logic in that sense supervenes on the physical.

I hope that makes it a bit clearer.

More Articles

View All
HE'S FOLLOWING YOU! -- DONG!
Hey, Vsauce. Michael here, and if you need more DONG, don’t worry, because I’m bringing you more things you could do online now, guys. “JaydenMarkAnderson” recommended Clubcreate, where you can make your own remixes right inside your browser. As we liste…
I’m Averse To People! (A Stoic perspective)
The dynamics of desire and aversion lie at the basis of Stoic thought in regards to how we relate to the world. Aversion means a strong dislike and disinclination towards something or someone. Even though this might seem harmless, it can cause a lot of tr…
Treating systems (the easy way) | Forces and Newton's laws of motion | Physics | Khan Academy
So in the previous video, we solved this problem the hard way. Maybe you watched it, maybe you didn’t. Maybe you just skipped right to here and you’re like, “I don’t even want to know the hard way. Just show me the easy way, please.” Well, that’s what we’…
Free Solo - Trailer | National Geographic
It feels different to be up there without a rope. It’s obviously like much higher consequence. People who know a little bit about climbing, they’re like, “Oh, he’s totally safe,” and then people who really know exactly what he’s doing, I freaked out. I’ve…
Why your plans are failing and methods to schedule your day/week/month✏️🗓
If your plans are failing and if you’re always feeling like you’re behind of your schedule, your plans, whatever, and if you’re feeling like you don’t have enough time in a day, then this video might be for you. Hi guys, it’s me, Judy, your favorite, you…
15 Brutal TRUTHS People Don't Want To Hear
[Music] This is the Sunday motivational video. Every Sunday, we bring you a different type of video which should improve your life. Today, we’re looking at 15 brutal truths that people don’t want to hear. Welcome to a lox calm, the place where future bill…