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

Norman K. McPhail (norm@SOCAL.WANET.COM)
Tue, 30 Jun 1998 11:27:03 -0700


Don Mikulecky wrote:
>
> Don Mikulecky asks:
>
> Norman K. McPhail wrote:
>
> > 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).
>
> Is Jonathan Shear no longer editor? I am on good terms with him and would be
> happy to intercede if that might help?

I think Shear oversees several journals. I've not had any contact with
them since last fall, but so far as I know he is still around.

> >
> >
> > 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.
> >
>
> wow.....let's go!!!!!!

JCS may not want to print what we can say because I think it will blow
the lid off the whole consciousness black box. Regardless, with your
brains and Mario's good looks, how can we lose? I think that the main
problem we face is writing this out in such a way that it is both easily
understood by everyone and at the same time has enough starch in it to
get past the peer reviewers.

This will not be easy to accomplish. Still, I am convinced that we have
the models, the approach and enough facts to wake up a lot of sleepy
philisophers and scientists. At the very least it will be a lot of fun
trying.

I may be wrong, but I think that a lot of people have their eye on this
consciousness mess because they intuitively sense that unraveling it
will help take us beyond a lot of the fruitless wrangling now going on.
What's more, I am convinced that this is the way to bridge the gaps
between the humanities and the sciences. But it is not some PR or
political campaign designed to change peoples minds. The bridging
effect is a natural product of the larger understandings and insights
that come from a flexible mapping and modeling approach.

This approach uses the thought modes that are appropriate to dealing
with and understanding the nature of the arenas under consideration. It
is a radical shift away from the assumption that one thought mode,
methodology and logic system must fit all subjects. See if you don't
think there is a way to combine how each of us look at this elephant
into a better understanding and explanation. It embodies the very
concept of using models that won't commute that we are talking about.

> > I am leaving on
> > > holidays now and will take it with me.

Don, if Mario doesn't send his article out to you, let me know. I have
it and will try to e-mail it to you. It is a problem for me because I
must break it into three parts. Also the html coding appears when I
break it into three pieces.

> > > 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.
> >