Category: Physicalism
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How to Rewrite the Laws of Physics in the Language of Impossibility: An approach to exploring what reality can be like
>> The goal of constructor theory is to rewrite the laws of physics in terms of general principles that take the form of counterfactuals — statements, that is, about what’s possible and what’s impossible. It is the approach that led Albert Einstein to his theories of relativity. He too started with counterfactual principles: It’s impossible…
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Integrating information in the brain’s EM field: the cemi field theory of consciousness
A key aspect of consciousness is that it represents bound or integrated information, prompting an increasing conviction that the physical substrate of consciousness must be capable of encoding integrated information in the brain. However, as Ralph Landauer insisted, ‘information is physical’ so integrated information must be physically integrated. I argue here that nearly all examples…
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A conversation between Brian Tomasik and Luke Muehlhauser
Luke and Mr. Tomasik found that they agreed about the following: Physicalism and functionalism about consciousness. Specifically, Mr. Tomasik endorses “Type A” physicalism, as described in his article “Is There a Hard Problem of Consciousness?” Luke isn’t certain he endorses Type A physicalism as defined in that article, but he thinks his views are much…
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The imperative to abolish suffering: an interview with David Pearce
English | Español | Português Photo: Peter Singer, Justin Oakley and David Pearce at EA Global Melbourne. David Pearce is a British philosopher famous for his idea that there is a strong ethical imperative for human beings to work towards the abolition of suffering of all sentient beings (named “The Hedonistic Imperative“). In the manifesto,…
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How does the world view of a believer in physicalism differ from one of idealism?
Physicalism is the view that no “element of reality” (Einstein) is missing from the mathematical equations of physics – more strictly, tomorrow’s physics beyond the Standard Model plus GR. Idealism is the view that reality is experiential. Most physicalists aren’t idealists, and most idealists aren’t physicalists, but a small minority of researchers are both idealists and physicalists.…
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Is There Suffering in Fundamental Physics?
Any sufficiently advanced consequentialism is indistinguishable from its own parody. The present article is sincere, though it might come across as absurd depending on one’s perspective. In order to reduce suffering, we have to decide which things can suffer and how much. Suffering by humans and animals tugs our heartstrings and is morally urgent, but…
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El imperativo de abolir el sufrimiento: una entrevista con David Pearce
English | Español | Português Foto: Peter Singer, Justin Oakley y David Pearce en el evento EA Global Melbourne. David Pearce es un filósofo británico famoso por su propuesta de que los humanos tenemos un gran imperativo ético para trabajar por la abolición del sufrimiento de todos los seres sintientes (conocida como “El Imperativo Hedonista“).…