Is the universe purely physical in nature? Assume ‘physicalism’, the non-dualist philosophical view that all things are physical, including the mind - in the style of D. Dennett.
As follows, we can infer that there is nothing intrinsically supernatural about human consciousness, and that it is a mere product of the physical world and its laws.
If the underlying physical processes may be replicated by other systems, then it is reasonable to infer that other systems may in principle possess qualia.
I’m in SF for the summer, and I was thus able to attend the Slate Star Codex meetup this year in Dolores Park. Met a lot of interesting people, and got to meet Scott. While I’m in the Bay Area I hope to get a little more involved in that scene.
Picture is of the park, not the meetup specifically.
This last Wednesday I had the honor of attending a luncheon with ODU’s current president John R. Broderick. This event was a meetup with the local Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society chapter.
The food was delicious! We were able to talk to Broderick about current events on campus, and suggestions we had (especially with regard to on-campus parking).
Group photo included.