Jochen, You put me in a terrible conflict. On the one hand, you are one of three people who has ever read that paper, so I want to thank you .... in fact, I want to bound into your lap like a large St. Bernard puppy and lick your face ... so filled with gratitude am I . For most of us, academic writing is a lonely trade.
On the other hand, I dont' THINK the paper says that. Now, on my understanding of mind, you are at least as good a judge of my intentions as I am, and so I feel a rush of uncertainty as I say, "I never intended to be ... never have been?... a causal mentalist. On my account, mind states describe behavior, they dont explain it and they certainly dont cause it. I will reread the paper and see what I said. But whatever the outcome of my rereading, thank you so very much for your reading. All the best, Nick Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology, Clark University ([email protected]) http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ > [Original Message] > From: Jochen Fromm <[email protected]> > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <[email protected]> > Date: 6/14/2009 6:56:41 PM > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] The ghost in the machine (was 'quick question') > > Your paper "Intentionality is the Mark of the Vital" > seems to fit better. It argues that it is unnecessary to > reconcile the mental with the material if we consider the > mental as intentional, and gives the example > > A did D because A desired (wanted, believed..) [x] > > For example I can move my arm because I want it. > I want it means I have the intention to it. It is the > intention which causes a kind of downward causation > to low-level behaviors (from the prefrontal cortex to > the premotor areas and the primary motor cortex). > As the article says, intentional explanations may be > the best way to describe the elusive nature of > "mental" operations in a biological system. > > -J. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nicholas Thompson" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2009 7:24 PM > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] The ghost in the machine (was 'quick question') > > > > Take care. If you every were so idle and demented as to want to read > > something I have written on the subject, you might try: > > > > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/id36.html > > > > Nick > > > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
