CH27morals

file ch27.morals 11:18 am Nov 3, 1994/9:17 am May 24, 1993 8:56 am May 13, 1992 3:19 pm Jan 8, 1992 8:40 am Jan 5,1992 3:24 pm Jan 17, 1989

CHAPTER 27

EFFECT OF THE IDENTITY THEORY ON MORALS

Topics to be covered;

What are morals? Why should there be any morals effects from the identity theory? Why should the identity theory have any effect on morals?

What are morals?

What are morals? They are rules of behavior for people to follow. They (people) are to see the correctness of following the rules or be coerced into following them with social pressure: punishment and or rewards. The identity theory proposes that people are predisposed to behave in certain ways. So that for some it will be easier to be moral than for others. Some people are clever enough that they can give certain impressions of their behavior even when they are predisposed to behave immorally. Why are people predisposed to behave immorally? First, the morals of a society do not have to be like the natural instincts of the person. Nor do they have to be positive for society or a person in general. Morals can cover a broader range than normally considered. For the way that we respond to authority is in the realm of morals. Morals can even be opposing in nature. For instance, if the morals is to respect and do what our elders and people in authority say and then they say to do some act that is against other morals that the society have the person is a immoral situation where no matter what is done or action is taken the person is immoral. If he does nothing or does something that was not ordered in its place then he is immoral for not following the rules, and if that person does that act he is doing an immoral act. We find ourselves in this situation all the time.

The identity theory say that morals are based on the mentapath and how each mentapath views morals. When we direct people to be moral we are trying to add to the mentapath or at least change the mentapath. Morals would restrict the amount of mentapaths that would be allowed for people. Different cultures have different morals and different codes of conduct. Each different culture tries to restrict the mentapaths that it will produce. One way of doing is by defining what is good behavior and what is bad behavior one of the goals of the codes of conduct and morals is the perpetuation of the culture and modes of behavior. Thus the purpose of morals is the perpetuation of certain mentapaths whether people are aware of it or not. Some say it is for survival that we have morals. But his is again a way to perpetuate certain mentapaths over the nonexistence of them. Morals are then the mentapaths way of looking at the world. It is quite possible that morals could be developed that do not perpetuate the same mentapaths. I would guess that is one end result of progress. The mentapath that come after us will live in a different world than we do. They my still have the same genes but the environment that they experience will be different. Their lives will be different because the jobs that they do will be different. The education that they receive will be different, the leisure time that they spend will also be different. So what is bad and good and what is bad and good behavior? Some people say that good and bad are absolute. Others say that good and bad are defined by the goals that are being achieved. What would be good and bad goals? The identity theory could have an effect on our morals because it can produce a different view of death and being dead, and what life is.

I assume that we will progress in the future, but even if we don't there is the possibility that some where there will be people that will progress to higher levels of intelligence and consciousness.

Quote by Robert Nozick in the book PHILOSOPHICAL EXPLANATIONS PAGE 399:

Ethical truths find no"place within the contemporary scientific picture of the world. No such truths are established in any scientific theory or tested by any scientific procedures microscopes and telescopes reveal no ethical facts. In it guise as a complete picture of the world, science seems to leave no room for any ethical facts or truths, If there are ethical facts, what kind of facts are these, what makes them hold true?

Morality tells us what we should do, science tell what we can do. This theory tells us some of the things that we might do and that may happen some where in the universe. If we have a goal then we can develop ways of obtaining that goal. The more that we know the easier it will be to achieve our goals without producing more problems than solutions along the way. Why nature seems to work in the ways that the identity predicts I don't know. If it is the correct prediction every where I do not know either. One thing that science keeps showing us over and over again, is that the universe is much more complicated than anyone has any idea about. This complexity gives us more choices and more possibilities than ever before.

The effect of the identity theory on morals could be great. This is because life and death take on a different meaning. Also the identity theory gives a different purpose to mankind's endeavors. In a way it degrades man. In another way it gives man something to look forward to and to work toward. The effect on morals will be slow because proof of the identity theory will come slowly. Also people once set in their ways seldom change. The identity theory will be as hard to swallow as the theory of evolution is for many people. The identity theory puts pain and suffering as being a thing more evil than death. Why? It also allows people more optimism than any theory of life and death. The consequences of the theory has many strange twists. We must strive to broaden our knowledge and through this broadening of our knowledge we can look forward to a form of immortality and heaven. The identity theory almost has the power to reverse tragedies greater than death. How?

The more that we know the more we will be able to effect mentapaths. We may never be able to mass produce mentapaths at will and have the exact one that we wish but, if we continue to advance scientifically and develop the wisdom to use the knowledge that have we can know a lot more about consciousness and haw to use it. We do mass produce mentapaths. Most if not all people have mentapaths, and we do produce many people through birth. We do affect mentapaths every day by making laws about how we can act and some times behave. The more we know the easier it will be to modify mentapaths. We will also begin to know some of the limits of mentapaths. Murders are not allowed to exist in society by being executed or by being incarcerated in jail. By doing this we are modifying mentapaths.

If some day we find that there are certain types of mentapaths substantially different that others types we may start giving certain rights to different mentapaths.

We can look at a mentapath like an equation; that is with undefined points that go to infinity but then comes back to a finite path. These critical points can be chopped out of a mentapath and a continuous mentapath can be created where these unstable points do not exist. Are people irreplaceable? Do they have rights that go beyond the right to try to exist? The identity theory says that people may be replaceable.

The identity theory of consciousness

The most important part of a person maybe many different things. The identity theory does not take away those aspects of people. It adds a new dimension to man and many other possible intelligence beings.

Is it possible to make, by some means, a being that has a mentapath that is unique and is impossible to duplicate under any circumstances? Mentapaths are not time or space dependent. That is a scientific statement that can only be answered as we find out more about the nature of matter and energy. It is possible that mentapaths are effected by many factors that we are not aware of at this time. However, how much these factors affect mentapaths may be small and consequently will produce small changes in the mentapaths. There are always transformation factors that could be built into mentapaths through time and space.

Because of this materialist based theory man will have the power and control that was restricted to only gods before. And our most current dogmas about gods really did not give them this much power or control over mankind or conscious beings. Will this power be misused? We are only aware of the possibilities that this aspect of nature gives us. The problems in achieving some are phenomenal. Hopefully we will have a greater knowledge of what the pollution from this technology will be in the future. If we have any doubt that this type of technology will be developed consider the fact that we spend tremendous amounts of resources on staying alive and if there are other options available then at least some people will work toward that end. The effect on law will undoubtedly be extreme because if we have power over mentapaths and which ones will and will not be actuated. Some day along with having rights for people and other living beings we may have rights for mentapaths. For instance do hitler like mentapaths have a right to exist? Or do they have rights but only If they are properly labeled for others to be aware of. It may be that hitler was not bad but only a person like the rest of us that opportunity and circumstance lead astray. We do try to modify mentapaths. We have laws that restrict what pain one person can legally inflict on another unwilling person. We can be aware of the ideas involved with out producing pollution. But the ideas in themselves may produce a sort of pollution alone.

What should our morals be? They should be based on the pursuit of knowledge the use of that knowledge. To some people the pursuit of knowledge is a love, to others a job, and to yet others a way to fame or recognition. People do not need to love the pursuit of knowledge to do good science in fact most scientists are in it because they have gotten a job doing it. But in others there is a strong almost religious devotion to it. They know that if there is a higher goal it is the pursuit of knowledge. These people many time have one problem they want the answers to life and the world and they are willing to give up on the pursuit of knowledge in order to gain those no matter haw incomplete. We want the world to be simple and understandable to us whether it is or not. What we are finding out is that the world is not simple. There are not always simple answers to problems. There are not right and wrong except in the philosophical sense. What there is, is goals and how well we achieve them.

Many philosophers have said that science gives no morals to live by no right or wrong. I believe this to be at least partially wrong. Morals are a code to live by that some wise or powerful men have convinced others to use in their lives. Morals and religions have many purposes some being the simple perpetuation of themselves. Morals can also be viewed as some common sense rules for living. Turning the other cheek for instance implies that a person has another cheek to turn i.e., that a person is not dead it also allows a person time to think about the situation rationally before acting. Science"gives us many common rules to live by. First, we must always keep an open mind but yet always be extremely critical This is seldom as easy task. Just because an idea can be thought up does not mean it solves the problem at hand and the problem at hand it not necessarily the important problem to be solved. Morally what is important and right is the pursuit of knowledge but since we can not know any thing for certain until we know every thing how can we in fact pursue knowledge? That is why we must be critical and pursue every thing that even vaguely could be knowledge. What could be knowledge? The amount of knowledge is infinite. Proof -- the amount of knowledge in a single transcendental number such pi is infinite because it is infinite. We can ask an infinite amount of questions about the number pi and receive valid answers to each one There even my be an infinite amount of unique answers about the number pi. An example of a question about pi is " What is the second digit of pi?' The answer ks 1 in base ten. We can ask questions such as What is the nth digit of pi? Since n can go to infinity the number of answers can also go to infinity. However, The information that comes from the question will (in base ten) have just ten forms i.e., The digits 0 to 9. The questions about pi can encompass any amount of digits not just 1. For example, what are the next five digits starting at position n. Or what are the next math digits at the nth place. Then we can ask about repeats with in the sequence such as which digit is most frequently seen in pi i.e., 1 or 22 etc. We can also asks questions about pi's relation to other numbers or to the world. How can we deal with all knowledge? Can all knowledge have relevance to us or does all knowledge have relevance? Are we all that should have relevance to knowledge? We are complexity and we shall develop more complexity in ourselves. and in doing so our immortality.

Software has a very appealing thought about it as applied to human mentapaths. Software gives a machine -- computer rules on how to control itself. The senses act in a way like a software program does to a computer. The senses can contain information that can make drastic changes to the mentapath also they can make small changes to the mentapaths. The senses usually make subtle changes to the functioning of the brain. We can imagine where senses could be installed where even larger changes to the mentapath could be produced. We can conceive of a brain that can stop certain neural pathways and create others. Of course a computer does not change circuited pathways. But it can mimic these changes with in the software program. A computer can have a mentapath but no awarepath. This is why a computer could behave as it were alive but not be conscious. A computer can supply the underlying subconscious aspect of a human. What is necessary is that the same sequence of impulses are produced as would be by the human body The same thought could be applied to human mentapaths imagine a device like a human brain that can produce a human mentapath and its associated awarepath but it is flexible enough in structure that by making software like changes can change the awarepath. This is in contrast to making entire new people to create another awarepath. This seems very probable and much easier to accomplish than making different people. This type of machine would allow a mentapath to start at any point and produce all the mentapaths possible for that machine. With electronics and photonics It might be possible to produce the mentapath at a much faster pace. Awareness could proceed at a much faster pace. A life could proceed one hundred years in one year if the machine could function one hundred times as fast. This machine might proceed much slower also. I believe in complexity so that means that when things can be more complex they probably can be.

There are three things that control a mentapath First, Genes that control how the brain will be constructed. Second, The environmental effect on the structure of the brain caused by injury or diet. And third, the effect of the senses on the brain. It seems that a brain could be hard wired. like the original computers.

It seems that the underlying concept in the brain is change and the brain ability to change itself. Imagine a brain that can modify itself to produce different mentapaths. To be able to do this it must remember how to do it. The human brain can modify itself over time to produce a new mentapath in fact through injury or drugs a rather rapid change to the mentapath can be produced. However, we have a problem getting back to the original spot. fortunately drugs ware off leaving the person like he was but this is not all ways the case as in a person that freaks out on LSD and never is the same afterwards.

How much should we effect mentapaths? Can we effect mentapaths? If we can effect mentapaths how much should we effect mentapaths. By looking at a person we can not tell what his mentapath is. And when we do some thing to that"person we are not sure what effect it will have on his mentapath. None the lees what we do to a person will change his mentapath. Do we believe that we should effect mentapaths. the answer is yes we do believe that we should effect mentapaths. We are trying to change our bodies so that we can lead happier and more productive lives. We are trying to change our genes so that we do not pass genes that cause pain and suffering and ill health to our children. If we could also give our children genes that would make life easier more productive, happier and longer many would do that also. Such as more intelligence better looks, etc. There will also be those people that do not believe that such changes are good and will not want them for their children. And in fact want to out law them for all the population but if it happens some where and turns out to be economically and evolutionary positive, the one that do not make the changes will be left behind. We do try to influence mentapaths by education whether it is by scientific, cultural or religious education.

Before the identity theory we had nothing to tie the past generations to the future generations of people and life in a selfish way. We can work for the future of not only other unborn people but our selves.

What produces consciousness? Consciousness is produced by the brain. What is the brain and how does it work. Science is beginning to understand how the brain works The brain has different parts and the different parts function differently. All parts of the brain have neurons. A neuron is a cell that makes a decision to pass on a signal or not. the signal can cause the next neuron to be more or less likely to signal or respond. The neurons can have many shapes and functions. The networks of neurons can change from one area to another It is very possible that certain types of neurons in certain pathways and networks is what produces consciousness. Different types of neurons in different types of circuits can cause different types of consciousness the whole brain then produces what we call consciousness. If the different areas of the brain are changed then changes can occur to consciousness. It seems quite possible that peoples predisposition for beliefs emotions goals are a direct result of how the brain is built.

Man has a tendency to try to improve and make changes to the world. There is also that part of the population that believes that we should not change things in the world and that things were always better in the past. The struggle is a political one that can be based on religion. The struggle is always pushed by the fact that we keep having problems that make people unhappy. There is also the drive of men with curiosity and adventure to go or know, where there is novelty. It can be very thrilling or exciting to solve a problem to understand something, or to experience something different. There is also those individuals that find this to be bad and it may be because they find novelty to be an uncomfortable experience. This may be because of experiences in life with novelty that was unpleasant or it may be something in the genes that causes the adversity to novelty. And in most cases it is probably both. Whatever the causes there will be a conflict of the conservatives and the liberals the ones that want change and the ones that do not want change. Once the changes are made and become well established into society, it is the conservatives that want to retain the status quo. For example it is the liberals that wanted the changes in russia that produced communism but it was the conservatives that once it was firmly established tried to preserve it and keep it going in the same direction. In the future we will be able to control and direct mentapaths and awarepaths better and better. The questions becomes how should we modify mentapaths. What kind of people do we want to make? Variety seems to be one of the most important qualities. We do not want to restrict people or their mentapaths even though the oblivious answer would be to do so. This is not to mean that we should not control or direct them. We can not have all the mentapaths that can exist, exist at one time. Certain mentapaths will be much more productive that others. We will need mentapaths that can deal with mentapaths and understand them. This is like saying we need people that can deal with people which is true. To make mentapaths to have certain qualities will take a great deal of knowledge and technical ability. This is already happening we are progressing by way of education to make certain mentapaths (mentapathic) qualities and not others. Rather than teaching kids how to hunt we teach them how to read and write. Both in there place or type of society can be valuable skills. We also teach children how to control their emotions. We teach our children how to survive, whatever skills that may imply. So we do deliberately change mentapaths. And in the future we will do it even more because with more and more people we are forced to become more and more technologically advanced. With greater awareness we want more awareness. We want to know, even though some people think that they do know what is going on.

We view the mind as being separate from reality and it is for us but as far as we can tell we do not have a view of other mentality. Why does the mind appear to be separate from the physical objects that are around us? We can see objects like other people and our own brain and body and not have any sense that there is mentality or a mind in it. However, what if we could create an experience where when we experience the brain we also have and effect on our mind so that we believe that there is in fact a mind there. What would this experience be like? what would we want it to be like? What do we think it should be like? It should have a door so to speak. This means that we can inter into it and exit it. Maybe it will open and we can have an experience of entering and maybe not. We connect the experience to the brian by the door to this new awareness. We call this a mental door or mentadoor or mendoor. We do something in relation to this object and we have a change in our awarepath that seems to follow from this object. The epistemological sophisticated will not necessarily connect this object with this experience. If I were to think that I had experienced what another experienced I would maybe feel like I was being inside their body seeing what they saw feeling what they felt hearing what they heard. That is to begin with, then I would sense their memories and their desires etc. What would be the parts of me left? I might want to control what was happening to me but at the same time keep doing what that person was doing feeling sensing etc.. This may happen in dreams. We experiences that we are not in control of almost as if we were in another person. Our will or wishes is not controlling the dreams that we have. Some times we can control our dreams. We have to call it a feed back loop. The brain not having a source of external stimulus creates its own. But what controls what the brain creates? Previous experiences and pathways of neurons firings. What causes them to fire? Maybe they are still firing from the experience. When we have an experience maybe it does not fire once but keeps firing after the experience in some way so when we dream and have no external stimuli we have the firings going on but at a weaker level. The path ways may fire randomly and thus set up the sequence buy passing through the best or easiest pathways. We are told that in the brain there is already back ground noise in the brain. This might mean that there is the random firings but they are not on an organized level. If the brain is or has static neural firings, which it does, can this totally encompass all the awarepath so that there is no awareness of any awarepath but shear random firings that makes no awarepath of any kind. Maybe this randomness makes no meaning to us but does for another awarepath that our brain produces that we have no idea of or awareness of. People can have split personalities. Can they really have a personality that is not aware of the others or is it just hiding this knowledge. It would seem possible that it could be both ways. Our physipath could produce an awarepath within itself that the prime awarepath (prime awarepath or primawarepath is the first or major awarepath in or produced by a physipath) is not aware of. Does the human body do this? In some cases it would seem like it does. Our personality does change from time to time. What about the physipath going into random patterns that produce no awarepath and then producing an awarepath again. If the body were producing random patterns of firings then the body would be twitching in random ways and making random noises and doing other things that are equivalent. this is usually not the case in most people. But what if there is randomness before this level so these random outputs never get sent. It seems like there are different areas of the brain we will call them mentareas or mentaregions that control different areas. An example of this is the internal verbalization of words that the mind does but it take another control for the internal verbalization to be allowed to be spoken.

Glossary

Mentaspect, a mental aspect. This means some part of the mental the mental picture it can be defined in many ways. like a personality trait. mental aspects can vary in quality and quantity. We can have a particular memory it can vary in intensity depth or comprehensiveness, length etc.

Mentareas, mental areas. this mean mental integrity not necessary physical integrity these are areas of the brain that do certain functions or produce different memories or processes etc. The brain can be constructed so that selected nerves in a region do a certain function or control of other mentareas it does not have to be a chunk of brain but a scattering of brains cells through the whole brain or so region.

Mentaregion, the same as a mentarea.