michaelsuede:
1. n /∞ = 0 and ∞ / n = ∞
The argument that you exist now but cease to exist in the future requires that at some point infinitely in the future you are perceived as not having existed infinitely into the past. If you have not existed into the past from some future perspective and do not exist infinitely into the future from your current perspective then you never have and never will exist for all infinity. Obviously this is a logical paradox that can only be resolved by saying consciousness is external and infinite in nature.
This is not a paradox, it is a non-sequitur.
"perceived as not having existed" != Having never existed.
Existence is not dependent on observation. "I think, therefore I am" was how Decartes
confirmed his existence, not created it.
michaelsuede:
2. If you believe in the theory of Einsteinian Quantum Mechanics, then you believe that conscious observation must be present to collapse a wave function.
I don't think you understand what that means, or how QM works. QM is a mathematical model for calculating the probability of multiple possible outcomes for a given quantum state. The reason there are multiple outcomes, instead of one certain outcome, is because of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. Because the wave function describes a range of possibilities, observation confirms some and eliminates others. That is what is meant by the "collapsing" of a wave function due to observation. It does not state that conscious observation is necessary for creation ex nihilo.
michaelsuede:If consciousness did not exist prior to matter coming into existence, then it is impossible that matter could ever come into existence. Additionally, this rules out the possibility that consciousness is the result of quantum mechanical processes. Either consciousness existed before matter or QM is wrong, one or the other is indisputably true. Regardless, it is a logical paradox to conclude that consciousness is the result of QM processes.
Again, not a paradox, but a non-sequitur. To quote Ayn Rand, "When faced with a contradiction, check your premises. One of them is wrong."
michaelsuede:
3. Given that we have established that consciousness is either infinite and external to the brain or QM is wrong...
Which we haven't, so I'm going to skip the rest, as well as #4 since it is dependent on this flawed premise.
michaelsuede:
5. The number of synapses in the brain is not large enough to hold all the memories of the brain.
The building is not large enough to hold all of the contents of the building. This is a nonsensical statement. Besides, memories fade and degrade over time. The brain doesn't perfectly store memories of every moment of experience. Furthermore, considering that neurologists don't yet know exactly how memories are stored, much less recalled, the entire proclamation is pure conjecture.
michaelsuede:
There is no known mechanism of memory transport in the brain.
And attempting to argue that this supports any other conclusion is an Argument From Ignorance.
michaelsuede:
There is no center point in the brain that can be observed to initiate conscious thought.
Just as there is no center point of the universe, wherein the universe can be said to have begun, because that is a 3-dimensional concept and this universe occupies many more dimesions than that.
michaelsuede:
If consciousness is a product of deterministic biochemical processes,
Fortunately, consciousness is none of those things. It is a
byproduct of chemical
and electrical processes which, thanks to the impossibility of perfectly measuring both the position AND velocity of any given particle, let alone trillions, they are most certainly not deterministic in a manner that could ever be modeled and predicted.
michaelsuede:
this again violates logic on grounds of emergence as well as invalidating free will.
Even if that were the case, determinism would not invalidate Free Will from our perspective. We do not possess the level of computing power to model and predict the countless incoming stimuli and their resulting influence on the innumerable chemical and electrical changes that result in thought and action. You're talking individual bits of information numbering in the trillions to the power of trillions. There literally isn't enough time or energy in our grasp to build a computer capable of processing all of that data correctly. So even if all of our decisions, actions and life events were predetermined at the beginning of Time, it still could not be understood or predicted on any level that is useful to us.
Ergo, Determinism != No Free Will
Unless of course, you presume the a-priori existence of a supernatural, omniscient consciousness capable of processing and accounting for the infinite variables, which would be begging the question to say the least.
michaelsuede:So here in lies a choice. You can chose to believe that consciousness is product of biochemical processes (which is illogical) and that you have no free will, or you can chose to believe that consciousness is eternal and external to the brain which allows for free will. No matter what, you can not say that consciousness is internal to the brain and that you have free will. This is not a logical option.
Since all of this is dependent on flawed reasoning and misunderstandings that I already addressed, I'll leave you with one more point:
If consciousness is external, then why do our memories degrade at all? Why do we forget things and why do our mental capabilities diminish in a manner that directly correlates with the long-term decay of brain tissue? Why is our personality so susceptible to brain damage?
michaelsuede:Chose wisely atheists... oops! I'm sorry, you don't have a choice. Deterministic chemical processes already made that decision for you
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Credit to William Bray for his logical rigor in helping me form these arguments, along with and countless other philosophers and physicists.
Learn about Chaos Theory my friend, and if you have time, look up the Lawrence Krauss lecture, "A Universe From Nothing." One of the most important points he makes is that there is no such thing as "empty space" in this universe. Space itself has mass, and there has been observed in labs a continuous phenomenon of particles popping in and out of existence in an instant, at random. That phenomenon alone would negate any deterministic model of the universe.
"Ultima Ratio Regum" - Latin phrase inscribed on the cannons of King Louis XIV. Translation: "The final argument of Kings."