"He's a snake in the grass, I tell ya guys; he may look dumb but that's just a disguise; he's a mastermind in the ways of espionage." Charlie Daniels, "Uneasy Rider" Murphy and Callahan on my brain; Murphy says: "The Brain and Mind Are Not the Same Thing!" - TT's Lost in Tokyo

Murphy and Callahan on my brain; Murphy says: "The Brain and Mind Are Not the Same Thing!"

[Note: I find that Bob Murphy deleted the comment thread.]

Allow me to draw the curious reader`s attention to the latest post by Bob Murphy on the subject of mind, the brain and what is "real".  Again, the ensuing conversation suffers from confusion since Murphy refuses to clarify what he means when he uses the term "mind" and "real".Sure, we usually mean different things when we use different terms, but in my view a Venn diagram of these two would have "mind" entirely within the boundaries of "brain" (there are no disembodied minds).

Also, Gene Callahan makes an appearance and does battle with Silas Barta in an interesting exchange that reveals to me, at least, how little I know. Not surprisingly, though, Callahan again storms FROM the Bastille, earning the following playful admonishment by Bob:

"Whoa there tiger. I realize your brain chemistry made you type those insults out, but by the same token my neurons are making me chastise your tone here. Remember, it is the Rothbardian wing of Austrian economics that resorts to name-calling as opposing to scholarly debate. You NYU guys are supposed to be above that."

Which leaves an interesting question: when we emote, are our minds actually thinking? Or, as Bob seems to concede (by adopting my "the brain produces the mind" rhethoric), are we really just reacting, and verbalizing the flow?

Published Mon, Sep 21 2009 3:41 AM by TokyoTom

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# Consensus on my brain: Murphy on "Orwellian" consensus, Callahan`s consensus on "objective" moral truths, & consensus among neurons

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 7:38 PM by TT`s Lost in Tokyo

A recent post by the prolifically productive Bob Murphy , " A Quick Note from Baltimore ",