I’ve been thinking about this idea of Searle, that consciousness would be a biological product … 🤔

Yes, it would be exactly like digestion he says

Right, as a neuroscientist I do find that compelling, but …                 

… but? 🤔

… well, one the one hand biological brains seems to be the only thing we know for sure is or has consciousness

So you think he is right?

We are our brains, more or less?

… but on the other hand, the mind seems to be something very very different from …

the result of digestion … 💩 

Eeeewww 🤢  yeah, sure! 

We figured out a lot about what goes out inside our own bodies by looking at what comes out of it, but minds don’t really do that

How do you mean? 🤨

I read about behaviorism at the beginning of your paper: we can’t study the mind directly, so we study behavior

A belief or a desire would just be the inclination to behave in a certain way

Aha 😊…  so behavior would be the way that the mind expresses itself on the outside? 

Yes, in a sense.

But that’s the rub: behavior doesn’t explain the mind, the mind explains behavior, so what do we gain by reducing the mind to behavior?

I’d expected you to say that the brain causes and explains behavior …  😅

I wish stuff were that simple! 😅

We can’t explain all behavior just by pointing at the brain.                

It might turn out to be true in general, but for now we don’t understand the brain well enough yet  🧠

So you think Searle is wrong in the end?

I don’t think the mind and consciousness are as straightforwardly biological as digestion, no.

And then there is another problem …

Which is …? 🤔

If consciouness were just like a biological secretion, then it would likely just be purely automatic and involuntary

We don’t really control our digestion, in the sense of all the intestinal movements and chemistry, etc.
….. but I’m quite sure I’m in control of my life, up to a point 😊

That’s what I also argue in the conclusion! 😁

Indeed, and I agree with you, in the end.  👍🏻

There must be more going on than just biology.                                  

Thank you so much! ☺️

I’ll finish up the essay, your comments have been very helpful!

No problem  ☺️

I got at least as much out of this as you did.