John Searle - Why is Consciousness so Mysterious?

How can the mindless microscopic particles that compose our brains 'experience' the setting sun, the Mozart Requiem, and romantic love? How can sparks of brain electricity and flows of brain chemicals literally be these felt experiences or be 'about' things that have external meaning?

[millenialmusings]

john searle is one of the most realist guys out there. i like his pragmatism

[NothingMaster]

Perhaps the best way to tackle the seemingly inapproachable conundrum of consciousness is to free ourselves from all the nutty theological and philosophical speculations and ask: What is it exactly that we think we are conscious of; besides the fact that we seem to be aware of our own existence and are inherently inclined to survive? What is the ultimate meaning/object of consciousness?

[jamesruscheinski]

Could consciousness be the interaction of brain with something internal or external, or both?

[TheAspiringCentenarian]

Consciousness began to become conscious about itself. It is perhaps the only abstract thing that became aware about itself.

[abhishekshah]

I love John Searle, but every time he says brains cause consciousness and claims to reject materialism, he's only being a materialist; I cannot help but point out his error. Why is it the case, that our brains cause consciousness when "consciousness" itself cannot be defined. You can talk about self-awareness, and qualia, but consciousness is the field in which these happen. Like the electromagnetic field, we had no reason to believe in it, till Maxwell's equations modeled that field as an abstraction, to produce real testable results. Similarly, consciousness is not a phenomenon caused by the brain, in the same way consciousness is not caused by oranges or apples. Why? Because brains are made of apples and oranges, so consciousness cannot be a fact of matter alone; Can it be the temporal processes that go on the brain shuffling energy around? Again no, this assumes that time is more fundamental than consciousness that it is due to motion of particles, consciousness somehow arises, yet where and what it is, unlike the center of gravity, cannot be stated. I see a stream of water molecules flowing in the river, if motion is the sole criterion for consciousness, a river must too have a rudimentary consciousness and so do rocks and literally anything that moves. To really appreciate consciousness, you need to look at the image of a brain and ask yourself, where do "thoughts" and "dreams" happen in this wet mush?

[vulcanus]

Correlation does not in itself prove causation. Why not just say "I don't know" because that's what he basically did.

[charlesbrightman]

Consider this:
Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) waves in the form of radio waves and TV waves contain coherent information. So why couldn't our brain contain EMR waves that contain coherent information? Add to this my latest theoretical idea that the pure energy unit in this universe is the pulsating photon that makes up everything in existence, including our "physical" brain. It would seem to me that consciousness, thoughts and memories have at least something to do with, if not even entirely, the interacting EMR energy in our brain, including EMR energy frequencies acting at a distance with the electrons in the atoms and molecules that resonate with it, constructively or destructively. (Via QED and possibly even QCD).

TOE: 9/22/2016.
My Current TOE:

THE SETUP:
1. Modern science currently recognizes four forces of nature: The strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, gravity, and electromagnetism.
2. In school we are taught that with magnetism, opposite polarities attract and like polarities repel. But inside the arc of a large horseshoe magnet it's the other way around, like polarities attract and opposite polarities repel. (I have proved this to myself with magnets and anybody with a large horseshoe magnet and two smaller bar magnets can easily prove this to yourself too).
3. Charged particles have an associated magnetic field with them.
4. Protons and electrons are charged particles and have their associated magnetic fields with them.
5. Photons also have both an electric and a magnetic component to them.

FOUR FORCES OF NATURE DOWN INTO TWO:
6. When an electron is in close proximity to the nucleus, it would basically generate a 360 degree spherical magnetic field.
7. Like charged protons would stick together inside of this magnetic field, while simultaneously repelling opposite charged electrons inside this magnetic field, while simultaneously attracting the opposite charged electrons across the inner portion of the electron's moving magnetic field.
8. There are probably no such thing as "gluons" in actual reality.
9. The strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force are probably derivatives of the electro-magnetic field interactions between electrons and protons.
10. The nucleus is probably an electro-magnetic field boundary.
11. Quarks also supposedly have a charge to them and then would also most likely have electro-magnetic fields associated with them, possibly a different arrangement for each of the six different type of quarks.
12. The interactions between the quarks EM forces are how and why protons and neutrons formulate as well as how and why protons and neutrons stay inside of the nucleus and do not just pass through as neutrinos do.

THE GEM FORCE INTERACTIONS AND QUANTA:
13. Personally, I currently believe that the directional force in photons is "gravity".
14. I also believe that a pulsating singularity (which is basically a pulsating photon) is the pure energy unit.
15. When these pulsating pure energy units interact with other pure energy units, they tangle together. Various shapes (strings, spheres, whatever) might be formed, which then create sub-atomic material, atoms, molecules, and everything in existence in this universe.
16. When the pure energy units unite together they would tend to stabilize and vibrate.
17. I believe there is probably a Photonic Theory Of The Atomic Structure.
18. Everything is basically "light" (photons) in a universe entirely filled with "light" (photons).

THE MAGNETIC FORCE SPECIFICALLY:
19. When the electron with it's associated magnetic field goes around the proton with it's associated magnetic field, internal and external energy oscillations are set up.
20. When more than one atom is involved, and these energy frequencies align, they add together, specifically the magnetic field frequency.
21. I currently believe that this is where a line of flux originates from, aligned magnetic field frequencies.

NOTES:
22. The Earth can be looked at as being a massive singular interacting photon with it's magnetic field, electrical surface field, and gravity, all three photonic forces all being 90 degrees from each other.
23. The flat spiral galaxy can be looked at as being a massive singular interacting photon with it's magnetic fields on each side of the plane of matter, the electrical field along the plane of matter, and gravity being directed towards the galactic center's black hole where the gravitational forces would meet, all three photonic forces all being 90 degrees from each other.
24. As below in the singularity, as above in the galaxy and probably universe as well.
25. I believe there are only two forces of nature, Gravity and EM, (GEM). Due to the stability of the GEM with the pure energy unit, this is also why the forces of nature haven't evolved by now. Of which with the current theory of understanding, how come the forces of nature haven't evolved by now since the original conditions acting upon the singularity aren't acting upon them like they originally were, billions of years have supposedly elapsed, in a universe that continues to expand and cool, with energy that could not be created nor destroyed would be getting less and less dense? My theory would seem to make more sense if in fact it is really true. I really wonder if it is in fact really true.
26. And the universe would be expanding due to these pulsating and interacting pure energy units and would also allow galaxies to collide, of which, how could galaxies ever collide if they are all speeding away from each other like is currently taught?

DISCLAIMER:
27. As I as well as all of humanity truly do not know what we do not know, the above certainly could be wrong. It would have to be proved or disproved to know for more certainty.

[Feynman.R]

It is obvious, consciousness is a simple product of neuron activity. Why people think about it like it is something mysterious, idk.

[twirlipofthemists]

If you don't know about pistons and Boyle's Law, a Chevy Nova is just as mysterious as consciousness.

[BradHolkesvig]

The mind of a man is an AI and Voice system linked together with all the other minds. However, each mind is unique and the only way we can know what is going on in each other's minds is to share our experiences through a verbal or written language. Our body language can help, too. We are definitely living in a computer system with a program that's called Eternal Life. The AI and Voice system is what converts the stored data into fake bodies and fake words for us to experience life with in each individual mind of man.

[MrModikoe]

lol you can't prove any of the things you said sir...

[twirlipofthemists]

Dear Woo merchants: Remove your brain and THEN explain how consciousness is not neurological.