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Are India - Canada Relations In a State of Downturn?
Canada and India are indeed well-suited to be strategic partners. Vibrant democracies and multicultural English-speaking societies, both nations are members of the Commonwealth, G20, and ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum), to name a few, and have a broad commonality of outlook.
Youth In Politics, Shivangi Gautam
6 Mar 2021 • 5 min read
Canada and India are indeed well suited to be strategic partners. Vibrant democracies and multicultural English-speaking societies, both nations are members of the Commonwealth, G20, and ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum), to name a few, and have a broad commonality of outlook. The two countries have complementary economies. Canada has been home to the Indian diaspora since the late 19th century. Currently, 1.9 million PIOs (People of Indian Origin) comprise some 5.6% of the Canadian population. Their number is growing steadily. For good or bad, youngsters seem to compete in parts of India, especially Punjab, to migrate to Canada. Canada is the only OECD country, which absorbs some 350,000 immigrants (close to 1% of its population) every year. The largest number comes from India. The Indian community has carved out a niche for itself by its diligence, language skills, and educational prowess. Many of them occupy senior positions in the educational, financial, business, official and political spheres. A number of them have become dollar billionaires, notwithstanding their humble origin. But, India and Canada are trying to revive momentum in their bilateral relations which had drifted for a while due to differences over activities of Khalistani extremists.
India and Canada share a chequered history and the ties between the two nations have seen their fair share of ups and downs. Since India's Independence, Canada has recognized the country as a major power in Asia that was crucial in maintaining the balance of power in the region. Canada's association with the British Commonwealth, its federal democratic character, and its rich ethnic diversity laid the foundations for bilateral relations between India and Canada. Ottawa believed that enhanced ties with India would allow Canada to extend its reach to other Afro-Asian countries and pursue its foreign policy in relative autonomy. Canada further sought to position itself as a "bridge" between the US and India, i.e. to moderate the US' views about India and vice versa. During the Cold War period, the personal equation between Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Canadian counterparts, Louis St. Laurent and later Lester Pearson, helped develop some strategic understanding between the two sides. During this period, India became the largest recipient of Canadian external assistance. Under the Colombo Plan, Canada provided grants to India's civil nuclear program, which it believed would highlight the importance of the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Moreover, Canada's assistance was aimed at furthering bilateral cooperation by encouraging mutually beneficial research and industrial activities in both countries. However, Canada's status as a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was at odds with India's Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) membership and its aim to maintain strategic neutrality between the two Cold War blocs.
Faultlines first emerged in 1948 when Canada supported a plebiscite, followed by a ceasefire, in the Indian state of Kashmir, a position that was antithetical to India's interests. Differences over other issues of international importance further deepened the gulf between India and Canada. John Diefenbaker's Conservative Party-led government in Canada was considered to be closer to Pakistan under the leadership of Ayub Khan than to India. In 1974, foreign-policy mandarins in Ottawa were infuriated when India carried out nuclear tests. They suspected that these tests were carried out using the Canadian CIRUS reactor. Out of three research reactors India had, only the Canadian-designed and cooperatively built CIRUS provided for plutonium, a prerequisite for developing nuclear bombs. Up until then, Canada had believed that New Delhi shared its ideological opposition to the development of nuclear weapons. The Indian nuclear tests challenged this notion, making Canada reassess its perception of Asia's emerging strategic dynamics. India subsequently conducted nuclear tests in Pokhran, Rajasthan in 1998, driven by a range of domestic and external incentives such as the emerging consensus between India's political elites and the scientific community; the security threat posed by China, in light of the 1962 Sino-Indian war; and China's nuclear tests in Lop Nor. In the aftermath of the nuclear tests, India's relations with Canada, and indeed much of the West, deteriorated. Canadian politicians, especially the Liberals and NDP (headed by Jagmeet Singh, an unabashed India baiter) are beholden to the Khalistani elements and often make an appearance at separatist platforms, where terrorists like Bhindranwale are eulogized. New Delhi has been raising its concerns with Ottawa regularly, which pleads helplessness due to the right of free speech, under the Canadian constitution. They also point out that under the constitution a province like Quebec has a right to secede if a majority of the electorate casts an affirmative vote.
India's decision to put off the foreign office consultations scheduled with Canada signals the downturn in political ties between the two countries over PM Trudeau's remarks on the farm protests. In an open letter, a group of former Indian diplomats lashed out at Trudeau, saying such blatant interference in India's internal affairs to appease a section of the Liberal party's voter base is completely unacceptable and will cast a long shadow on bilateral relations. Expressing concern over activities of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada, the statement said they are also radicalizing the Canadian youth with far-reaching consequences, which is being ignored at the altar of short-term political expediency. An upset New Delhi promptly summoned the Canadian envoy over the "unwarranted" comments and served a demarche or formal diplomatic representation that said the "comments by the Canadian Prime Minister, some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament on issues relating to Indian farmers constitute an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs". Indian officials, however, underlined that economic relations between the two countries would not be impacted by the strain in political ties that were often attributed to the Canadian leadership letting local political interests of his party gain precedence over diplomacy and economics.
Despite their tumultuous political history, India remains Canada a viable option for robust economic partnership. In recent years, Canada has expedited the efforts to diversify its trading partners, driven by the search for new opportunities and avenues for investment beyond the Western hemisphere. This motivates it to explore the possibilities of augmenting trade and economic relations with India. India-Canada relations have struggled to prosper, despite the two countries sharing various complementarities such as their democratic character and association in the Commonwealth. Starting with ideological differences in the Cold War period and later, Canada's inability to take into consideration India's strategic realities, the differences have festered between the two sides. India's Canada policy, on the other hand, has partly been informed by the presence of Khalistan sympathizers who espouse anti-India sentiments. Canada's criticism of New Delhi has dented India's interest in engaging Canada as a strategic partner. These criticisms have come at various levels, including provincial legislatures, involving past events such as the military action in Amritsar's Golden Temple and the 1984 riots.
Even so, India's economic potential, including the investment opportunities it offers, has led Canada to periodically review the economic dimension of this bilateral relationship in its India policy. For India to overcome the longstanding hiatus in its relations with Canada, it must divert its attention away from politically contentious issues. New Delhi should also take into consideration that past events affecting the Sikh diaspora in Canada have gradually become part of the political discourse there. It is, therefore, useful to develop a new framework of cooperation that is more pragmatic. it is time to put more emphasis on mutually beneficial areas, such as trade, where opportunities lie. Much work remains to be done.
https://www.oneindia.com/india/after-trudeau-s-comments-on-farmer-protests-india-seeks-to-downturn-political-relations-3189600.html
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Philosophy of Mind > Philosophy of Consciousness > Philosophy of Consciousness, Miscellaneous
Philosophy of Consciousness, Miscellaneous
Edited by David Chalmers (New York University)
Philosophy of Consciousness, General Works (45)
The Concept of Consciousness (32)
Philosophy of Consciousness, Misc (57)
Bertrand Russell Professorship of Philosophy
Professor and Associate Professors (Philosophy)
University of Neuchatel
Full Professor (83%) or Assistant Professor with Tenure Track (75%) in Theoretical Philosophy
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Consciousness, Origins.Gregory Nixon - 2016 - In Harold L. Miller Jr (ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: Sage Publications. pp. 172-176.details
To explain the origin of anything, we must be clear about that which we are explaining. There seem to be two main meanings for the term consciousness. One might be called open in that it equates consciousness with awareness and experience and considers rudimentary sensations to have evolved at a specific point in the evolution of increasing complexity. But certainly the foundation for such sensation is a physical body. It is unclear, however, exactly what the physical requirements are for a (...) "central experiencer" to emerge in the course of evolution. Some suggest that it would require a basic brain, others a central nervous system, and others stipulate only a cellular membrane. The open definition is most often assumed by the so-called hard sciences. -/- The closed meaning of consciousness differentiates between a special sort of experience, i.e., conscious experience, and a special sort of awareness (i.e., self-awareness). This is the approach of psychoanalysis and psychology that accepts the existence of an unconscious mind. It is also the view of most phenomenological philosophers and psychologists (Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jacques Lacan, etc.). This entry discusses several scientific and philosophical views of consciousness and its origins. (shrink)
Inference as Consciousness of Necessity.Eric Marcus - forthcoming - Analytic Philosophy.details
Consider the following three claims. (i) There are no truths of the form 'p and ~p'. (ii) No one holds a belief of the form 'p and ~p'. (iii) No one holds any pairs of beliefs of the form {p, ~p}. Irad Kimhi has recently argued, in effect, that each of these claims holds and holds with metaphysical necessity. Furthermore, he maintains that they are ultimately not distinct claims at all, but the same claim formulated in different ways. I find (...) his argument suggestive, if not entirely transparent. I do think there is at least an important kernel of truth even in (iii), and that (i) ultimately explains what's right about the other two. Consciousness of an impossibility makes belief in the obtaining of the corresponding state of affairs an impossibility. Interestingly, an appreciation of this fact brings into view a novel conception of inference, according to which it consists in the consciousness of necessity. This essay outlines and defends this position. A central element of the defense is that it reveals how reasoners satisfy what Paul Boghossian the Taking Condition and do so without engendering regress. (shrink)
Genetic Phenomenology and Empirical Naturalism.Andrea Pace Giannotta - 2018 - Teoria 38 (2):149-160.details
Husserl's phenomenology is developed in explicit contrast to naturalism. At the same time, various scholars have attempted to overcome this opposition by naturalizing consciousness and phenomenology. In this paper, I argue that, in order to confront the issue of the relationship between phenomenology and naturalism, we must distinguish between different forms of naturalism. In fact, Husserl's transcendental phenomenology is developed in contrast to a metaphysical form of naturalism, which conceives of nature as a mind-independent ontological domain that can be known (...) as it is "in itself", independently of the cognitive relationship. At the same time, I argue that the genetic development of phenomenology, through the investigation of the temporal structure of experiences, leads to an empirical form of naturalism, which conceives of nature as the objective pole in a process of co-constitution of the subject and the object of experience. -/- Winner of the Philosophy Essay Prize "Vittorio Sainati" XIIth Edition. (shrink)
Artificial Qualia, Intentional Systems and Machine Consciousness.Robert James M. Boyles - 2012 - In Proceedings of the DLSU Congress 2012. pp. 110a–110c.details
In the field of machine consciousness, it has been argued that in order to build human-like conscious machines, we must first have a computational model of qualia. To this end, some have proposed a framework that supports qualia in machines by implementing a model with three computational areas (i.e., the subconceptual, conceptual, and linguistic areas). These abstract mechanisms purportedly enable the assessment of artificial qualia. However, several critics of the machine consciousness project dispute this possibility. For instance, Searle, in his (...) Chinese room objection, argues that however sophisticated a computational system is, it can never exhibit intentionality; thus, would also fail to exhibit consciousness or any of its varieties. This paper argues that the proposed architecture mentioned above answers the problem posed by Searle, at least in part. Specifically, it argues that we could reformulate Searle's worries in the Chinese room in terms of the three-stage artificial qualia model. And by doing so, we could see that the person doing all the translations in the room could realize the three areas in the proposed framework. Consequently, this demonstrates the actualization of self-consciousness in machines. (shrink)
Knowledge, Explicit Vs Implicit.David Kirsh - 2009 - Oxford Companion to Consciousness:397-402.details
In the scientific study of mind a distinction is drawn between explicit knowledge— knowledge that can be elicited from a subject by suitable inquiry or prompting, can be brought to consciousness, and externally expressed in words—and implicit knowledge—knowledge that cannot be elicited, cannot be made directly conscious, and can- not be articulated. Michael Polanyi (1967) argued that we usually 'know more than we can say'. The part we can articulate is explicitly known; the part we cannot is implicit.
Higher-Order Awareness, Misrepresentation, and Function.David Rosenthal - 2012 - Higher-Order Awareness, Misrepresentation and Function 367 (1594):1424-1438.details
Conscious mental states are states we are in some way aware of. I compare higher-order theories of consciousness, which explain consciousness by appeal to such higher-order awareness (HOA), and first-order theories, which do not, and I argue that higher-order theories have substantial explanatory advantages. The higher-order nature of our awareness of our conscious states suggests an analogy with the metacognition that figures in the regulation of psychological processes and behaviour. I argue that, although both consciousness and metacognition involve higher-order psychological (...) states, they have little more in common. One thing they do share is the possibility of misrepresentation; just as metacognitive processing can misrepresent one's cognitive states and abilities, so the HOA in virtue of which one's mental states are conscious can, and sometimes does, misdescribe those states. A striking difference between the two, however, has to do with utility for psychological processing. Metacognition has considerable benefit for psychological processing; in contrast, it is unlikely that there is much, if any, utility to mental states' being conscious over and above the utility those states have when they are not conscious. (shrink)
Consciousness.Joel Krueger - 2007 - In John Lachs & Robert Talisse (eds.), Encyclopedia of American Philosophy. Routledge.details
Consciousness and Free Will: A Critique of the Argument From Introspection.Gregg Caruso - 2008 - Southwest Philosophy Review 24 (1):219-231.details
One of the main libertarian arguments in support of free will is the argument from introspection. This argument places a great deal of faith in our conscious feeling of freedom and our introspective abilities. People often infer their own freedom from their introspective phenomenology of freedom. It is here argued that from the fact that I feel myself free, it does not necessarily follow that I am free. I maintain that it is our mistaken belief in the transparency and infallibility (...) of consciousness that gives the introspective argument whatever power it possesses. Once we see that consciousness is neither transparent nor infallible, the argument from introspection loses all of its force. I argue that since we do not have direct, infallible access to our own minds, to rely on introspection to infer our own freedom would be a mistake. (shrink)
Consciousness.Bakytzhan Oralebkov - manuscriptdetails
Philosophy of Consciousness, General Works
The History and Philosophy of the Postwar American Counterculture: Anarchy, the Beats and the Psychedelic Transformation of Consciousness.Ed D'Angelo - manuscriptdetails
This is a greatly expanded version of my article "Anarchism and the Beats," which was published in the book, The Philosophy of the Beats, by the University Press of Kentucky in 2012. It is both an historical and a philosophical analysis of the postwar American counterculture. It charts the historical origins of the postwar American counterculture from the anarchists and romantic poets of the early nineteenth century to a complex network of beat poets and pacifist anarchists in the early decades (...) after World War II. The beat poets understood themselves to be religious prophets of a new form of liberated consciousness. Poetry was both a means to achieve this new form of consciousness and a means to express that consciousness once it was achieved by other means including travel, psychedelic drugs, sex or meditation. The transformation of consciousness sought by the beats was therefore primarily religious in nature, not political or ideological. However, that does not mean that the beats believed that the transformation of consciousness they sought had no political or social implications. On the contrary, the beats were almost all anarchists. It merely means that, for them, political ideology follows consciousness, not the reverse. (shrink)
A Experiência Consciente Enquanto Produto da Memória.Glaupy Fontana Ribas - 2018 - In Felipe Rocha L. Santos, José Leonardo Ruivo & Waldomiro José da Silva Filho (eds.), Anais da v Conferência da Sociedade Brasileira de Filosofia Analítica. Pelotas: Editora UFPEL. pp. 188-194.details
O objetivo do presente trabalho é contrapor duas teorias que buscam explicar quais processos neurais dão origem a experiência consciente. Em um primeiro momento apresentarei a teoria de Peter Carruthers, que afirma que o fluxo de consciência surge a partir da memória de trabalho. Posteriormente apresentarei a teoria de Matt e Bill Faw, na qual a consciência é equivalente a uma memória, surgindo, portanto, dos mecanismos formadores da memória episódica. Mesmo que ambas sejam teorias afirmem que a consciência surge a (...) partir da memória, os mecanismos neurais da memória de trabalho e da memória episódica são bastante diferentes, o que acarreta em implicações muito distintas em ambas as teorias. Apresentarei também o relato de caso do paciente H.M., pois este serve para que possamos testar ambas as teorias e verificar qual delas consegue fornecer uma explicação plausível do caso. E, por fim, utilizando critérios como coerência teórica e embasamento empírico, argumentarei que a teoria de Peter Carruthers é a teoria que melhor explica os mecanismos geradores da experiência consciente. (shrink)
Quantum Mechanics of 'Conscious Energy'.Syed Ismyl Mahmood Rizvi - 2018 - International Journal of Mind, Brain and Cognition 9 (1-2):132-160.details
This paper is aiming to investigate the physical substrate of conscious process. It will attempt to find out: How does conscious process establish relations between their external stimuli and internal stimuli in order to create reality? How does consciousness devoid of new sensory input result to its new quantum effects? And how does conscious process gain mass in brain? This paper will also try to locate the origins of consciousness at the level of neurons along with the quantum effects of (...) conscious process. (shrink)
Representationalism About Consciousness.Adam Pautz - forthcoming - In Uriah Kriegel (ed.), Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness. Oxford University Press.details
Discusses recent work on representationalism, including: the case for a representationalist theory of consciousness, which explains consciousness in terms of content; rivals such as neurobiological type-type identity theory (Papineau, McLaughlin) and naive realism (Allen, Campbell, Brewer); John Campbell and David Papineau's recent objections to representationalism; the problem of the "laws of appearance"; externalist vs internalist versions of representationalism; the relation between representationalism and the mind-body problem.
Aspects in Dual‐Aspect Monism and Panpsychism: A Rejoinder to Benovsky.Baptiste Le Bihan - 2019 - Philosophical Investigations 42 (2):186-201.details
Neutral monism aims at solving the hard problem of consciousness by positing entities that are neither mental nor physical. Benovsky has recently argued for the slightly different account that, rather than being neutral, natural entities are both mental and physical by having different aspects, and then argued in favour of an anti-realist interpretation of those aspects. In this essay, operating under the assumption of dual-aspect monism, I argue to the contrary in favour of a realist interpretation of these aspects by (...) showing that the anti-realist interpretation collapses into neutral monism and that the realist interpretation is an interesting alternative. I close with a discussion of the realist interpretation of the aspects and its relation with panpsychism. (shrink)
Solving Tye's 'Philosophical Problems of Consciousness' (and Some More).J. H. Van Hateren - manuscriptdetails
A recently developed computational and neurobiological theory of phenomenal consciousness is applied to a series of persistent philosophical problems of consciousness (in recent formulations by Tye, Searle, and Chalmers). Each problem has a clear solution, as is briefly explained here.
What is the Philosophy of Consciousness?Uriah Kriegel - forthcoming - In U. Kriegel (ed.), Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.details
Animal Consciousness (Routledge Handbook of Consciousness Ch.29).Sean Allen-Hermanson - 2018 - In Rocco J. Gennaro (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Consciousness. Routledge.details
Can You Believe It? Illusionism and the Illusion Meta-Problem.François Kammerer - 2018 - Philosophical Psychology 31 (1):44-67.details
Illusionism about consciousness is the thesis that phenomenal consciousness does not exist, but merely seems to exist. Embracing illusionism presents the theoretical advantage that one does not need to explain how consciousness arises from purely physical brains anymore, but only to explain why consciousness seems to exist while it does not. As Keith Frankish puts it, illusionism replaces the "hard problem of consciousness" with the "illusion problem." However, a satisfying version of illusionism has to explain not only why the illusion (...) of consciousness arises, but also why it arises with its particular strength: Notably, why we are so deeply reluctant to recognize the illusory nature of consciousness. Explaining our strong intuitive resistance to illusionism means solving what I call the "illusion meta-problem," which I think is a part of the illusion problem. In this paper, I argue that current versions of illusionism are unable to solve the illusion meta-problem. I focus on two of the most promising recent illusionist theories of consciousness, and I show why they fail to explain the peculiar reluctance we encounter whenever we try to accept that consciousness is an illusion. (shrink)
Why Biology is Beyond Physical Sciences?Bhakti Niskama Shanta & Bhakti Vijnana Muni - 2016 - Advances in Life Sciences 6 (1):13-30.details
In the framework of materialism, the major attention is to find general organizational laws stimulated by physical sciences, ignoring the uniqueness of Life. The main goal of materialism is to reduce consciousness to natural processes, which in turn can be translated into the language of math, physics and chemistry. Following this approach, scientists have made several attempts to deny the living organism of its veracity as an immortal soul, in favor of genes, molecules, atoms and so on. However, advancement in (...) various fields of biology has repeatedly given rise to questions against such a denial and has supplied more and more evidence against the completely misleading ideological imposition that living entities are particular states of matter. In the recent past, however, the realization has arisen that cognitive nature of life at all levels has begun presenting significant challenges to the views of materialism in biology and has created a more receptive environment for the soul hypothesis. Therefore, instead of adjudicating different aprioristic claims, the development of an authentic theory of biology needs both proper scientific knowledge and the appropriate tools of philosophical analysis of life. In a recently published paper the first author of present essay made an attempt to highlight a few relevant developments supporting a sentient view of life in scientific research, which has caused a paradigm shift in our understanding of life and its origin [1]. The present essay highlights the uniqueness of biological systems that offers a considerable challenge to the mainstream materialism in biology and proposes the Vedāntic philosophical view as a viable alternative for development of a biological theory worthy of life. (shrink)
A questão do livre-arbítrio em John R. Searle: uma contraposição do naturalismo biológico ao fisicalismo e ao funcionalismo.Daniel P. Nunes & Everaldo Cescon - 2015 - Cognitio-Estudos 12 (2):179-190.details
This paper compares the theses of physicalism and functionalism – particularly the computacionalist line – with the biological naturalism of John Searle regarding the possibility of free will. In such contrast, each line is decomposed into its statements so that they can be reviewed. It is argued that the searlean biological naturalism can explain more than the other two philosophies on how free action can have the source of its motivation in what is external to the mental state that makes (...) it beperformed. Finally, even if the issue of free will still is open, I shall argue that free will does not find any room in the scenario that the lines of physicalism and functionalism present. (shrink)
On the Matter of Robot Minds.Brian P. McLaughlin & David Rose - forthcoming - Oxford Studies in Experimental Philosophy.details
The view that phenomenally conscious robots are on the horizon often rests on a certain philosophical view about consciousness, one we call "nomological behaviorism." The view entails that, as a matter of nomological necessity, if a robot had exactly the same patterns of dispositions to peripheral behavior as a phenomenally conscious being, then the robot would be phenomenally conscious; indeed it would have all and only the states of phenomenal consciousness that the phenomenally conscious being in question has. We experimentally (...) investigate whether the folk think that certain (hypothetical) robots made of silicon and steel would have the same conscious states as certain familiar biological beings with the same patterns of dispositions to peripheral behavior as the robots. Our findings provide evidence that the folk largely reject the view that silicon-based robots would have the sensations that they, the folk, attribute to the biological beings in question. (shrink)
Reassessing the Nature of IS.David Kreps - 2016 - AIS Electronic Library.details
This paper draws upon the work of three different philosophers, from America (Thomas Nagel), France (Henri Bergson) and Britain (Alfred North Whitehead), to argue for (i) the reality of subjectivity, (ii) the nonphysical nature of subjective consciousness that is dependent upon but not determined by the physical nature of the body, and (iii) the potential unity of a new concept of nature-on-the-move, as distinct from the bifurcation of nature that views only the objective as real. It then presents arguments for (...) new understandings of positivism, interpretivism and the critical stance, in a unified and more coherent frame, going beyond Habermas, Foucault and Bourdieu, to a more fundamental understanding of the philosophical context, situating IS within a more inclusive concept of nature. (shrink)
Über Freiheiten des Menschen: Mit dem Gehirn zur Welt-, und dann zur Gotterkenntnis.Paul Gottlob Layer - 2009 - In Georg Souvignier, Ulrich Lüke, Jürgen Schnakenberg & Hubert Meisinger (eds.), Gottesbilder - an der Grenze zwischen Naturwissenschaft und Theologie. Darmstadt: WBG. pp. 144-160.details
Der erste Teil dieses Aufsatzes befasst sich mit der Tatsache, dass neben der Stammesgeschichte des Menschen (Phylogenese) und seiner je individuellen genetischen Ausstattung für seine Persönlichkeitsentwicklung besonders wichtig ist, dass sein Gehirn bei der Geburt noch unausgereift ist. In dieser Phase kommen Umwelteinflüsse (Lernen jeglicher Art) besonders stark zum Tragen, so daß die "Freiheit des Menschen" hier wesentlich begründet wird. Soviel uns das Studium der Frühentwicklung des Gehirns (Ontogenese) über seine Organisation und seine Funktionen hat verstehen lassen, bleibt doch fraglich, (...) inwieweit die Hirnforschung uns in Fragen nach den seelisch-geistigen Fähigkeiten des Menschen, oder gar nach Gott und Gottesbildern weiterbringen kann. Im 2. Teil wird daher am Beispiel der Hirnfunktionen und der Frage nach dem Bewusstsein erläutert, warum menschliche Erkenntnisfähigkeit begrenzt ist. Die Naturwissenschaft behandelt Wenn-Dann-Fragen und liefert Gründe für das Dann. Sie kann jedoch weder Wesensfragen klären, noch den letzten Urgrund alles Seienden festmachen. Weil aber alles einen Grund haben muß, kann es ein absolutes Nichts niemals gegeben haben, oder geben. Daraus folgend wird im 3. Teil erläutert, dass es gerade rational Sinn macht, als Urgrund der Welt eine letzte Allmacht, also Gott zu denken. Religion kann demnach als höchste, weil freiheitlichste und damit menschlichste Leistung unseres Hirns verstanden werden. Die Evolution hat mit dem menschlichen Gehirn nicht nur die Stufe der Selbst-, sondern auch der Gottesreflexion erreicht. Dies könnte biologisch mit dem theologischen Begriff der Gottesebenbildlichkeit gemeint sein. (shrink)
Consciousness, Free Will, Moral Responsibility.Caruso Gregg - forthcoming - In Rocco Gennaro (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Consciousness. Routledge.details
In recent decades, with advances in the behavioral, cognitive, and neurosciences, the idea that patterns of human behavior may ultimately be due to factors beyond our conscious control has increasingly gained traction and renewed interest in the age-old problem of free will. To properly assess what, if anything, these empirical advances can tell us about free will and moral responsibility, we first need to get clear on the following questions: Is consciousness necessary for free will? If so, what role or (...) function must it play? Are agents morally responsible for actions and behaviors that are carried out automatically or without conscious control or guidance? Are they morally responsible for actions, judgments, and attitudes that are the result of implicit biases or situational features of their surroundings of which they are unaware? What about the actions of somnambulists or cases of extreme sleepwalking where consciousness is largely absent? Clarifying the relationship between consciousness and free will is imperative if we want to evaluate the various arguments for and against free will. For example, do compatibilist reasons- responsive and deep self accounts require consciousness? If so, are they threatened by recent developments in the behavior, cognitive, and neurosciences? What about libertarian accounts of free will? What powers, if any, do they impart to consciousness and are they consistent with our best scientific theories about the world? In this survey piece, I will outline and assess several distinct views on the relationship between consciousness and free will. (shrink)
Människan; den medvetna biologiska maskinen.Robin Ernstsson - manuscriptdetails
I detta dokument ger jag mina teorier, idéer och förklaringar till hur jag tror att medvetandet fungerar, vad det är och varför vi har det. Enligt mig är alla levande varelser bara biologiska maskiner, skulpterade av evolutionen för att bli så anpassad som möjligt till den miljö som de befinner sig i. Allt fungerar på ett speciellt sätt, det går att förklaras och förstås, det finns ingen magi, och medvetandet är inget undantag, det finns där av en anledning.
Quantum Anthropology: Man, Cultures, and Groups in a Quantum Perspective.Radek Trnka & Radmila Lorencova - 2016 - Charles University Karolinum Press.details
This philosophical anthropology tries to explore the basic categories of man's being in the worlds using a special quantum meta-ontology that is introduced in the book. Quantum understanding of space and time, consciousness, or empirical/nonempirical reality elicits new questions relating to philosophical concerns such as subjectivity, free will, mind, perception, experience, dialectic, or agency. The authors have developed an inspiring theoretical framework transcending the boundaries of particular disciplines, e.g. quantum philosophy, metaphysics of consciousness, philosophy of mind, phenomenology of space and (...) time, and ontological relativity. (shrink)
Subjectivity: A Case of Biological Individuation and an Adaptive Response to Informational Overflow.Jakub Jonkisz - 2016 - Frontiers in Psychology 7.details
The article presents a perspective on the scientific explanation of the subjectivity of conscious experience. It proposes plausible answers for two empirically valid questions: the 'how' question concerning the developmental mechanisms of subjectivity, and the 'why' question concerning its function. Biological individuation, which is acquired in several different stages, serves as a provisional description of how subjective perspectives may have evolved. To the extent that an individuated informational space seems the most efficient way for a given organism to select biologically (...) valuable information, subjectivity is deemed to constitute an adaptive response to informational overflow. One of the possible consequences of this view is that subjectivity might be (at least functionally) dissociated from consciousness, insofar as the former primarily facilitates selection, the latter action. (shrink)
Passive Frame Theory: A New Synthesis.Ezequiel Morsella, Godwin Christine, Jantz Tiffany, Krieger Stephen & Gazzaley Adam - forthcoming - Behavioral and Brain Sciences.details
Passive frame theory attempts to illuminate what consciousness is, in mechanistic and functional terms; it does not address the "implementation" level of analysis (how neurons instantiate conscious states), an enigma for various disciplines. However, in response to the commentaries, we discuss how our framework provides clues regarding this enigma. In the framework, consciousness is passive albeit essential. Without consciousness, there would not be adaptive skeletomotor action.
Not-I/Thou: The Other Subject of Art and Architecture.Gavin Keeney - 2014 - Cambridge Scholars Press.details
Not-I/Thou: The Other Subject of Art and Architecture is a series of essays delineating the gray areas and black zones in present-day cultural production. Part One is an implicit critique of neo-liberal capitalism and its assault on the humanities through the pseudo-scientific and pseudo-empirical biases of academic and professional disciplines, while Part Two returns to apparent lost causes in the historical development of modernity and post-modernity, particularly the recourse to artistic production as both a form of mnemonics and periodic (and (...) renascent) avant-garde agitation. In-between these twin systems of taking the measure of things, Art and Architecture, as forms of speculative intellectual capital, emerge from the shadow-lands of half-conscious and half-unconscious forces to become gestures toward a type of knowledge that has no utilitarian or generic agency. Defying the tendencies of such discourses to fall prey to instrumental orders that effectively neuter the inherent radical agenda of both, Art and Architecture are represented in this series of essays as noetic apparatuses, operating at the edge of authorized systems of knowledge, quietly and secretly validating and valorizing the shadowy and recondite, collective and personal operations of intellect in service to no particular end. (shrink)
How a Materialist Can Deny That the United States is Probably Conscious – Response to Schwitzgebel.François Kammerer - 2015 - Philosophia 43 (4):1047-1057.details
In a recent paper, Eric Schwitzgebel argues that if materialism about consciousness is true, then the United States is likely to have its own stream of phenomenal consciousness, distinct from the streams of conscious experience of the people who compose it. Indeed, most plausible forms of materialism have to grant that a certain degree of functional and behavioral complexity constitutes a sufficient condition for the ascription of phenomenal consciousness – and Schwitzgebel makes a case to show that the United States (...) as a whole fulfills this condition. One way to avoid this counter-intuitive consequence of materialism about consciousness is to adopt what Schwitzgebel calls an "anti-nesting principle": a principle that states that there can be no nested forms of phenomenal consciousness and that therefore a conscious whole cannot have parts that are themselves conscious. However, Schwitzgebel then proceeds in his paper to draw up various objections, notably based on thought experiments, in order to dismiss these kinds of "anti-nesting" principles. My aim in this paper is to present a version of a sophisticated anti-nesting principle that avoids Schwitzgebel's objections. This principle is reasonable, intuitive, and as non-arbitrary as possible. Moreover, it can resist the objections mounted by Schwitzgebel against simple anti-nesting principles. This principle helps materialists avoid the implication that the United States has its own stream of consciousness, while granting consciousness to some entities which, in many cases, are intuitive instantiators of phenomenal consciousness. This principle therefore constitutes a way out for a materialist who wants to deny that the United States is conscious. (shrink)
Pretty, Dead: Sociosexuality, Rationality and the Transition Into Zom-Being.Steve Jones - 2014 - In Steve Jones & Shaka McGlotten (eds.), Zombies and Sexuality: Essays on Desire and the Living Dead. McFarland. pp. 180-198.details
The undead have been evoked in philosophical hypotheses regarding consciousness, but such discussions often come across as abstract academic exercises, inapplicable to personal experience. Movie zombies illuminate these somewhat opaque philosophical debates via storytelling devices – narrative, characterization, dialogue and so forth – which approach experience and consciousness in an instinctively accessible manner. This chapter focuses on a particular strand of the subgenre: transition narratives, in which human protagonists gradually turn into zombies. Transition stories typically centralize social relationships; affiliations and (...) interactions with other beings that give her (human) life meaning. These narratives routinely posit that consciousness and sociosexuality are intertwined aspects of experience that distinguish human from zombie, foregrounding a core romantic coupling and charting its decline as the protagonist transforms into a flesh-eating monster. These notions are explored via an indicative case study: Pretty Dead (2013). The film brings two views on the self – intuitive and empirical – into direct conflict, questioning their compatibility. The protagonist's sociosexual decline is employed to illustrate that a) there is a troubling disjuncture between rationalist-theoretical conceptions of selfhood and selfhood as it is experienced in the real, social realm, and b) there is a natural bridge between personal, introspective self-knowledge and external social selfhood. By depicting a form of selfhood that defies rationalist logic (zom-being), transitional zombie films not only animate philosophical debates about consciousness, but also challenge their viewers to develop new conceptual (theoretical and imaginative) vocabularies via which to describe and engage with both selfhood and sociosexuality. (shrink)
Descartes' Model of Mind.Ray Scott Percival - 2015 - In Robin L. Cautin & Scott O. Lilienfeld (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology.details
Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) is considered the founder of modern philosophy. Profoundly influenced by the new physics and astronomy of Kepler and Galileo, Descartes was a scientist and mathematician whose most long-lasting contributions in science were the invention of Cartesian coordinates, the application of algebra to geometry, and the discovery of the law of refraction, what we now call Snell's law.His most important books on philosophy were The discourse on method(1637) and The meditations(1642). Descartes' writings display an exemplary degree (...) of clarity and an aversion to pedantry. I explore Descartes' break with Aristotle, but also shine a light on the intellectual continuity Descartes had with Aristotle's thought. I also draw attention to some overlooked but interesting possibilities for an experimental test of a dualistic theory of mind. (shrink)
Self Awareness and the Self-Presenting Character of Abnormal Conscious Experience.Pablo López-Silva - 2014 - BoD Germany.details
Some philosophers suggest that a minimal form of self-awareness is an integral element of the way in which all experiences are given (SPC: self-presenting claim). The main argument for this is that the phenomenological quality of 'mineness' of the experience reveals the self as a part of all experiences. Since the sense of mineness is taken as intrinsic to the givenness of the experience, it counts as an argument for the SPC. In this essay, I assess this claim and its (...) main argument. After describing the phenomenological approach to self- awareness that grounds the discussion, I comment on some pathological cases that challenge the SPC. After this, I examine the standard reply in defence of the SPC and I focus the discussion on cases of thought insertion. I conclude that although the standard reply adds interesting elements to the general discussion, it becomes philosophically problematic especially when it tries to deal with cases of thought insertion. (shrink)
die physik, das leben und die seele.Alfred Gierer - 1985 - Muenchen, Germany: piper.details
This book (in German) on "Physics, life and mind" is on the physical foundations of modern biology. The basic features of living systems, reproduction, mutation and metabolism, can be explained in terms of molecular processes involving nucleic acids as genetic material, and proteins as catalysts. The generation of structure and form in each generation results from spatiotemporal gene regulation in conjunction with the de novo formation of spatial order in which interplays of activation and inhibition play a crucial part. Brain (...) functions can be understood in terms of information processing in neural networks. Fundamental limitations of explanations of biological phenomena on the basis of physics are expected for the relation between neural and mental states, which may not be fully decodable by finite procedures. A complete algorithmic theory of the human mind encompassing all, including self-referential, aspects appears to be impossible even in principle, not only in practice. The range and limitations of explanations of life on the basis of physical laws and processes reflect the scope and limits of science in general. In contrast to the notions in circulation in the 19th century, modern science is open at the metatheoretical level to different philosophical, cultural and religious interpretations of man and the universe. -/- . (shrink)
If Consciousness is Necessary for Moral Responsibility, Then People Are Less Responsible Than We Think.Gregg Caruso - 2015 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 22 (7-8):49-60.details
Précis of Neil Levy's Consciousness and Moral Responsibility.Gregg Caruso - 2015 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 22 (7-8):7-15.details
"The Choreography of the Soul": Recursive Patterns in Psychology, Political Anthropology and Cosmology.Edward D'angelo - 1988 - Dissertation, State University of New York at Stony Brookdetails
The component structures of two distinct neuropsychological systems are described. "System-Y" depends upon "system-X" which, on the other hand, can operate independently of system-Y. System-X provides a matrix upon which system-Y must operate, and, system-Y is transformed by the operations of system-X. In addition these neuropsychological structures reverberate in political history and in the cosmos. The most fundamental structure in the soul, in society, and in the cosmos, has the form of a conical spiral. It can be described mathematically as (...) an harmonic system and mythologically in terms of the birth, marriage and death of the divine-king. ;System-Y corresponds to the neocortex. System-X corresponds to the region below the cortex including the limbic brain. Many of the essential structures of system-Y are captured by Plato's image of the helmsman: orientation, locomotion, manual control and dexterity, visual guidance, verbal command, intention, and volition. System-X on the other hand has been systematically neglected by Western culture, beginning with Plato. ;The dissertation builds upon Yakovlev's distinction between "teleokinesis," "ectokinesis" and "endokinesis." "Teleokinesis" refers to goal-directed action in external space, and belongs to system-Y. Ectokinesis and endokinesis are components of system-X. "Endokinesis" refers to movements within the body. "Ectokinesis" refers to the emotions, which are expressions of endokinesis. The mechanics of ectokinesis is that of an harmonic or vibrational system, as is the mechanics of a musical instrument. ;Within a trance the structure of system-Y is temporarily altered, such that system-X enters the foreground of awareness. Because ectokinesis is analogous to music cultures inspired by trance experience understand the universe in terms of music. The structure of ectokinesis in a trance is that of a conical spiral. Plato inherited the mystical traditions of the ancient Near East but replaced the spiral of emotions with a spiral of ideas , by understanding the axis of the cone as the paradigmatic dimension, and the angular rotation of the spiral as the syntagmatic dimension, of language. Finally I explain how the mythology and political structure of theocratic society imitated the neuropsychological structures of trance experience. (shrink)
Two Types of Qualia Theory.Pär Sundström - 2014 - The Harvard Review of Philosophy 20:107-131.details
This paper distinguishes two types of qualia theory, which I call Galilean and non-Galilean qualia theories. It also offers considerations against each type of theory. To my mind the considerations are powerful. In any case, they bring out the importance of distinguishing the two types of theory. For they show that different considerations come into play—or considerations come into play in quite different ways—in assessing the two types of theory.
Consciousness and Mental Qualities for Auditory Sensations.Adriana Renero - 2014 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 21 (9-10):179-204.details
The contribution of recent theories of sound and audition has been extremely significant for the development of a philosophy of auditory perception; however, none tackle the question of how our consciousness of auditory states arises. My goal is to show how consciousness about our auditory experience gets triggered. I examine a range of auditory mental phenomena to show how we are able to capture qualitative distinctions of auditory sensations. I argue that our consciousness of auditory states consists in having thoughts (...) that organize our experience. Although my proposals could be adapted to fit with other theories of consciousness, here I expand David Rosenthal's high-order-thought theory and his quality-space theory, and show their usefulness for analyzing our auditory experience. I use quality-space to account for pitch, timbre, loudness, and sound location. I further show that our high-order-thoughts capture qualitative aspects of our auditory sensations. I conclude by demonstrating how a hypothetical listener in possession of a refined vocabulary describes and reports her high-order-thoughts about her musical experience. (shrink)
When Actions Feel Alien: An Explanatory Model.Timothy Lane - 2014 - In Tzu-Wei Hung (ed.), Communicative Action. Springer Science+Business. pp. 53-74.details
It is not necessarily the case that we ever have experiences of self, but human beings do regularly report instances for which self is experienced as absent. That is there are times when body parts, mental states, or actions are felt to be alien. Here I sketch an explanatory framework for explaining these alienation experiences, a framework that also attempts to explain the "mental glue" whereby self is bound to body, mind, or action. The framework is a multi-dimensional model that (...) integrates personal and sub-personal components, psychological and neural processes. I then proceed to show how this model can be applied to explain the action-related passivity experiences of persons suffering from schizophrenia. I argue that a distinctive phenomenological mark of these experiences is that they are vividly felt, unlike ordinary actions (those taken to belong to self), and I seek to explain these heightened sensory experiences from within the proposed framework. I also propose hypotheses concerning such phenomena as thought insertion and anarchic hand syndrome that are motivated by this framework. Finally, I argue that the proposed model and view of self-experiences is consistent with several aspects of and theories of consciousness, especially theories which indicate that consciousness is more likely to be engaged when we are dealing with novelty or error—e.g. when self seems to have gone missing. I conclude by recommending that if we wish to learn about self, we would be well advised to attend closely to those times when it seems absent. (shrink)
Nonhuman Animals: Not Necessarily Saints or Sinners.Cheryl E. Abbate - 2014 - Between the Species 17 (1):1-30.details
Higher-order thought theories maintain that consciousness involves the having of higher-order thoughts about mental states. In response to these theories of consciousness, an attempt is often made to illustrate that nonhuman animals possess said consciousness, overlooking an alarming consequence: attributing higher-order thought to nonhuman animals might entail that they should be held morally accountable for their actions. I argue that moral responsibility requires more than higher-order thought: moral agency requires a specific higher-order thought which concerns a belief about the rightness (...) or wrongness of affecting another's mental states. This "moral thought" about the rightness or wrongness is not yet demonstrated in even the most intelligent nonhuman animals, thus we should suspend our judgments about the "rightness" or "wrongness" of their actions while further questioning the recent insistence on developing an animal morality. (shrink)
What Is It Like to Be a Brain Simulation?Eray Özkural - 2012 - LNCS: Artificial General Intelligence 2012 (7716):232-241.details
We frame the question of what kind of subjective experience a brain simulation would have in contrast to a biological brain. We discuss the brain prosthesis thought experiment. Then, we identify finer questions relating to the original inquiry, and set out to answer them moving forward from both a general physicalist perspective, and pan-experientialism. We propose that the brain simulation is likely to have subjective experience, however, it may differ significantly from human experience. Additionally, we discuss the relevance of quantum (...) properties, digital physics, theory of relativity, and information theory to the question. (shrink)
Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science Since 1980.Elizabeth Schier & John Sutton - 2014 - In Graham Oppy & Nick Trakakis (eds.), History of Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand. New York: Springer.details
If Australasian philosophers constitute the kind of group to which a collective identity or broadly shared self-image can plausibly be ascribed, the celebrated history of Australian materialism rightly lies close to its heart. Jack Smart's chapter in this volume, along with an outstanding series of briefer essays in A Companion to Philosophy in Australia and New Zealand (Forrest 2010; Gold 2010; Koksvik 2010; Lycan 2010; Matthews 2010; Nagasawa 2010; Opie 2010; Stoljar 2010a), effectively describe the naturalistic realism of Australian philosophy (...) of mind. In occasional semi-serious psychogeographic speculation, this long-standing and strongly-felt intellectual attitude has been traced back to the influences of our light, land, or lifestyle (Devitt 1996, x; compare comments by Chalmers and O'Brien in Mitchell, 2006). Australasian work in philosophy of mind and cognition has become more diverse in the last 40 years, but is almost all still marked, in one way or another, by the history of these debates on materialism. (shrink)
A Dualist Account of Phenomenal Concepts.Martina Fürst - 2014 - In Andrea Lavazza & Howard Robinson (eds.), Contemporary Dualism. A Defense. 112-135. Routledge. pp. 112-135.details
The phenomenal concept strategy is considered a powerful response to anti-physicalist arguments. This physicalist strategy aims to provide a satisfactory account of dualist intuitions without being committed to ontological dualist conclusions. In this paper I first argue that physicalist accounts of phenomenal concepts fail to explain their cognitive role. Second, I develop an encapsulation account of phenomenal concepts that best explains their particularities. Finally, I argue that the encapsulation account, which features self-representing experiences, implies non-physical referents. Therefore, the account of (...) phenomenal concepts that has strong explanatory power does not explain away dualist intuitions—rather, it reinforces dualism. (shrink)
Having It Both Ways: Consciousness, Unique Not Otherworldly.Andreas Elpidorou - 2013 - Philosophia 41 (4):1181-1203.details
I respond to Chalmers' (2006, 2010) objection to the Phenomenal Concept Strategy (PCS) by showing that his objection is faced with a dilemma that ultimately undercuts its force. Chalmers argues that no version of PCS can posit psychological features that are both physically explicable and capable of explaining our epistemic situation. In response, I show that what Chalmers calls 'our epistemic situation' admits either of a phenomenal or of a topic-neutral characterization, neither of which supports Chalmers' objection. On the one (...) hand, if our epistemic situation is characterized phenomenally, then Chalmers' demand that PCS should explain our epistemic situation is misplaced. PCS can explain our epistemic situation only if there is a reductive explanation of consciousness. But according to PCS, no reductive explanation of consciousness can be given. On the other hand, if our epistemic situation is characterized topic-neutrally, then PCS is not only physically explicable, but it also explains our epistemic situation. Either way, PCS is safe. (shrink)
Sounding Depth with the North Atlantic Right Whale and Merleau-Ponty: An Exercise in Comparative Phenomenology.Jennifer McWeeny - 2011 - Journal for Critical Animal Studies 9 (1-2):144-166.details
Consciousness: A Four-Fold Taxonomy.J. Jonkisz - 2012 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 19 (11-12):55-82.details
This paper argues that the many and various conceptions of consciousness propounded by cognitive scientists and philosophers can all be understood as constituted with reference to four fundamental sorts of criterion: epistemic (concerned with kinds of consciousness), semantic (dealing with orders of consciousness), physiological (reflecting states of consciousness), and pragmatic (seeking to capture types of consciousness). The resulting four-fold taxonomy, intended to be exhaustive, suggests that all of the distinct varieties of consciousness currently encountered in cognitive neuroscience, the philosophy of (...) mind, clinical psychology, and other related fields ultimately refer to a unified natural process, analysed under four general aspects. The proposed taxonomy will, it is hoped, possess sufficient clarity to serve as a sound theoretical framework for further scientific studies, and to count as a significant step in the direction of a properly formulated unified concept of consciousness. (shrink)
Reality and Concepts (in French).Francois-Igor Pris - forthcoming - AL-MUKHATABAT المخاطبات Revue Philosophique de Logique Et d'Epistémologie مجلّة فلسفية في المنطق و الإبستمولوجيا Philosophical Journal For Logic and Epistemology.details
I present the new realist philosophy by Jocelyn Benoist, in particular, his solution to the problem of the explanatory gap in the philosophy of mind.
Toward an Explanatory Framework for Mental Ownership.Timothy Lane - 2012 - Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 11 (2):251-286.details
Philosophical and scientific investigations of the proprietary aspects of self—mineness or mental ownership—often presuppose that searching for unique constituents is a productive strategy. But there seem not to be any unique constituents. Here, it is argued that the "self-specificity" paradigm, which emphasizes subjective perspective, fails. Previously, it was argued that mode of access also fails to explain mineness. Fortunately, these failures, when leavened by other findings (those that exhibit varieties and vagaries of mineness), intimate an approach better suited to searching (...) for an explanation. Having an alternative in hand, one that shows promise of achieving explanatory adequacy, provides an additional reason to suspend the search for unique constituents. In short, a negative and a positive thesis are developed: we should cease looking for unique constituents and should seek to explain mineness in accord with the model developed here. This model rejects attempts to explain the phenomenon in terms of either a narrative or a minimal sense of self; it seeks to explain at a "molecular" level, one that appeals to multiple, interacting dimensions. The molecular-level model allows for the possibility that subjective perspective is distinct from a stark perspective (one that does not imply mineness). It proposes that the confounding of tacit expectations plays an important role in explaining mental ownership and its complement, disownership. But the confounding of tacit expectations is not sufficient. Because we are able to be aware of the existence of mental states that do not belong to self, we require a mechanism for determining degree of self-relatedness. One such mechanism is proposed here, and it is shown how this mechanism can be integrated into a general model of mental ownership. In the spirit of suggesting how this model might be able to help resolve outstanding problems, the question as to whether inserted thoughts belong to the patient who reports them is also considered. (shrink)
The Scientific Study of Consciousness: Searle's Radical Request.Mahesh Ananth - 2010 - PSYCHE: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Research On Consciousness 16 (2):59-89.details
John Searle offers what he thinks to be a reasonable scientific approach to the understanding of consciousness. I argue that Searle is demanding nothing less than a Kuhnian-type revolution with respect to how scientists should study consciousness given his rejection of the subject-object distinction and affirmation of mental causation. As part of my analysis, I reveal that Searle embraces a version of emergentism that is in tension, not only with his own account, but also with some of the theoretical tenets (...) of science. I conclude that Searle has offered little to motivate scientists to adopt his proposal. (shrink)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Political Science & Theory
Constitution: Government & The State
The State : Its Nature, Development and Prospects
3.13 (30 ratings by Goodreads)
By (author) Gianfranco Poggi
This book offers an interpretation of the modern state, concentrating particularly on the emergence and nature of democracy. Poggi presents a conceptual portrait of the state, distinguishing its early characteristics from those which have developed subsequently and are apparent in contemporary states. He reviews the "historical career" of the state, from the dissolution of feudal forms of rule to the advent of modern, liberal-democratic systems. Poggi also discusses the nature of liberal-democratic regimes, and the distinctive features of the Soviet one-party system. The final chapter discusses the challenges set to the state by contemporary developments in military affairs, in the international economy, and in the ecological sphere.
Dimensions 152 x 229mm
Publication date 11 Oct 1990
Publisher Polity Press
Publication City/Country Oxford, United Kingdom
Illustrations note table
Social power and its political forum; the nature of the modern state; the development of the modern state; controversies about the state - attempting an appraisal, attempting an explanantion; liberal democracy in the 20th century; a new type of state; contemporary challenges to the state.


The Americans call it 'World Champion'.
Whatever you think of it, it's one of the most sought after sporting titles in the world.
It's what each of the 30 NBA teams grind through an 82 game season and months of playoffs to achieve.
The two teams that make it out of the NBA playoffs go head to head in a bid to lift the holy grail: The Larry O'Brien Trophy.
And while the best basketballers on the planet hare up and down the hardwood chasing their dreams, you can bet on the NBA finals, and who will be champion, 365 days a year.
Some bookmakers kick off markets on the following season's NBA Finals winner, even before the current version is done.
So whether its your favourite team and you're punting with your heart, or if you've done your research and you think your pick is on point, you can almost always find a market to lay your hard earned on.
Throughout the season there is usually just the NBA Championship winner market to bet on, but, once the Western and Eastern conference finals are decided, that's when the action heats up.
The NBA Finals are played out over seven games in a 2 – 2 – 1 – 1 – 1 format (the higher seed hosts games 1, 2, 5, and 7, and the lower seed hosts Games 3, 4, and 6). Whichever team is the first to four games is the winner.
So sit back, relax and we'll take you through some of the many betting options available to punters on the NBA Finals.
This is simply selecting who you think will be crowned the winner at the end of the NBA Finals.
It's like a head to head bet over seven games. It doesn't matter how they do it, there are only two teams and there can be only one winner.
One thing about this market is that is almost always available.
So, if you think your team can win the title, you can simply log on to one of our recommended online bookmakers, find the market and click away to place your bet. You'll usually find it under 'Futures Market' or similar.
Most people lay their bets at the start of a season, right before the playoffs or right before the finals.
Prices on the NBA title can fluctuate greatly. This is often due to player movement or injuries throughout the season.
Teams are very active throughout the NBA off season and usually right before the February trade deadline.
The most notable addition in 2014/15 was the move of arguably the league's best player, Lebron James, from Miami, back to Cleveland, the team he began his career with.
Partnering with Kyrie Irving, and then later signing up Minnesota Timberwolves stretch four Kevin Love forced bookmakers to crunch the Cavaliers in from double figure odds to title favourites.
All 30 teams start out with title aspirations, whether they are packed with experienced, seasoned campaigners who have been around the block, or they finished on the bottom of the league and selected the number one draft pick.
But high hopes can quickly fade and, if teams start the season poorly, they'll often look to the future and off load some of their veterans for salary cap relief and draft picks – and also to ensure they get something for them, rather than allowing them to leave in free agency. These players usually end up on title contenders, keen to improve their chances of 'winning now'.
Take the 2004 Detroit Pistons. A good team, lead by star point guard Chauncey Billups, his back court partner Richard 'Rip' Hamilton, star small forward Tayshaun Prince and defensive beast Ben Wallace.
But they were missing a big man scorer to tip them over the edge.
Enter silky smooth hard man Rasheed Wallace.
In possibly the greatest trade deadline deal ever, the Pistons worked out a three team deal involving Boston that netted the two time all star from Atlanta, in exchange for draft picks that became Josh Smith (who ironically ended up on the Pistons on a ridiculous $56 million deal, but was waived) and Memphis' defensive wing man Tony Allen.
The Pistons were a mediocre, but playoff bound 34-22 before the deal went down, but their title odds were slashed by the bookies and for good reason.
Wallace helped them go 20-6 to close the season, before leading them to the 2004 NBA title over the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
Injuries can also play a big role in title odds.
The NBA's 2010/11 Most Valuable player, Derrick Rose, went down in November 2013, with the Bulls one of the favourites for the title. That caused the bookies to blow them out and, despite having a solid season without their superstar, they lost to Washington in the first round. A similar thing happened following his 2010-11 MVP winning season, when he blew out his knee while playing against the Philadelphia 76ers in round one. Their title odds immediately expanded and the Bulls duly lost to the Sixers.
Before the Finals start, the two teams that make it through the playoffs from each of the East and the West battle it out in the Conference Finals.
Here's where you select who will win the Conference Finals and make it to the NBA Finals.
It is similar to the NBA Champion bet, except you select the winner of the series in the East or the West.
In 2013/14 the Miami Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, four games to two, to make their way through to the NBA Finals.
In the Western Conference, San Antonio knocked over the Oklahoma City Thunder, also in six games, before going on to win the title over Lebron and the Miami Heat, giving Tim Duncan a fifth NBA championship ring.
This is where you select how many games each side will win.
You need to predict not only who will win the series, but also how many games each team will win during the series.
Houston Rockets vs. Portland Trailblazers: Portland wins the series, four games to two.
The Rockets enjoyed home court advantage in this first round series of 2014 and were favoured to win, but star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and point guard Damian Lillard proved too much for Dwight Howard and James Harden. They upset Houston by winning the two opening games on the road, before the Rockets hit back at the Rose Garden to make it 2-1. But Portland was good enough to make it 3-1 in the next game, before Houston one on its home floor and then the Blazers closed it out in the sixth game, giving them a 4-2 series win.
A variant of correct result betting is how many games the NBA Finals will last.
You don't need to pick who will win the series, just how many games it will go to. The minimum is four games (title winner gets home in a whitewash, 4-0) and the maximum is seven games (the series goes the distance, with the winner making it out in a thriller 4-3). You'd need to have selected six games if you wanted to win the bet in our Houston-Portland example.
How do you back the Finals Most Valuable Player, or MVP winner?
There are many ways to make the NBA Finals a little more interesting.
Chief of those is backing your favourite player to take home the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, or MVP award.
The Finals MVP is awarded to the best player in the series, usually on the winning team.
You'll get odds on every player on the roster to win the MVP, but you can usually narrow it down to between four and six players to select from.
They're the superstars. The guys who win games on their own. The guys who carry their teams to the promised land and get the most touches on the way to doing that.
Perhaps the greatest of all of them is Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan.
He has six NBA titles… and six NBA Finals MVP awards. Not a bad strike rate.
But he might be playing second fiddle to Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, had the award been coined before 1969.
His men in green had won 10 titles before that season, with the big man providing the glue that held it all together. Given his supreme performances, six Finals MVP awards wouldn't be out of the question.
'The Logo' Jerry West won the first NBA Finals MVP award in 1969, despite his Los Angeles Lakers losing to Russells Celtics. He remains the only player to win the award in a losing effort.
Lakers superstar point guard Magic Johnson, the marauding Shaquille O'Neal and the Big Fundamental Tim Duncan have won it three times, with Shaq joining Jordan as the only man to win it three times in a row (MJ did it twice).
But it can sometimes go to someone less heralded.
San Antonio Spurs swingman Kawhi Leonard was a surprise winner of the NBA Finals MVP award in 2014 after his all round efforts led the Spurs to the title. The reason he was a surprise is that the series involved seasoned superstars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, both former winners of the MVP award with San Antonio and obviously Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, who have also won the award with Miami (James twice).
Here's where you can go a little more in depth with your individual player bets.
Not sure on who will win the MVP award, but your set on who will average the most points in the series?
Easy, you'll find a bet for that.
How about the most rebounds? Blocks? Assists? Steals?
Simply pick the player you like and visit our recommended bookmaker to get the odds and place your bet.
The scoring machines like Houston's James Harden, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant or New York's Carmelo Anthony are the men you want to score the most points.
Big defensive beasts, like Houston's Dwight Howard or the Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan are the guys to go for if you want blocks or rebounds.
And the little men, like Stephen Curry, Rajon Rondo or Kyle Lowry are always on the radar for most steals and assists.
Thos guys obviously need to make the finals first, before you can back them.
Some bookmakers also provide head to head player props for both the series and in each game, usually on who will score more points or rebounds.
So two players will be selected in the game – for argument's sake, let's take last year's finals and pit Miami's Dwyane Wade up against San Antonio's Tony Parker. The bet will usually be a head to head one, and it will pay if your man scores more points than his opponent, in either the series or in an individual game, depending on your bet.
Sometimes there will be a handicap or line placed on the players. Say Parker is up against Lebron James, who is a more prolific scorer than Wade, in game one. He will probably have a handicap in the vicinity of +3.5. That means he can score 3.5 (3) points less than James and still win the bet. Conversely, if James scores four or more points than Parker, he gets home. The lines will obviously be larger if placed on the series.
We've mentioned the overall markets, but NBA Finals games work exactly the same as regular season games.
We'll go over some of the more simple options on game betting here, but, you can click here for a more comprehensive guide.
It's simple. Pick the winner of the game.
On a money line bet, known in some countries as match or head to head, your goal is simply to select who will win the game.
This includes over time, so all your team has to do is win by one point or more for you to collect.
You might think the head to head is the most popular market, but that's not true. The points spread, some times known as handicap or line betting, is the market favoured by punters the world over. So what happens is the bookmaker gives a handicap to the favoured side and an allowance to the outsider to create a points spread that either team has to cover.
Dallas has to win by 10 or more to win this bet, while Milwaukee can lose, but you will still win if it is by less than nine. If the margin is exactly nine, you'll usually get your money back.
Margin betting usually appears as either under 10.5 – over 10.5 or 1-10 – 11+.
This is simply deciding whether the team you believe will win the game is going to do it by 10 points or less, or 11 points or more.
With total match point bets, it's also simple – predict whether the two teams between them will exceed, or fall short of a set point total for the game.
For overs punters, the combined total must reach 213 points. For those backing the under, it just has to fall short of that mark – 212 wins.
The first NBA Finals series was held in 1947 when the Philadelphia Warriors knocked over the Chicago Stags, four games to one to become the first ever NBA champions. The Warriors have since made their home in Golden State, while the Stags are on the scrap heap, but the NBA Finals have grown to be the pinnacle of the sport.
Since that series, nearly half of the NBA titles have been shared by two legendary franchises.
The Boston Celtics, with 17, and the Los Angeles Lakers, with 16, account for 33 of the 68 title winners since 1947.
The last 31 titles have been shared between just seven teams, which many feel is an indictment on the way the NBA functions today.
Once a one game championship playoff, the finals have become a seven game showcase of the best of the best.
It's the stories that make the NBA Finals great.
All superstars, all multiple title winners in a short period of time.
Big George Mikan might be the first NBA superstar.
A giant of a man, he led the then Minneapolis Lakers to five titles in six years from 1948 to 1954.
The first true dynasty that paved the way for the legendary Russell, with his band of merry Celtic men, to win an amazing 11 titles.
The Celtics went to the finals a ridiculous 12 times in 13 years from 1957 to 1969, winning it all 11 times and cementing themselves as the greatest team in NBA history, all masterminded by the great manager Red Auerbach. At one point they won eight titles in a row. It's hard to see that happening again.
Eight teams shared championships in the 1970s before the wonderful Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics rivalry of the 1980s.
That bitter battle rejuvenated the NBA.
Every single NBA Finals in the decade featured either the Lakers, led by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy or Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish's Celtics.
The Lakers took home the title five times in this period, while their rivals, the Celtics, nabbed three.
As Magic and Bird began to fade, a new, young star emerged.
Or simply Mike, as he has come to be known.
Everyone wanted to be Like Mike, when he burst onto the scene in 1984 and, while it took him until 1991 to claim his first title, there would be two more after that in a row, before he retired to take a stab at baseball.
While he was off, Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets pinched two titles, before Jordan, deciding that baseball wasn't for him, made his triumphant return.
I simple statement "I'm Back" sent shudders through the NBA and for good reason – he would go on to partner Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman in leading the Bulls to a second three peat of titles from 1996 to 1998, cementing his place as the greatest player of all time.
Since then, the NBA has changed significantly, but two teams – of course, the Lakers, and the San Antonio Spurs have remained constants.
Ten of the past 16 titles have been shared by the two teams.
Duncan won the first title after Jordan's second retirement, partnering with David Robinson to lead the Spurs in his rookie season.
But Shaq's Lakers took over Jordan's legacy, winning three consecutive titles from 2000 – 2002. A little fella named Kobe Bryant had a hand in it but Shaq was the man.
O'Neal deserves special mention here for the most dominant NBA Finals performances of any man in history.
His 2000 Finals series is widely renowned as the greatest individual performance of all time.
He averaged 38 points per game, eclipsing 30 in every game and topping 40 three times, 16.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.3 assists, while shooting 61.1 per cent from the field.
His efforts in 2001 and 2002 were also gaudy, his three year finals average looking like something out of a video game: 35.9 ppg, 15.2 rpg, 3.5 apg on 59.5 per cent shooting.
Since then, the Kobe Bryant led Lakers have won two extra titles, but Duncan has really been the player of the last 15 years, claiming five titles as the alpha dog on his team.
Lebron fulfilled his dream and won back to back titles with the Miami Heat, before Duncan and his men tipped them out in 2013/14 to be the reining champs.
– Unbelievably, two teams have actually made it to the NBA Finals, despite possessing losing records. The Lakers, then in Minneapolis, made the playoffs with a record of 33-49 in 1959, and then, in 1981, the Houston Rockets took their 40–42 record into the final decider. The New York Knicks of 1999 actually made the finals from eighth spot.
– A later version of the Rockets became the lowest ever seed to win the NBA Finals. The Hakeem Olajuwon led 1995 incarnate was seeded sixth after battling to a 47-35 record, but then proceeded to murder a young Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic in the finals, whacking four other teams that had won 50 games or more on their way there. Adding to their mythology, that team is the only one in NBA history to have won the title without ever having home court advantage in any series.
– Michael, Scottie and Phil, of the Bulls variety, Jordan, Pippen and Jackson made it the finals for Chicago six times and never lost. The Bulls are the only club that has made it to the finals more than once to have never lost.
– While Boston's Russell won 11 titles in 13 years, his team mate, Sam Jones, won 10 in 12.
– As mentioned, the Celtics have the most titles, with 17, the LA Lakers are second with 16 and then no other club has double figures – the Bulls are next with six.


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Srinivas Kodali, M.D.
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Dr. Srinivas Kodali has joined the leading-edge cancer treatment team at Texas Oncology–Beaumont Mamie McFaddin Ward Cancer Center. Dr. Kodali received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from Guntur Medical College in India. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he was appointed chief resident. Dr. Kodali also completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center.
Dr. Kodali has presented his research work at American Society of Hematology and American Society of Clinical Oncology conferences and has also published several articles in peer reviewed journals.
He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, and the American Medical Association


text:
News articles >
IOC-President calls for sanctions of athletes' entourage
IOC President Thomas Bach pledged 10 million U.S. dollars for better protection of clean athletes. Photo: Andy Miah/Flickr
By Stanis Elsborg - Senior analyst and head of conference, Play the Game
The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, calls for tougher sanctions against athletes' entourage in his speech at the World Anti-Doping Agency's fifth World Conference on Doping in Sport in Katowice, Poland.
Although WADA has taken much care to stress that the decisions in the long-standing conflict with Russia would only be taken soon after the fifth World Conference on Doping in Sport, the Russian-international doping scandal was lurking between the lines in almost every speech on the opening day 5 November 2019 in the city of Katowice in Poland.
Obviously, Russia was also addressed directly, such as when outgoing WADA President, Craig Reedie, opened the conference telling the 1,500 delegates that the scale and size of the Russian doping scandal that erupted in 2015 was by far the biggest challenge that the organisation had faced.
"The worst case of system failure certainly in my time as president – if not in the entire history of the anti-doping movement – has been with Russia. The revelations exposed by the WADA led investigations of Richard Pound and Richard McLaren forced a sea change in attitude around the globe," said Reedie, who will be replaced as president by Polish sports minister Witold Banka on January 1.
He admitted that WADA had not been sufficiently prepared for handling a doping scandal of that scale, but stressed that WADA's 20-year-long history has been a time with great progress and improvement – even facing plenty of complex challenges.
"Back in 1999, there was still no one single answer to tackling doping in sport. Every sport had different rules and countries had different laws. So, an athlete could for an example be banned in one nation or sport, but able to compete in others," said Reedie.
Bach: "It is all about the clean athletes"
As President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach has been criticised for treating Russia too mildly in the wake of the country's systemic doping programme.
Although Thomas Bach did express his annoyance that the former Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko – whose name he did not mention – was beyond IOC's jurisdiction according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Bach also seemed to slightly relativise the affair by grouping it with other recent scandals:
"Shaping the future always includes learning the lessons from the past. For the IOC, in the fight against doping, there is one issue that stands out in this respect. Whether it was the systemic manipulation of the anti-doping system in Russia, or the investigations around 'Operation Aderlass', or the most recent allegations against a coach of the former Nike Oregon Project – all these cases, as different as they are, highlight the urgent need to focus much more on the athletes' entourage," Thomas Bach said.
His core message was a repetition of his message to the WADA conference six years ago in Johannesburg: "It is all about the athletes. To be more precise: It is all about the clean athletes."
Bach also made it clear that for the IOC, only the "democratically elected athletes from the IOC's own Athletes Committee could be regarded as true representatives of athletes." That viewpoint has been contested over the past years, especially because WADA's athlete committee, a number of athlete unions and various activist groups have protested against the way the IOC and its Athlete Committee has dealt with the Russian doping scandal.
The IOC-president also had news for the attendees. Six years ago, Thomas Bach announced a 10 million USD commitment for better protection of clean athletes. In his speech, he made a new promise:
"Today, on behalf of the IOC, I make another pledge of up to 10 million U.S. dollars."
The new funding commitment is part of a four year action plan where IOC will 1) initiate a global long-term storage and re-analysis programme including samples collected during the pre-Games testing period, 2) use a new genetic sequencing anti-doping test, effective at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020, 3) give more money (reportedly 2.5 million dollars) for further scientific research, and 4) strengthen the investigative powers of WADA. For the latter, the IOC will invite governments to a joint programme resulting in the IOC committing another 2.5 million dollars for the next Olympiad.
Looking back 20 years
After the welcoming speeches, a panel including the founding President of WADA, Richard W. Pound, took centre stage. He was asked by the moderator to look back 20 years when he founded WADA. Recalling the beginning of WADA in 1999, Pound said that in the early days of the organisation there was a widespread institutional denial of the existence of doping in sport, even though there was evidence to the contrary.
Taking the delegates back in time, Pound said that the lead up to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney was an eye-opener of serious concerns since the organisation found out that the majority of the Olympic federations did not even have rules that allowed them to conduct out-of-competition tests. Reminding the delegates of the situation at the beginning of the millennium, he also emphasised the progress and changes throughout the last two decades.
The outgoing Vice President of WADA, Linda Helleland, also took the opportunity to look back at her four years at the helm of WADA. Offering advice to the new president, she concluded that the organisation needs to make improvements in good governance, transparency and democracy to keep up. Like at the recent Play the Game 2019 conference in Colorado Springs, Linda Helleland called for more rapid developments.
Read the full text of Thomas Bach's speech at the 5th World Conference on Doping in Sport.
Watch opening speeches from the 5th World Conference on Doping in Sport.
Keywords: anti-doping, wada
A decade that opened windows of democracy in sport - 31.12.2019
Anti-doping: What's next for WADA? - 27.09.2019
Oscar-winning director Bryan Fogel to address Play the Game 2019 - 25.09.2019
WADA reforms have not gone far enough to enhance WADA's independence - 13.09.2019
Video and speeches
See video of the opening speeches.
Read the full speech of Thomas Bach.


For kids who sleepwalk, are active nightcrawlers or have trouble settling down to sleep, our Weighted Blanket does just the trick. The blanket provides a soothing "hug" for restful sleep and stimulates touch receptors to induce calm—giving kids a nice, firm feel when they lay under it. Plus, the blanket is not too hot and the weight is evenly distributed throughout. Adult supervision required - see safety info below.
It's not only great for sleeping. The Weighted Blanket can also be used to promote relaxation and sensory organization during the day. Place it in the reading corner or play area for use during rest time or calm-down time. Fold in half and use as a lap pad for a compact effect, or wrap around a child's body for full-body effect.
WARNING:Use weighted products with guidance from a therapist, and provide adult supervision. Never place in crib with infant; do not use with small children. Never cover face nor restrict child's movement.
Bundle includes: 1 Weighted Blanket (5 lbs.) + Soft Blue Slipcover.
Slipcover-Machine wash cold. Remove blanket before washing.
Well made product at a reasonable price!
"This has provided the sensory input needed to help encourage staying in bed at night."
The cover is not as "soft" as one might want it to be for a sensorily challenged child. But it still does the trick.
We have owned two loose beaded blankets, both of which only lasted a year. One I had to wash, and it started falling apart after I washed it.The other the dog ate. We gave this blanket a try, because the beads are fussed into the blanket. When the blanket is new, it is stiff, but after use it does form to the body. This weighted blanket gives the comfort and feel of the dentist X-ray apron, minus the vinyl. I highly recommend adding the fuzzy slipcover! My kid LOVES his fuzzy weighted blanket. He drags it around the house, and packs it up to go out of town. Very durable. The dog has not eaten this blanket, but she does steal it to sleep on.
Good quality material and stitching.
Wow! This is a great item. My daughter uses this during the day, but is not ready to use it while she sleeps. Will keep working towards that goal. It is a big deal that she uses it at all. She either loves something or hates it. Hopefully she will be comfortable enough to stay in her own bed all night. The washable cover is great. Easy on and off. Great product. Wonderful company to do business with. Great ideas.
Ok, seriously Fun and Function your company has helped me regain my sanity!! I ordered several items for our foster children and decided to order a weighted blanket for my youngest daughter (she was born with a heart defect and had open heart surgery when she was 2 1/2) my dear sweet angel is constantly flipping, turning and grinding her teeth at night. Received her weighted blanket yesterday and now the child doesn't make a peep with her teeth and gets a restful nights sleep. I think I need to get myself one!!
The blanket is 5lb and the slipcover adds an extra pound of weight.


I jerked awake with a start. "What was that?" I mumbled, still befuddled by sleep.
"Phone," Paul said as he fumbled to find and answer it.
There is something about a phone call late at night or early in the morning that strikes terror to the heart. You know that something is wrong somewhere in the world. This time we had awakened at our usual 4:30 a.m., but because the kids were visiting family in the mountains, I had dozed off again. It was not quite 6 a.m. – too early for a regular phone call.
"Oh, no," Paul said after listening a moment. My heart sank. It WAS bad news, I thought.
And I was right. It was our secretary, Pann, calling to pass on info from Andy's mother, who doesn't speak English. He was having repetitive seizures. We had let him go home because his seizures seemed to be under control. And because he is the one of our kids who misses his home and family the most. He counts the days until his break time. But now he was seizing and in a remote mountain village far from any medical care.
In a short time we were up and on our way. It was a three-hour drive to get there, and we worried all the way there. We arranged to meet them at the hospital nearest to their village. His family only had a motorcycle. How do you transport a kid having seizures on a motorbike? Why had the seizures come back?
Another call from Pann shed light on the reason for their recurrence. Andy had forgotten his medicine, so Pann had sent it overnight mail. The medicine had never arrived.
After stopping first at the wrong hospital, we did at last make connections. Andy stood with his mother and stepfather by the pick-up truck they had borrowed to get him there. He was pale, but alert and on his feet. We drove straight back to Chiang Mai and to the emergency room. Once there, he started seizing again.
IV meds got them under control and he was admitted to the hospital again, this time in ICU. The doctor warned him that he had to take the meds for another year, possibly two, until the calcified dead worm in his brain dissolved.
"You might not wake up from the next seizure," she told him bluntly.
To my surprise the doctor okayed his trip back to the mountains and Paul took Andy and his mother back after he was dismissed the next afternoon.
The following day was Sunday, and it was back in the car to travel again. This time we went to two Lisu villages. The roads were slick and not a little treacherous, but we made it there safely, and then slogged through slimy mud to get to the house where they were having the church service.
Lisu houses are different than the Lahu homes we are accustomed to visit. The houses are built flat on the ground with dirt floors instead of on stilts like the Lahu build them. The clothing is also different. The Lahu only wear their traditional costume for special events. The Lisu wear them all the time. The women wear a colorful overdress with full black culotte-type pants. The men wear western shirts, but with loose, brightly colored culotte pants.
Paul preaching with William translating. Can you tell my "chair" wasn't comfortable?
A good number of people crowded into the house. Duangsuwan, a Lisu preacher who attends Paul's preachers' training, has been traveling there for months in an effort to reach the village with the Gospel and to establish a church there. Paul preached a good message and William interpreted, since most of the people spoke Thai as well as Lisu.
After a good service, we gave a bag of over-the-counter medicines to each family and brought out reading glasses for them to try.
We also gave out color books and crayons. Children in Vacation Bible School at Lakeside Baptist Church in Mena, Arkansas, donated money to buy something for children in the villages. Coloring books are rarely seen in the mountains, and Bible story coloring books are nonexistent, even in the Christian bookstores in the city. We put together a book and had copies made to give out. The children were thrilled. Well, except for one little guy. He bawled at the top of his lungs.
Evidently he had never seen crayons before and thought they looked delicious. We hastily gave him something actually edible and his sobs subsided.
We were tired by then, but there was another village that asked us to come. This village also did not have a church building, but a few interested people showed up to hear the Lisu preacher who visited when he could.
Another good message, another distribution of meds and color books and crayons and we were at last on our way home.
The driving was tense as the mountain roads were slick and heavy clouds threatened more rain. Paul had driven six hours on Saturday night and then two more to get to the first village, another hour to the second village, and then another three to get home. That, alone, would be enough to wear out a much younger man, but he also preached twice between the exhausting and dangerous times on the road. I'm amazed at his stamina and dedication!
Lisu ladies trying on the reading glasses we brought. They were so excited to get them!
Next weekend we are traveling even further from home for a Thanksgiving celebration in a Lahu village near the Myanmar (Burma) border. It's a large church and several smaller villages will also be coming to join in the festivities. This one will be a two-day trip on Saturday and Sunday. Paul is busy preparing several messages he will be preaching and I have medicine to pack and more to buy. And more (non-edible) crayons to purchase!
The "break time" hasn't been as relaxing as usual, what with hospital stays and extra trips, but that's okay. That's why we are here – to serve. We are thankful for strength and grace to be able to do what God called us to do. He is good!
That's Duangsuan in the aqual Lisu pants.
I miss y'all and these lovely people so much!
We love and miss you, too!
When I first came to Thailand I worked alot with the Lahu and Karin…but difficult on a motorbike so I hooked up with Dr. Green and we don't get out much…so how do you say "Saw Wa Dee" in Lisu?
I believe it's "Caw Quat" unless I'm mixing that up with "thank you." We mainly work with Lahu who greet us with "Aboo ue jah!" That actually means "thank you" and they mean "thank you for coming." They say they don't have a word for Saw Wa Dee.