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
THE FED JUST HIKED RATES *AGAIN* | Major Changes Explained
What’s up, Graham? It’s guys here. So, you know the saying that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes? Well, that’s what many believe is beginning to happen as the Federal Reserve heads towards an event that we haven’t seen in almost 50 years…
Why Are 96,000,000 Black Balls on This Reservoir?
(Shade balls rolling) - These are shade balls. They’re being dumped into this water reservoir in Los Angeles. And contrary to what you may have heard, their main purpose is not to reduce evaporation. So what are they really for? To find out, I’m visiting …
How we keep track of every private jet on earth!!!
Know every airplane that’s out there for sale. We know every detail about it, and we know who’s representing what buyers and sellers. You need technology and you need data. But once they get in here, if you don’t get to keep their attention, you’re going…
Khan Academy Ed Talks with Chase Nordengren, PhD
Hello and welcome to Ed Talks with Khan Academy, where we talk to interesting and important people in the education space. I’m Kristen Deservo, the Chief Learning Officer here at Khan Academy, and looking forward to a conversation today with Dr. Chase Nor…
Founder burnout happens a lot. A good co-founder can help shoulder the load.
All right, so the question is: I’m feeling burned out; my co-founder isn’t. What should we do? Look, I think the reality of building a company for years and years is that there are going to be certain times where you’re feeling more energy and times wher…
How to Mountain Bike Like a Pro | Get Out: A Guide to Adventure
Hi, I’m Eric Porter. I’m a professional mountain biker, and I’m going to teach you how to get started with mountain biking. I love mountain biking ‘cause it’s a great way to get away from everything, get out into the woods, ride your bike, challenge your…