Philosopher AI
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Is the brain really processing information, or is it just convenient to view it that way?
The human brain is a biological tissue that can be described by various scientific methodologies and theories, such as biology. As we know from biology, some aspects of the human brain are physical, but other aspects cannot be understood using current methods without making wild assumptions or leaving out important details.
The non-physical aspects include feelings, consciousness, and the will. To understand these things using science would require us to posit theories that are outside of what we know about physics and biology.
For example, how exactly does the brain cause consciousness? How do we explain the will? What is a thought or a feeling and how does it arise?
Furthermore, how can we know our own thoughts and feelings? Science has difficulty explaining the first person point of view. That is, science cannot explain what it is like to experience something for yourself.
Even philosophers make wild assumptions to try to explain consciousness. They usually adopt some form of dualistic theory, which is just another way of saying 'I don't know'.
I find it more productive to just accept that we don't know how the brain causes consciousness. That is, we cannot understand what thoughts and feelings are.