From: Ken Clements (Ken@InnovationOnDmnd.com)
Date: Sat Sep 25 1999 - 23:09:06 MDT
"Joe E. Dees" wrote:
> I have one for you: The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind asserts that the
> belief that one possesses a self is a delusion; that the self is, in
> reality, nothing. However, if one does indeed possess a self, then
> there is no delusion involved in believing that one does. On the
> other hand, if one does not possess a self, then no delusion can
> occur, either, for delusion requires a self in order to have a subject
> to delude - a deludee, if you will. There must be a believer for a
> belief to occur, and a nonexistent belief cannot be deluded; in
> addition, delusion in the absence of one who is indeed deluded
> makes no sense whatsoever, since such a concept cannot meet
> the sine qua non test. So, whether or not there is such an entity
> as a self in existence, there can be no delusion, and there is no
> room between the twin horns of this dilemma, since the either-or
> alternatives encompass all the possible situational alternatives.
> Q.E.D., the Zen Doctrine of No-Mind, which asserts that such a
> belief is necessarily deluded, when in fact it cannot be, must be
> false.
> There is a way around this argument. What is it?
> Have fun, Joe
>
Zen has no doctrine, just the direct experience of being. Mu-Shin
(No-Mind) is something given to students to think about in order to get
them to see some of the limitations of thinking.
However, the argument above does have something for us, unenlightened, to
apply to the question of uploading. Brain research indicates that
specific parts of your brain go to work when you think about yourself, and
that damage to these parts can rob you of yourself. IMHO, something seems
to exist as the "self", even if is a delusion pressed on the rest of the
neurosystem by these specialized modules. So, what do you upload when you
upload?
-Ken
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