Re: Will and free will. Was Re: Non Physical Experience

Norman K. McPhail (norm@SOCAL.WANET.COM)
Tue, 30 Jun 1998 08:40:27 -0700


Mario Vaneechoutte wrote:
>
> Norman K. McPhail wrote:
>
> > Mario:
> >
> > Here is the correct address for Don's article.
> >
> > http://views.vcu.edu/~mikuleck/rev.htm
> >
> > You may want to send the whole text of your excellent article entitled:
> > EXPERIENCE, AWARENESS AND CONSCIOUSNESS via e-mail to the entire list.
> > I found it very informative and interesting.
> >
> > Norm
>
> Dear Norman,
>
> Thank you very much for your enthusiastic response. Actually I have
> submitted this article to J. Consciousness Studies and after waiting more
> than 6 months I was informed, two weeks ago, that it was not really suited
> for publication. I can resubmit, but I am not really invited to do so, and
> resubmission is not ensurance for acceptance. (Anthony Freeman is the
> editor).

I also had an article rejected by JCS. Anthony is a good guy and a good
editor. However they obviously like articles that don't say that
consciousness is silly and easy to figure out. Your article has some
truly remarkable insights that in some ways are identical to my ideas
about how our brains work. You may want to read my article. Here is
the address: http://204.94.86.93/jcsart.html

> I first decided not to publish it any longer, but then, a few days after I
> was informed about rejection, the new issue of JCS had as the keynote paper
> something of Sheets-Johnstone. Although I do not disagree with her claim
> that 'the conscious was not preceded by unconsciousness', I thought that I
> had written all she had to say so much better.

I have not read this article, but it is hard for me to imagine that it
would make much sense based on your description.

> So, I still would like it to have published, since I worked a long time on
> it (intermittently for more than a year: I never find time to work
> seriously on this philosophy stuff and sometimes I don't do a thing about
> it for more than a month: family, garden, bacteriology, social life
> (although this is kept to a minimum), being too tired to concentrate on it,
> having forgotten where I was or where I left the latest version, ...).

I know the problems only too well. If you like, I will be happy to go
through it with you sentence by sentence.

> So, what if I put it on the net? Can I still submit it?

Yes!

>
> I will read Mickulecky's article. I have done so before, but only the first
> few pages, due to the fact I find it rather complicated and due to so many
> interesting things to read and so many other things to do.

I understand. But it is worth it. What I have in mind is perhaps a
combination of Don's ideas, yours and mine.

I am leaving on
> holidays now and will take it with me.
>
> I appreciate your role as moderator. Go on with it. Only, I won't take part
> in it during the first following month.
>
Have a wonderful holiday.

Norm