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CellBioGuy comments on Open thread, July 23-29, 2013 - Less Wrong Discussion

9 Post author: David_Gerard 22 July 2013 10:34AM

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Comment author: Panic_Lobster 24 July 2013 01:40:31PM 2 points [-]

Just finished reading Neuropath by Scott Bakker. It deals with a radical vision of the reductionistic nature of consciousness, intentionality and personhood and now stands alongside Greg Egan's Permutation City and Diaspora as one of the most philosophically shocking books I have read.

I really don't recommend it to anyone who hasn't been very strongly innoculated against Existential Angst.

If Mitchell Porter has read it or is familiar with Bakker's ideas from other sources I'd be interested in hearing his thoughts, as the philsophy of Neuropath really challenges the credibility of any form of realism regarding qualia.

Comment author: CellBioGuy 28 July 2013 08:26:01PM 1 point [-]

I get the description of Permutation City as shocking (I remember when a friend I lent the book to called me up in the middle of the day when he got to one of the wham sentences) but what in Diaspora was shocking?